For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
August 17, 2004
President's Remarks at Hedgesville, West Virginia Rally
Hedgesville High School
Hedgesville, West Virginia
6:17 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all very much. Thanks for coming.
(Applause.) And thanks for inviting me here to Hedgesville. It's such
an honor to be back in what they call the Mountain State. What a
beautiful place. (Applause.) I really -- some of them think you can
find the heart and soul in Hollywood. I think you find it right here.
(Applause.) This is the heart and soul of America, as far as I'm
concerned.
I want to thank you all for coming. Thanks for bringing your
families. I'm here to ask for the vote. (Applause.) I'm traveling
your important state not only asking for the vote, but asking for your
help. See, we have a duty in this country to vote. We have an
obligation in a free society to go to the polls. So I'm asking you to
register your friends and neighbors, and then, come voting time, head
them to the polls. And remind them if they want this country to be
safer, stronger, and better, put George Bush and Dick Cheney back in
there. (Applause.) With your help, we carried this state in 2000.
With your help, we'll carry it again and win a great victory in
November of 2004. (Applause.)
I am sorry Laura is not with me today. She's out working.
(Laughter.) She's asking for the vote. What a great mother and a
great wife, and she's doing a great job as our First Lady.
(Applause.) I'm going to give you some reasons to put me back in, but
perhaps the most important one of all is so that Laura is the First
Lady for four more years. (Applause.)
I'm running with a good man in Dick Cheney. (Applause.) He's a
fine Vice President. I admit it, he's not the prettiest face in the
race. (Laughter.) I didn't pick him for his looks. (Laughter.) I
picked him because he can get the job done. (Applause.)
I want to thank Gale for his kind introduction. I appreciate his
service to the West Virginia men's basketball team. What a great man
he is and a great class act. I'm honored -- (applause.) I appreciate,
Coach, that you'd introduced me. I appreciate standing by your side.
I want to thank my friend, Shelly Moore Capito, the Congressman for
the great state of West Virginia. (Applause.) I want to thank Don
Dellinger, Manny Arvon and Dr. Bill Queen of the school system around
here. I appreciate you letting me come to this facility, and thanks
for working to make sure our kids get a good education here in West
Virginia. (Applause.) I want to thank all the people running for
office, all the local officials. Thanks for showing up. Most
importantly, I want to thank you all. I'm honored you're here. This
is a huge turnout, and I'm grateful for it. (Applause.)
I want to thank the Hedgesville High School Marching Band for
playing here today. (Applause.) And, of course, I've got to thank my
friends, the Bellamy Brothers for being here, as well. (Applause.)
I'm honored they're here. (Applause.)
Listen, I'm here asking for the vote, and I understand one thing
about politics, though -- there's only one reason to look backwards at
the record, and that's who best to lead us forward. We've done a lot
together. You think about what we've been through. We've been through
a lot, and we've accomplished a lot. But I'm here to tell you there is
more to do. We've got more work to do to make this country a hopeful
place. We've got more work to do to make sure that our schools work.
We've got more to do to keep us safe. We've got more to do to spread
freedom. And we've got more to do to make the world a peaceful place.
(Applause.)
AUDIENCE MEMBER: You're the man for the job! (Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: (Laughter.) Listen, we've got more work to do to
make our schools the centers of excellence we all know they can be, so
that no child is left behind in America. (Applause.) You might
remember when we came to office three-and-a-half years ago, too many of
the children were being shuffled from grade to grade, year after year,
without learning the basics. We increased federal funding, but we've
also started to ask important questions -- can our children read and
write and add and subtract. We're challenging the soft bigotry of low
expectations. We've raised the bar; we believe in accountability; we
believe in local control of schools. And when we find schools that
will not teach and will not change, we're bold enough to challenge the
status quo. (Applause.)
And we're making progress all across America. We're closing an
achievement gap in this country. But there's more work to be done. We
want to make sure high school diplomas mean something. We want to make
sure we have strong math and science in our classrooms so our children
can compete in the 21st century. We want to make sure we've got
Internet in our classrooms so we can bring the latest education to help
every child in America. What I'm telling you is, after four more years
a rising generation will have more confidence and more skills to be
able to realize the great promise of our country. (Applause.)
We got more to do to make sure quality health care is available and
affordable. You might remember all the stale debates on Medicare.
Campaign after campaign, they'd come to West Virginia and say, put me
in office, we'll make sure Medicare is strengthened and modernized. We
got the job done. (Applause.) Already more than 4 million seniors
have signed up for drug discount cards which will provide real savings
for our seniors. And starting in 2006, all seniors on Medicare will be
able to choose a plan that meets their needs and gives them coverage
for prescription drugs.
There's more work to be done in health care. To make sure that
people get quality care we've expanded community health centers for
low-income Americans. We've established health savings accounts so
families can save tax-free for their needs. (Applause.) Most people
get their health insurance through their jobs, and many small
businesses are having trouble affording health care for their
employees. We must allow small businesses to pool their risk so they
can buy insurance at the same discounts that big companies are able to
do. (Applause.)
We got to make sure we have technology in health care so -- reduce
the costs and reduce medical errors. And one thing is for certain: To
make sure you've got health care which is affordable and available, we
need medical liability reform. (Applause.) See, I don't think you can
be pro-patient and pro-doctor and pro-plaintiff attorney at the same
time. I think you have to choose. My opponent made his choice and he
put him on the ticket. (Applause.) I made my choice. We need medical
liability reform now. (Laughter.) In all we do to improve health care
in America, we will make sure that the health care decisions are made
by patients and doctors, not by bureaucrats in Washington, D.C.
(Applause.)
Listen, we've got more work to do to make this economy stronger.
We've been through a lot. We've been through a recession, corporate
scandals, and a terrorist attack. Yet, this economy is strong and it's
getting stronger. And the reason why is because we've got great
workers in America. (Applause.) We've got great farmers in America.
(Applause.) The entrepreneurial spirit is strong in America.
(Applause.) And so is the spirit of our fellow citizens. We've
overcome those obstacles, and I think one of the main reasons why,
besides the spirit of our country, is because of well-timed tax
relief. (Applause.)
We didn't pick winners or losers when it came to tax relief. We
said, if you're paying taxes, you ought to get relief. (Applause.)
And we're helping our families by raising the child credit.
(Applause.) We're doing something about the marriage penalty.
(Applause.) Listen, the tax code has got it wrong. We ought to be
encouraging marriage, not penalizing marriage. (Applause.)
We're helping our small businesses, and this time the check was
actually in the mail. (Laughter.) Because we acted, our economy,
since last summer, has grown at a rate as fast as any in nearly 20
years. We've added 1.5 million new jobs since last August. The
national unemployment rate is 5.5 percent. The unemployment rate in
this important state is 5.3 percent. The people of this state are
working. (Applause.)
I'm not going to rest until somebody who wants to work can find a
job. There's more work to be done. In order to keep jobs here in
America, we need an energy policy. That includes using West Virginia
coal. (Applause.) We need more conservation, more renewable. We need
to use the resources we have in environmentally friendly ways. What
I'm telling you is, to keep jobs here in America, we need to become
less dependent on foreign sources of energy. (Applause.)
We need tort reform. (Applause.) We need to be wise about how we
spend your money in Washington. And we need to keep your taxes low.
(Applause.) You know, you've heard the talk in this campaign -- I'm
running against a fellow who has made over $2 trillion of new spending
promises. And so they asked him the other day, they said, how are you
going to pay for it? He said, well, I'm going to tax the rich. You
can't raise enough money by taxing the rich to pay for all his
promises. So guess who is going to end up paying? Yes. But we're not
going to let him. We're going to win in November. (Applause.)
In order to make sure we keep jobs here, we're going to make sure
trade is fair for American workers and American manufacturers and
American entrepreneurs. We can compete with anybody, anytime,
anyplace, so long as the rules are fair. (Applause.)
In order to make sure we've got jobs here, we've got to make sure
our workers are trained for the jobs of the 21st century. That's why
I'm such a strong backer in the community college system. The
community college system will allow people to go back to work -- and
we'll provide help for them -- so they can get the skills necessary to
fill the jobs that will exist in the 21st century. (Applause.)
After four more years, there will be better jobs in America. After
four more years, there will be better -- a better farm economy in
America. After four more years, the entrepreneurial spirit will be
strong. And after four more years, America will still be the strongest
economy among any major industrialized nation in the world.
(Applause.)
AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
THE PRESIDENT: We have more to do to wage and win the war against
terror. Our future depends on our willingness to lead in the world.
If America shows uncertainty and weakness in this decade, the world
will drift toward tragedy. This isn't going to happen on my watch.
(Applause.)
The world changed on that terrible September morning. And since
that day, we have changed the world. Before September the 11th,
Afghanistan served as the home base of al Qaeda, which trained and
deployed thousands of killers to set up terror cells around the world,
including our own country. Because we acted, Afghanistan is a rising
democracy. Because we acted, Afghanistan is an ally in the war on
terror. Because we acted, young girls go to school for the first time
in that country. (Applause.) Because we acted, America and the world
are safer. (Applause.)
Before September the 11th, Libya was spending millions to acquire
weapons of mass destruction. Today, because America and our allies
sent a strong and easy to understand message, the leader of Libya has
abandoned his pursuit of weapons of mass destruction, and America and
the world are safer. (Applause.)
Before September the 11th, the --
AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. I'm ready for four more years.
(Applause.)
Before September the 11th, the ruler of Iraq was a sworn enemy of
America. He was defying the world. He was firing weapons at American
pilots enforcing the world's sanctions. He had pursued and he had used
weapons of mass destruction. He harbored terrorists. He invaded his
neighbors. He subsidized the families of suicide bombers. Saddam
Hussein murdered tens of thousands of his own citizens. He was a
source of great instability in the world's most volatile region. He
was a threat. (Applause.)
One of the lessons of September the 11th is that this nation must
deal with threats before they fully materialize. (Applause.) I saw a
threat, and went to the United States Congress. I said, this man is a
threat to the United States. They looked at the intelligence, the same
intelligence I looked at. They remembered the facts about Saddam
Hussein, and members of both political parties, including my opponent,
agreed that Saddam Hussein was a threat. (Applause.)
I then went to the United Nations, and I did so because force is
the last resort for America. The decision to go to war is the toughest
decision a President will ever make. I went to the United Nations in
the hopes that diplomacy would work. The United Nations looked at the
same intelligence I looked at and the Congress looked at, and came to
the same conclusion we did: Saddam Hussein was a threat. In the U.N.
Security Council, there was a 15-0 vote that said, disclose, disarm or
face serious consequences. As he had for over a decade, Saddam Hussein
defied the demands of the free world. He went so far as to
systematically deceive the inspectors that we sent in that country.
So I had a choice to make: either forget the lessons of September
the 11th, and trust a madman, or take action necessary to defend
America. Given that choice, I will defend our country every time.
(Applause.)
Even though we didn't find the stockpiles we affected (sic) -- to
find, Saddam Hussein had the capability of making weapons. And he
could have passed that capability on to our enemies. After September
the 11th, that is a risk we could not afford to take. Knowing what I
know today, I would have made the same decision. (Applause.) And
America and the world are safer with Saddam Hussein in a prison cell.
(Applause.)
Now, almost two years after he voted for the war in Iraq, and seven
months after switching positions to declare himself the anti-war
candidate, my opponent has found a new nuance. He now agrees it was
the right decision to go into Iraq. After months of questioning my
motives and even my credibility, the Senator from Massachusetts now
agrees with me that even though we haven't found the stockpile of
weapons we all believed were there, knowing everything we know today,
he would have voted to go into Iraq and remove Saddam Hussein from
power. I want to thank the Senator for clearing that up. (Laughter
and applause.) Remember, there's over 75 days left in the campaign.
He can still change his mind. (Laughter.)
I'm running for four more years because I understand that we have
more work to do to secure our country, to work with our friends and
allies around the world, to aggressively pursue the terrorists and
foreign fighters in Iraq and Afghanistan and elsewhere. See, you can't
talk sense to these people. You cannot negotiate with them. You
cannot hope for the best. We must engage these enemies so we do not
have to face them here at home. (Applause.)
America will continue to lead the world with confidence and moral
clarity. We put together a strong coalition to help us. There are
nearly 40 nations involved in Afghanistan, some 30 nations involved in
Iraq. Today I talked to Tony Blair and Silvio Berlusconi, Prime
Ministers of great allies. We talked about how to spread peace and
freedom around the world. These are important allies, and I appreciate
their contributions. I will continue, over the next four years, to
make sure our alliance is strong. But I will never turn over America's
national security decisions to leaders of other countries. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
THE PRESIDENT: We will keep our commitments to help Afghanistan
and Iraq become democratic and peaceful societies. Those countries
have now got strong leaders, men dedicated to the future of their
countries. You realize over nine million people have registered to
vote in Afghanistan. (Applause.) They long for freedom. They want to
be free. And we'll help them. Our military forces will help meet our
goal of stable and free countries who are allies in the war on terror
by not only providing security, but by training Iraqi and Afghan
forces, so they can stand up and defend their countries. Our military
will complete this mission as quickly as possible, so our troops do not
stay a day longer than necessary. (Applause.)
The other day my opponent said if he's elected, the number of
troops in Iraq will be significantly reduced within six months. That
sends a dangerous message. The enemy can wait six months and one day.
It sends the wrong message to our troops in theater. It sends the
wrong message to the Iraqis. They're wondering whether or not America
means what it says. They're wondering whether or not they are willing
to take risks for freedom. They're wondering whether or not tyranny
will come back into their land. No, when this country says something,
we will honor our commitment. Afghanistan and Iraq will be free.
(Applause.)
We've done a lot of hard work and the world is better off for it.
In these crucial times, our commitments are kept by the men and women
of our military. We've got a fantastic military. (Applause.) And I
want to thank the veterans who are here for setting the example for
those who wear the nation's uniform. (Applause.) I've seen the
decency of our troops, their great courage. The cause of freedom is in
really good hands.
I have made a commitment to them and to their loved ones. Our
troops will have the resources they need to fight and win this war
against the terrorists. (Applause.) This administration has met that
commitment. Last September, while our troops were in combat in
Afghanistan and Iraq, I proposed supplemental funding to support them
in their missions. This funding went for body armor and vital
equipment, hazard pay, health benefits, ammunition, fuel and spare
parts. It was an important vote. We received great bipartisan support
in both the House and the Senate -- such a strong vote in the Senate
that only 12 members voted against it, two of whom are my opponent and
his running mate.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: When I asked him about it he said, "I actually did
vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it." (Laughter.) I
don't think that's the way the folks around here talk. They tell you
what's on your mind. You know, then he got pressed even further and he
said he was proud of his vote; then he said it was a complicated
matter. (Laughter.) There's nothing complicated about supporting our
troops in combat. (Applause.)
In the long run our security is not guaranteed by force alone. We
must work to change the conditions that give rise to terror: that's
poverty and hopelessness and resentment. A free and peaceful Iraq, and
a free and peaceful Afghanistan will be powerful examples in a part of
the world that is desperate for freedom. Free societies listen to the
hopes and aspirations of their people. Free societies are peaceful
societies. By serving the ideal of liberty, we're helping others
secure their freedom, and we're securing our own country. By serving
the ideal of liberty, we're spreading peace that we all long for. By
serving the ideal of liberty, we're serving the deepest ideals of our
country. Freedom is not America's gift to the world; freedom is the
Almighty God's gift to each man and woman in this world. (Applause.)
We got more work to do to secure this homeland. There's an enemy
who hate us and they're still plotting. It's the realities of the
world we live in. We have a difference of opinion about these people.
My opponent said the other day that going to war with the terrorists is
actually improving their recruiting efforts. I think the logic is
upside down. It shows a misunderstanding of the people we have to
bring to justice. See, during the '90s, the terrorists were recruiting
and training for war with us, long before America went to war with
them. They don't need an excuse for their hatred. It's wrong to blame
America for the evil of these killers. We don't create terrorists by
fighting back; we defeat the terrorists by fighting back. (Applause.)
We're working hard to protect the homeland. You got to know
there's a lot of people at the federal and state and local level
working as hard as they possibly can to protect our fellow citizens.
And I'm grateful for their contributions and their sacrifice and their
hard work. We created the Department of Homeland Security to better
guard you. We've got better communications between our intelligence
networks. The Patriot Act is a vital tool so law enforcement can run
down these terrorists before they hit America again. (Applause.)
We've been working hard to reform everything in Washington, but
reform in Washington is hard. (Laughter.) There's a lot of entrenched
interests there. It's hard to challenge the status quo, but I've been
willing to do so. See, it's not enough to advocate reform, you have to
be able to get the job done. (Applause.) When it comes to reforming
our schools to provide an excellent education for all our children,
we're getting the job done. (Applause.) When it comes to health care
reforms to give our families and seniors more access and better choices
in health care, we're getting the job done. (Applause.) When it comes
to improving our economy and creating jobs, we're getting the job
done. (Applause.) When it comes to defending America and spreading
freedom and peace, we're getting the job done. (Applause.) And when
it comes to electing a President, America must put somebody in the
White House who can get the job done. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. You know, these are exciting times
we're living in. It is a time of change, and change can be
unsettling. I understand that. But if government stands side by side
with families or workers, it can help a lot. See, I want people owning
something in America. I want people owning and controlling their own
health care, so if they change jobs, they can take them from job to
job. I want people owning and managing their own personal retirement
accounts when it comes to Social Security. Listen, the Social Security
system is in good shape for older folks like me. (Laughter.) It's the
younger workers we've got to be thinking about. (Applause.) In order
to make sure the younger workers got a retirement system that meets its
promises, younger workers ought to be allowed to own their own personal
savings accounts. (Applause.)
You know, one of the things I love about America is, more and more
people are owning their home. The home ownership rate is at the
highest its ever been in this country. (Applause.) What a wonderful
idea, when somebody opens their door, and says, this is my home --
(applause) -- welcome to my property. We want more people owning their
home in this country. We want more people owning their own business in
this country. The small business sector is a vibrant part of the
health of our nation. When you own something, you have a vital stake
in the future of our country.
In these changing times, there are going to be some things that
won't change, as far as I'm concerned: our belief in liberty and
opportunity, and the non-negotiable demands of human dignity; the
individual values we try to live by, courage and compassion, reverence
and integrity; the institutions that give us direction, our families,
our schools, and our religious congregations. (Applause.)
We stand -- we stand for institutions like marriage and family,
which are the foundations of our society. (Applause.) We stand for a
culture in life in America where every person counts and everybody
matters. (Applause.) We stand for judges who faithfully interpret the
law, instead of legislating from the bench. (Applause.) We stand for
a culture of responsibility. You know this culture is changing from
one that has said, if it feels good, do it, and if you've got a
problem, blame somebody else, to a culture in which each of us
understands we're responsible for the decisions we make in life.
(Applause.)
If you are a mother and father, you're responsible for loving your
child with all your heart and all your soul. (Applause.) If you're
worried about the schools here in your neighborhood, you're responsible
for doing something about it. You're responsible for supporting your
teachers, your principals, the people involved with the schools.
(Applause.) If you're a CEO in corporate America, you are responsible
for telling the truth to your shareholders and your employees.
(Applause.) And in a responsibility society, each of us is responsible
for loving our neighbor just like we'd like to be loved ourself.
I'm running for four more years to continue to rally the armies of
compassion. (Applause.) I understand the limitations of government.
Government can hand out money, but it cannot put hope in a person's
heart or a sense of purpose in a person's life. That happens when a
loving soul puts their arm around somebody who needs -- needs some
love and says, what can I do to help you. How can I stand by you?
What can I do to make your life better. Listen, America is going to
change one heart, one soul, one conscience at a time because of the
armies of compassion in this great land. (Applause.)
For all America, these years in our history will always stand
apart. There are quiet times in the life of a nation when little is
expected of its leaders. This isn't one of those times. It's a time
when we must have firm resolve, clear vision, and a strong abiding
faith in the values that make this a great nation.
None of us will ever forget that week when one era ended and
another one began. I stood in the ruins of the Twin Towers on
September the 14th, 2001, and it is a day I'll never forget. There
were workers in hard-hats yelling at me, "Whatever it takes." I was
working the line there to thank people, and a guy looked me in the eye,
and he said, "Do not let me down." He took that day personally. The
people searching the rubble took it personally. You took it
personally, and so did I. (Applause.)
I have a duty -- I have a duty that goes on. I wake up every
morning thinking about how better to protect our country. I will never
relent in defending America, whatever it takes. (Applause.)
Now, we've been through a lot together, and there's more work to be
done. During the next four years, we will spread ownership and
opportunity to every corner of a country. We will pass the enduring
values of our country on to a younger generation. We will lead the
cause of freedom and peace.
You know, when I campaigned around your state in 2000, I said that
if you gave me the high honor of serving as your President, I would
uphold the honor and the dignity of the office to which I had been
elected. (Applause.) And with your help, I will do so for four more
years.
God bless. Thanks for coming. Thank you all, very much. We're on
to victory. Thank you all. (Applause.)
END 6:52 P.M. EDT
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