For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
October 13, 2004
Press Gaggle with Dan Bartlett
Royal Palms Hotel and Spa
Phoenix, Arizona
11:42 A.M. MST
MR. BARTLETT: Well, obviously, first to start with saying that
President Bush is excited about tonight. It gives him an opportunity
to spend a lot more time, obviously, than the first debate -- and even
the second debate -- to talk about some of the clear differences
between he and Senator Kerry on important domestic issues facing the
American people, and which the President will be addressing the next
four years.
There's a clear difference in this campaign. President Bush has a
record of results in which he's done in office what he said he would
do. He's taken on tough challenges. Our country has taken on tough
challenges: a recession, an attack on our economy, which cost our
country 1 million jobs in the three months just after 9/11. But we
responded and, based on that response, we now have a growing economy,
creating 1.9 million jobs, that he's going to talk about. There is as
clear, philosophical contrast between he and Senator Kerry on these big
issues.
The President believes and trusts the American people. Senator
Kerry's positions and record demonstrates that he trusts government,
and that's a clear difference in this election and it's one I imagine
will be a centerpiece of the debate on many of the issues facing us.
And, like I said, the President has a record of results. Senator Kerry
has 20 years in the Senate, in which he hasn't accomplished much, but
what he has earned is the ranking as the most liberal member of the
United States Senate, and he's done that by casting votes for more
taxes, more regulation, and less control of individuals' lives. So
it's a clear difference.
As far as preparation, the President has spent a lot of time --
starting, obviously, in Crawford, when he was down in Crawford Sunday
night, we had a session. We've been taking advantage of motorcade
rides -- and I remember coming back from -- what was it, Red Face or
Red Stone?
Q Red Rocks.
MR. BARTLETT: Red Rocks, we used that as an opportunity; on the
plane rides yesterday, we had a formal session. We flew in Senator
Judd Gregg last night, had a full dress -- I say "dress," but he didn't
wear a suit -- rehearsal.
Q Who won? (Laughter.)
MR. BARTLETT: Both sides represented themselves well. (Laughter.)
The President was a clear victor. (Laughter.)
But did a full session last night, and then even did, you know,
after that, later in the evening, before he went to dinner with Senator
McCain, we did another session with aides going through some things.
This morning, first thing, we're back on the job and going over some
final points he wants to make.
So he's been paying a lot of attention to this. There's some
points he, as I said, that he wants to talk about what he wants to do
for the next four years, the goals and his vision for improving the
economy, building on education reform and also talk about the clear
differences in this campaign.
So he's excited. He got a little exercise, as well, this morning,
and is going to relax this afternoon and just clear his mind for the
last debate.
Q Does the format put him at a disadvantage?
MR. BARTLETT: I don't think so. Obviously, he's a person who
warms to audiences, as he showed last Friday. But he's done this
before. He obviously did it at the first debate. I don't think that
will be an issue.
Q The polls show that Senator Kerry was the clear winner,
according to voters. Does the President have to come out as the clear
victor in this debate?
MR. BARTLETT: I do believe the President will win this debate,
because his positions and his values are closer to where the American
people's are. Senator Kerry is a fine debater, and I'm sure he'll win
on technicality and on points, and I'm sure he'll rehearse a lot of
lines that may sound good, but when you look at the details they don't
come across just as well. And I think in each debate, if you look at
the substantive arguments we've had afterwards, he's been the one who
talks about, incredulously, that there's no government involvement in
his health care plan, for example. He's the one who talks about a
global test.
I mean, if you look at the real missteps and mistakes being made in
these debates on a substantive matter, it's been Senator Kerry. And
President Bush will, I believe, take advantage of those again tonight,
and point them out.
So I'm clearly confident that the President will win this debate on
the substance, and that's where the public is on this. And when people
are asked, you know, who was technically this or that, I mean, he was a
debate team captain who literally has been preparing for this all his
life. But I think at the end of the day what's going to matter is
where they stand on the issues. And I think in that regard, President
Bush is going to be the clear victor.
Q Dan, everyone is saying that as of today, everything is back
to square one, as far as the campaign is concerned. Is that how you're
viewing this? Is this the ground zero, and from here on in it's a
whole new ball game?
MR. BARTLETT: Well, we've said even before the debate season
started, that the election is going to narrow. You've all covered the
fact that -- you know, a close electorate. We do have confidence down
the stretch that President Bush is going to be victorious because he
has the right message, he has the right ground organization; his
support is strong and energetic and responsive to his message. So I
think it will be close right down to the wire, but at the end of the
day I think the President's message and visions are going to prevail.
Q Kerry is going to be hammering the 800,000 job loss net in
the first term, four years. Isn't that a problem that you basically
cannot get around?
MR. BARTLETT: No, because it's taking that statistic in a vacuum,
in which no one in America has done. The American people know what has
happened over the last four years. They understand the cards that the
entire country was dealt. The attacks of September 11th wasn't just an
attack on our country, it was an attack on our economy, in the heart of
the financial district, to the World Trade Center. Wall Street was
shut down for a week. A million jobs lost in the three months just
after 9/11. These aren't excuses; this is the reality in which all of
Americans faced and overcame.
And the question mark on all these issues -- whether it be on jobs,
on health care, or even on national security issues going forward -- is
the American people want to know who has the right plans going
forward. And we believe that this argument comes down to President
Bush's pro-growth economic policies and Senator Kerry's policies of
more taxes and more government spending, we'll win every time.
Q I guess the question is, how would you characterize job
growth in the last several months? I mean, clearly, it hasn't been
good.
MR. BARTLETT: Well, any way you slice it, 1.9 million new jobs
over the last year is good, strong growth. You ask any economist the
same -- look, the recovery we are in is a good recovery. And we're
having anywhere from 3 to 4 percent GDP, and it fluctuates from quarter
to quarter, and that is despite the fact that we're still a nation
under threat. We're a nation still at war, a nation still having
soldiers fighting in harm's way.
I think it's a remarkable achievement that despite all the
uncertainties of war, despite all the challenges we've had to face as a
country, that we are a growing economy. Our economy is growing faster
than Germany, France and Great Britain combined, as far as job creation
and GDP growth. I mean, those are remarkable figures for a country
that was dealt the twin shocks of a recession and a terrorist attack.
Q Is that the line the President will take tonight, that it's
an economic recovery that's occurring during a state of war and that it
was September 11 which removed a million jobs from the economy?
MR. BARTLETT: He's made that point before, and I assume he will
make it -- since it is a key reason why we had the type of job loss of
the last three-and-a-half years, four years. So it's a key fact. It's
a reality. And it's one that the public readily accepts -- they
remember; they remember the stock market being down for a week, they
remember the airplanes not flying for days, they remember what happened
to our economy. And the whole northeastern -- it grinded to a halt,
and that had a severe impact.
So it's a reality. President Bush didn't use excuses -- he acted.
And we've taken decisive action -- we believe, obviously, the right
action -- and that's why this economy is growing. We had dozens of
major economic -- economists today, including the most recent Nobel
laureate, come out and endorse President Bush's economic policies,
demonstrated that he has put the right prescription for our economy in
place.
Q Dan, analysts are saying that this debate could break the
election deadlock in favor of either candidate, it could go either
way. Are these the stakes that -- is this the way that you see it?
MR. BARTLETT: Well, analysts and media always try to make the
event the moment of the day, the one, the biggest and the most
dramatic. Every day is important. The debate tonight is important
because it gives an opportunity for President Bush to demonstrate he
has a vision for the next four years, as well as a better approach to
governing our country.
But when you have a close race, every day matters. It matters when
Senator Kerry says he believes that he just wants to reduce terrorism
to a nuisance. I mean, each time these things are said, each time
candidates take positions, it matters in a close race. So I think each
day is going to matter. This is a big night, one the President is
looking forward to and expects to do well.
Q Once the debates are over and you start the new campaign, the
rest of the campaign, how will it look different to us than before?
MR. BARTLETT: You'll get less sleep, if you can imagine that.
(Laughter.) We'll cover a lot of territory. But when you close the
deal on an election, you put forward your vision, you put forward where
you want to take the country, and clearly articulate why you believe
your policies and your positions and your record demonstrate you're
better than the other guy. And that's closing the deal in an election,
and is something that this President has done before and --
Q Will he campaign every, single day, from now until the end?
MR. BARTLETT: Just about. Just about. It'll feel like it, if
it's not.
Q Can you give us a reaction on the NRA endorsement?
MR. BARTLETT: I wasn't aware of it. They've supported the
President in the past. The President believes that it is getting
support from organization from all walks of life. The NRA recognizes
that President Bush understands that law abiding citizens have a right
to own firearms, as well as to keep the focus of our anti-crime
policies on those who commit crimes with guns. So we've had their
support in the past, and glad we have their support today.
Q Is that an issue that the President can make some inroads on tonight?
MR. BARTLETT: Well, I think anybody who looks at their two
records, where President Bush has had a strong record -- anti-crime
record in protecting the rights of the American people. And Senator
Kerry, while during the last days of the campaign, does a lot of photo
ops, if you look at his record and you look at his policies, it's one
in which he doesn't commit to a strong anti-crime policy. We believe
that violent criminals ought to receive the death penalty, for
example. He doesn't. We believe that we ought to have strong
mandatory sentencing. Senator Kerry, in the past, has voted against
it. And we believe that we ought to protect the rights of citizens to
keep and bear arms, but -- and then to focus our policies on those who
commit crimes with guns.
Q Can I digress for a second to foreign policy?
MR. BARTLETT: On a day of domestic issues? (Laughter.)
Q Well, this is something that's come up in what the President
said about Kerry and foreign policy. He said that, in many ways, what
Kerry is recommending for Iraq is what we're already doing in trying --
in terms of trying to get foreign allies in there and whatnot. Then
he's also said that Kerry's strategy is one of retreat and failure. So
how do you reconcile those two?
MR. BARTLETT: Well, and many of the items in which he criticizes
us, as far as reconstruction projects, as far as elections, and as far
as training Iraqi security forces. Those are things that we are
doing. And that's why he is mimicking. But in some key areas, Senator
Kerry is signaling a policy of retreat and defeat, mainly is he's
setting out there artificial timeframes of troop withdrawals, which we
believe sends the wrong signal to the Iraqi people, sends the wrong
signal to our coalition, and most importantly, it sends the wrong
signal to the enemy.
Fundamentally, though, the critical difference between President
Bush and Senator Kerry is that the American people want to know who can
be successful in Iraq, and how can you win a fight that you don't
believe in? And Senator Kerry doesn't believe in this fight, if you
look at all the comments that he has made. You can't have a
Commander-in-Chief who doesn't believe in the mission in which we are
undertaking, and sacrificing lives if you don't believe in it. And
President Bush not only believes in it, he thinks it's the right thing
to do, at the right time, and the right place.
Q Does the President expect to bring up Iraq frequently this evening?
MR. BARTLETT: It's up to the moderator. We know the rules of this
is domestic issues. I wouldn't be surprised if Senator Kerry tries
again to take a crack at explaining his own position. He hasn't gotten
it right yet, so I wouldn't doubt if he did it. And President Bush, if
attacked on it, will obviously point out why we're -- what we're doing
is right. And, ultimately, if we want to have good health care in
America, if we want to have good education in America, if we want to
have a strong economy in America, we've got to win the war. And that's
a point that I think most Americans accept, and I think they accept
that President Bush is a better person to prevail.
Q And if the President's policies are right for America, then
why is the electorate so sharply split?
MR. BARTLETT: Well, I think the party differences that were
evident in 2000 is still evident today. And that's part of where our
electorate is today. But we believe that a majority of Americans are
going to support President Bush. And he's made difficult decisions as
President.
Q A large majority?
MR. BARTLETT: I'm not going to predict numbers. (Laughter.) I'm
going to predict a victory. But I -- you know, President Bush has had
to make some difficult decisions. Our country is faced with historic
times and it's required decisions that some Americans, and many
Americans in some cases, didn't support. And that's -- and a lot of
people don't like war. And President Bush doesn't like war. But he
understands that some people aren't going to agree with it, but he did
what he felt was right, as Commander-in-Chief, to protect our country.
And there might be some people who just fundamentally don't agree with
that position and they're not going to support him. And he recognizes
that.
Q Immigration is obviously a pretty powerful issue here in
Arizona. And as voters here consider Proposition 200, the Protect
Arizona Now Initiative, obviously this would be a big change in
immigration policy, in terms of new penalties for federal government
employees if they gave voter registration cards or welfare benefits.
What is the President's position on that proposition?
MR. BARTLETT: Well, President Bush has made a habit not to get
involved in local ballot initiatives, and he believes the people of
Arizona can come to -- cast their vote and make up their minds on
this. President Bush has, however, given his view of how we ought to
approach immigration, both as governor of Texas and as President, and
that's to say we're going to be tough on our borders, we're going to
use our manpower and our technology to do everything we can to keep
those people out who are not supposed to be here, but that he also
wants to have a more humane system of treating illegal immigrants who
are here.
We all recognize the reality in America is that there are many jobs
in America that us Americans don't want to do, but people who want to
provide for themselves in Mexico come here to do. And we should not
have the shadowy underground economy. We ought to bring it forward,
have a registration program that is fair, that is not amnesty, that is
-- that recognizes that we need to have a more humane system in which
we can track the people who are here, and who want to go home. In that
way, it'll help our border enforcement officials do a more effective
job of keeping the bad guys out.
So it's something that he is keenly aware, as a former border state
governor. He's got a strong record when it comes to immigration in
compassionate ways, as well as being tough on making sure that we
protect our border.
Q How many hours of preparation has the President logged in
over the past couple of days?
MR. BARTLETT: It's hard for me to put a -- I'm not with him 24
hours a day. It's constantly on his mind, so I can say that, but we've
had --
Q Say today and yesterday.
MR. BARTLETT: Like I said, we had a formal session yesterday
afternoon, like I said, a full rehearsal, which was -- you know, we
were there for 90 minutes and did the whole thing, and then we did
follow-up sessions. We're doing an hour here, hour there. We're
almost taking every waking moment that we can, as far as, like I said,
in motorcade rides and on the plane and other aspects. And I'm sure
for him, personally, it's on his mind 24/7.
Q So it was a mock debate to the extent that it was -- that it
was 90 minutes exactly?
MR. BARTLETT: Oh, sure. It might have been just shy, but it was
pretty -- it was fairly close, but it was definitely time limits and
the whole thing. It was very much a rehearsal.
Q Where was this?
MR. BARTLETT: About 100 feet from here, in a room right off of
here. (Laughter.) Sorry.
Q Why weren't we invited?
MR. BARTLETT: You were. You didn't get -- Claire, you didn't give
them the invitation? (Laughter.)
Q What sort of exercise this morning?
MR. BARTLETT: Precor. You know, the -- isn't that what it's
called.
Q Elliptical?
MR. BARTLETT: Elliptical, sorry. What's Precor? I thought it was
the same thing.
Q That's the brand, I think.
MR. BARTLETT: Ah, elliptical.
Q Did the President catch any of the game last night, the --
was he able to catch the Yankees --
MR. BARTLETT: I'm sure he watched the end when he got home, but I
didn't get a chance to ask him. I'm sure he had it on, though.
Q Thank you.
MR. BARTLETT: All right? Thanks.
END 11:59 A.M. MST
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