For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
August 29, 2004
President's Remarks at Wheeling, West Virginia Rally
Wesbanco Arena
Wheeling, West Virginia
2:20 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. (Applause.) Thank you all for
coming. (Applause.) And thanks for having me. (Applause.) I am
thrilled to be back here in the Mountain State. (Applause.) You may
have noticed I'm spending some quality time here. (Applause.) You
know why? Because we're going to carry West Virginia again.
(Applause.)
I'm here to thank you for your help. I'm here to ask for your
vote. I'm here to encourage you to go the extra mile to get people to
show up at the polls. (Applause.) Most of all, I want to thank you
for coming out on a Sunday afternoon. I appreciate you all coming out
and taking time away -- or bringing your families here. It means a lot
to me. I really appreciate it.
You know, I was in your neighborhood a while ago. I was at the new
Cabela's. (Applause.) The place has hired over a couple thousand
jobs, creating a couple thousand jobs there. I'm there because I'm a
hunter and I like to fish. (Applause.) I understand a lot of people
in these parts like to fish. (Applause.) A couple of you like to
hunt. (Applause.) I just don't get to do enough of it -- I'm hunting
for votes. (Applause.)
There's a lot of differences in this campaign. You know, one of
the most notable differences came up the other day when my opponent
said, well, you can find the heart and soul of America in Hollywood.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: Yes. I think you find the heart and soul of
America right here in Wheeling, West Virginia. (Applause.)
I gave Laura a kiss good-bye today and said, I'm heading to
Wheeling. She said, well, I'm working on my speech. (Laughter.) I
said, well, make it a good one, will you? (Laughter.) I didn't need
to say that. Of course, it's going to be a good one. Laura is a great
First Lady, a wonderful mom, and a great wife. (Applause.) I'm really
proud of her. I'm really proud of her. Today, I'm going to give you
some reasons why I think you ought to put me back into office; perhaps
the most important one of all is for Laura to be the First Lady for
four more years. (Applause.)
Rick mentioned my running mate. I'm real proud of Dick Cheney.
He's a great, solid man. (Applause.) I admit he's not the prettiest
face in the race. (Laughter.) I picked him because of his judgment
and his experience and his ability to get the job done. (Applause.)
I thank Rick, Rick Casini, for being here. I'm proud of his
leadership. As he told you, he's a union shop steward, he's a leader
of men and women, he's -- he represents the hardworking people of the
steel industry here in this part of the country. It means a lot to me
that he stands up and endorses my candidacy. See, I believe our
message is good for Republicans, I believe our message is good for
Democrats, and I believe our message is good for independents.
(Applause.)
I appreciate the steel workers who are standing behind me.
(Applause.) Standing with me. (Applause.) When I make up my mind on
issues, I don't say, well, you know, oh, so-and-so might benefit, but
they didn't vote for me. That's not how I do things. I make up my
mind based upon what I think is right. (Applause.)
And I appreciate -- I want to thank my friend, Congresswoman Shelly
Moore Capito for joining us today, a fine member of the United States
Congress. I want to thank the Wheeling Park High School Marching Band
for being here today. (Applause.) I'll try to keep my speech short,
so you can get back home and do your homework for tomorrow.
(Laughter.) No? Okay.
I want to thank all the grassroots activists who are here -- Kathy
Fortunato is with us today. And I want to thank all of -- here's what
a grassroots activist does: You put up signs, you make the phone
calls, you register people to vote. See, we have a duty in our country
to register people to vote, and to vote. And, therefore, I'm asking
you, as a supporter, to go out amongst your friends and neighbors and
remind your friends and neighbors to register. Tell them that in
America our system functions because people participate.
You might remind them of this amazing statistic: that in
Afghanistan, after three short years of their liberation, over 10
million people have registered to vote. (Applause.) They're getting a
whiff of liberty in Afghanistan, that sweet smell of freedom.
(Applause.) And here in America, we must remind people to
participate. See, that liberty functions because people show up. And
when you get them registered, don't ignore Democrats -- you heard Rick
-- (laughter) -- don't worry about -- don't overlook discerning
independents. And then, when you get them registered and you get them
headed to the poll, remind them, if they want a safer country, a
stronger country, a better country, put us back into office.
(Applause.)
We have been through a lot together in the last few years, and we
have accomplished a lot. We have done a lot. But there's only one
reason to look back at the record, and that is to determine who best to
lead us forward. (Applause.) I'm traveling your important state to
let you know that even though we have done a lot, there's more work to
do; that I've got more to accomplish with your help; that I want to
make sure our schools realize their full potential so every child --
every child -- has a chance to realize the great promise of America.
(Applause.)
We're working with our local folks to make sure that excellence is
in every classroom. See, I believe in local control of schools.
(Applause.) We're spending more money at the federal level to help you
out here. But we're changing things, because now we're beginning to
ask the question, can a child read and write and add and subtract,
see. That's what we're beginning to ask, because we believe every
child can learn to read, and we expect every child to read. And when
we find the schools that are teaching, we'll praise their -- praise
their teachers. But this administration will challenge the status
quo. We will -- we will make sure that schools that do not teach and
will not change get the message that every child should learn to read
in America. (Applause.)
There's more work to be done. I believe in intervention programs
to make sure children have the skills necessary to learn. I know we've
got to raise the standards in our high schools by working on math and
science curricula. We want more Internet in our classrooms. We want a
high school diploma to mean something. What I'm telling you is, after
four more years, a rising generation will have the skills and
confidence necessary to realize the American Dream. (Applause.)
We've got more work to do on health care. We're making good
progress on health care. We've created community health centers all
around the country, so low-income people can get primary care. It
seems like a legitimate function of your government, is to help people
with their health care needs, if they can't afford it. You might
remember the old Medicare debate. That's a program, of course, that
our seniors count on. Many seniors will tell you the program needed to
be modernized and strengthened. See, you couldn't get prescription
drugs through Medicare, not until old George W. came along.
(Applause.)
We worked with Republicans and Democrats to say, let's keep our
commitment to our seniors. Beginning in the year 2006, seniors are
going to have choices in Medicare. Seniors will be able to design a
program that meets their needs. Plus, Medicare will include
prescription drugs.
We created health savings accounts for American families, so you
can save tax-free for your own health care needs. I fully recognize
most people get their health care through their businesses. Most small
-- most new jobs are created by small businesses. A lot of small
businesses are having trouble affording health care these days. One
way to address that problem is to allow small employers to join
together to pool risk, so they can buy insurance at the same discount
big businesses get to do. (Applause.)
We will continue to spend dollars on research, so we can help find
cures for terrible diseases. We'll work to modernize the health care
industry. But I'll tell you one thing we need to do to make sure
you've got health care that's available and affordable: We need to
stop these junk lawsuits that are threatening our docs. (Applause.)
This is an issue in this campaign. You see, I don't think you can be
pro-plaintiff attorney and pro-doctor and patient at the same time.
(Applause.) See, I don't think you can be pro-small business and
pro-plaintiff attorney at the same time. I think you have to make a
choice. My opponent made his choice, and he put him on the ticket.
(Applause.) I made my choice: I am for medical liability reform now.
(Applause.)
In all we do to improve health care, we will make sure the health
care decisions are made by doctors and patients, not by bureaucrats in
Washington, D.C. (Applause.)
I'm running again because I want to continue the economic growth
we're seeing now. We've been through a lot in this economy. We've
been through a recession, we've been through corporate scandals, and
we've been through those -- a terror attack. And yet we've overcome
these obstacles. We've overcome them because we've got great workers
in America. We've overcome them because we've got great farmers in
America. We've overcome them because the small business sector is
alive and well in America. (Applause.) We've overcome these obstacles
because of two well-timed tax cuts. (Applause.)
We didn't try to pick winners or losers when it came to tax relief,
we did it the fair way. We said, if you're paying taxes, you ought to
get relief. (Applause.) We increased the child credit. (Applause.)
We reduced the effects of the marriage penalty. (Applause.) I believe
the tax code ought to encourage marriage, not penalize marriage.
(Applause.) We helped our small businesses, and the plan is working.
Our economy has been growing at rates as fast as any in nearly 20
years. Over the last 12 months, we've added about 1.5 million new
jobs. (Applause.) The unemployment rate, the national unemployment
rate is down to 5.5 percent, which is well below the national average
of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. (Applause.) The unemployment rate in
West Virginia is 5.2 percent. (Applause.)
The economic plan we put in place to overcome the obstacles this
country faced is working, and there's more to do. That's why I've come
here to Wheeling, West Virginia, to let you know there is more work to
be done to make sure this economy continues to grow, to make sure
anybody who's looking for work is able to find a job. To keep jobs
here in America we must have reasonable and fair regulations. You see,
you ask your small business owner here what it's like to fill out
paperwork, and a lot of them will tell you it's too much. My problem
is I can't guarantee you whether anybody in Washington has ever read
the paperwork you fill out. (Applause.) We need tort reform in
America to keep jobs here in America. (Applause.)
Listen, to keep these folks working, to keep people working around
the country, we need a sound energy policy in America. (Applause.) I
submitted a plan to the Congress, and a vital part of that plan is a
strategy based upon clean coal technology. (Applause.) As a matter of
fact, my budgets for clean technology have increased 160 percent since
I came to office. The budget next year for clean coal technology is
$447 million. The reason why I'm telling you this is an integral part
of making sure we're less dependent on foreign sources of energy is
coal. (Applause.)
And I remember campaigning in this state in 2000 and telling you
that was my position then. And I'm running against a fellow who is
kind of shifting. (Laughter.) A while ago he said coal is a dirty
source of energy. Then he decided he wanted to come to your state, and
knock on your door. And then he said, now, well, I am for legislation
that is supporting clean coal technology. In other words, he shifted.
He's out there mining for votes. (Laughter.) All I'm asking you to do
is tell your friends and neighbors, be careful of somebody whose
position shifts in the wind. (Applause.)
Trade policy is important to make sure that jobs stay here. See,
our markets are open for other folks. It's good for you that they're
open. When you have more choices, you're liable to get a better
product at a better price. That's how the economy works. So what I'm
telling other countries is, we're treating you this way, you treat us
the same way. (Applause.)
And we'll enforce law in this administration. We think an industry
is being treated unfairly, we'll enforce the law, and that's exactly
what I did when it came to the U.S. steel industry. See, I thought
there was a -- (applause) -- I thought I needed to stand up for steel,
and I did stand up for steel. (Applause.) I put in place safeguards
to restore fairness to the market to help our steel folks adjust. And
it worked. The plan worked. These folks back here are working in good
jobs, good high-paying jobs. (Applause.) See, if the rules are fair,
if the playing field is level, our workers, our small business owners,
our farmers, can compete with anybody, anyplace, anytime, anywhere.
(Applause.)
We need to provide our workers with a lifetime of learning to keep
jobs here in America. The economy is changing, new high-paying jobs
are being created, but sometimes, there's a skills gap. Sometimes
somebody needs a little help going back to the community college to be
able to gain the skills necessary to fill the jobs of the 21st
century. I'm committed to making sure our workers have got an
opportunity to go back to get an associate degree, so they have the
skills necessary to fill the jobs of the 21st century. (Applause.)
And finally, in order to keep jobs here in America, we've got to be
wise about how we spend your money, and we've got to keep your taxes
low. (Applause.) It's an issue in this campaign. I'm running against
a fellow who has already put out there about $2 trillion worth of new
spending promises. That's $2 trillion. That's a lot -- with a T.
(Laughter.) And we've got 60 days left. No telling what's going to
happen coming down the stretch. (Laughter.) So they said, well, how
are you going to pay for it? He said, well, he said, we're just going
to tax the rich. You've heard that before, haven't you?
AUDIENCE: Yesss --
THE PRESIDENT: Yes. Oh, you're just going to tax the rich. You
know how it works: The rich dodge, and you pay. But we're not going
to let him. We're going to beat him in November of 2004. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
THE PRESIDENT: I am running again because I know we have more to
do to wage and win the war against terror. (Applause.) America's
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 a 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 cells around the world, including our
own country. Because we acted, today Afghanistan is a rising
democracy. They're going to have presidential elections in October of
this year. (Applause.) Because we acted, many young girls go to school
for the first time in Afghanistan. (Applause.) Because we acted,
Afghanistan is an ally in the war on terror. 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
have sent a strong and easy-to-understand message -- (laughter) -- 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 ruler of Iraq was a sworn enemy of
America. He was defying the world. You might remember, he was firing
weapons at American pilots who were enforcing the world's sanctions.
He had used weapons of mass destruction. He harbored terrorists. He
invaded his neighbors. He subsidized the families of suicide bombers.
He and his henchmen murdered tens of thousands of his own people. He
was a great source of instability in the world's most volatile region.
He was a threat.
After September the 11th -- after September the 11th, this country
must remember the new lessons. And a new lesson is, is that we must
take threats seriously before they fully materialize. (Applause.)
That is -- that is the new reality of the world in which we live. And
it's really important we never forget that reality. So I saw a threat,
and I went to the United States Congress. They looked at the
intelligence I looked at, they remembered the history of Saddam
Hussein, and they said he was a threat, and authorized the use of force
-- they being Republicans, they being Democrats, they being my opponent
and his running mate.
Because the use of force should be the last option of the
Commander-in-Chief, the very last option, I went to the United Nations
in the hopes that diplomacy would solve the threat. You might
remember, the debate went on, and after consideration, the U.N.
Security Council voted 15 to nothing to say to Saddam Hussein,
disclose, disarm, or face serious consequences. So the world spoke.
As he had for over a decade, he defied the demands of the free
world. This wasn't the only U.N. resolution he ignored. We then sent
inspectors in -- or the world sent inspectors in, and he systematically
deceived the inspectors. And so I had a choice to make: whether or
not to trust the word of a madman and forget the lessons of September
the 11th, or take action to defend our country. Given that choice, I
will defend our country. (Applause.)
You know, we did not find the stockpiles that we thought would be
there. I want to remind you that Saddam Hussein had the capability of
making weapons of mass destruction, and he could have passed that
capability on to others. And after September the 11th, that is not a
risk this country could afford to take. Knowing what I know today, I
would have made the same decision. (Applause.) America and the world
are safer because Saddam Hussein sits 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, he now agrees with me that even
though we haven't found the weapons we thought would be there, knowing
everything we know today, he would have voted to go into Iraq and
remove Saddam Hussein from power. I appreciate him for clearing that
up. (Laughter and applause.) However, there's still a little over 60
days for him to change his mind again. (Laughter and applause.)
I'm running for four more years because I know we have more to do.
We will continue to work with our friends and allies around the world
to aggressively pursue the terrorists in Afghanistan and Iraq and
elsewhere. See, you cannot talk sense to these people. You cannot
negotiate with them. In the post-9/11 era we live in, you just simply
cannot hope for the best. We must aggressively pursue them around the
world, so we do not have to face them here at home. (Applause.)
We will continue to lead the world with confidence and moral
clarity. We put together a strong coalition. We're working with some
great allies. There's over 40 nations involved in -- nearly 40 nations
involved in Afghanistan and some 30 in Iraq. Over the next four years,
I will continue to work with friends to help secure our country, their
country, and spread the peace. But I will never turn over America's
national security decisions to leaders of other countries. (Applause.)
We're going to keep our commitments to the people of Afghanistan
and Iraq. It's in our interest we keep our commitment. It's in our
interest they become peaceful and democratic societies. The two
nations are now governed by strong leaders who believe in the hopes and
aspirations of their people. These nations are now headed for
elections. Our strategy is clear, and our goal is clear. The goal is
to have peaceful, democratic countries in the heart of the Middle East
who are allies in the war on terror. That's our goal. It's in our
interest we achieve that goal. (Applause.)
We are meeting that goal by providing security so that the
political process develops. We will meet that goal by training Afghan
and Iraqi forces so they can defend their country against these
terrorists -- (applause) -- so they get to take -- do the necessary
hard work for democracy to survive. Our military will complete this
mission as quickly as possible, so our troops do not stay a day longer
than necessary. (Applause.)
In these crucial times, the men and women of our military keep our
commitments. We've got a great military. (Applause.) The people who
wear our uniform -- I've seen their great decency and unselfish
courage. The cause of freedom is in really good hands. And I want to
thank the veterans who are here today for setting such a great example
to the modern military. (Applause.)
I made a commitment to our troops and I made a commitment to their
families, as well, that this government will support them in their
missions. That's why, last September, I went to the Congress and said,
we need supplemental funding. Support the people over there in
Afghanistan and Iraq. This funding was for body armor, vital
equipment, fuel, ammunition, spare parts, hazard pay, health benefits.
This is important legislation. And I was really pleased that we got
great bipartisan support. As a matter of fact, the support was so
strong, that only 12 members of the United States Senate voted against
it, two of whom are my running mate and his -- and his -- my opponent
and his running mate. See, they voted against it.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: So they asked him. They said, why did you vote
against the funding? He said, well, I actually did vote for the $87
billion before I voted against it. That was his explanation. I don't
think a lot of people in Wheeling talk like that. (Laughter.) So they
pressed him even further. He said, well, he was proud of his vote.
And then they said, well, you know, what else? And he finally said,
well, it's just a complicated matter. (Laughter.) His words. There
is nothing complicated about supporting our troops in combat.
(Applause.)
In the long-run -- in the long-run, our security is not going to be
guaranteed by force alone. We must work to change the conditions that
give rise to terror: 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.
(Applause.) Free societies do not export terror. Free societies do
not stifle the dreams of their citizens.
We've done this kind of work before. One of my closest
collaborators in peace is the Prime Minister of Japan. It wasn't all
that long ago in the march of history that my dad and your dads were
fighting the Japanese. And yet here we are, because we insisted upon
the transforming qualities of liberty, we insisted that Japan be given
a chance to self-govern and be a democratic nation. We believe that
even an enemy could accept liberty as a way of life. Fortunately, my
predecessor, Harry Truman, stuck with that point of view. Fortunately,
America stuck with that point of view, and now Japan is an ally and a
friend.
We believe in liberty in America. We believe that liberty can
transform nations from tyranny to hope. We have seen it in our past.
We not only believe that liberty will bring peace, we know that liberty
answers to the deepest needs of the American soul. See, 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 have more to do to protect this country. I'm running because I
understand that we've got to work hard to protect America. See,
there's an enemy out there that still hates us. It's the reality of
the world in which we live, and we'll deal with that. It's very
important that we view these people as who they are. There's a
difference of opinion in this race. I want to address a subject that
I'm sure you're going to be asked about. See, my opponent said that
going to war with the terrorists is actually improving their recruiting
efforts. I think the logic is upside-down. You see, during the '90s
-- remind somebody who asks you that, that during the '90s the
terrorists were recruiting and training and plotting for war with us,
long before we went to war with them. I think it's wrong to provide
excuses for their hatred. You don't create terrorists by fighting
back, you defeat the terrorists by fighting back. (Applause.)
A lot of good folks working hard to protect the homeland, good
folks at the federal level, state level and right here in Wheeling,
West Virginia. You've got a great -- really great first responders who
are responding. (Applause.) There's more to do. We've got a lot to
do. We're beginning to implement some of the intelligence reforms that
are necessary to make sure we've got the best intelligence. I've got
to have the best intelligence to make decisions; our planners and
everybody involved with the government needs to have the best
intelligence. That's why we're implementing a lot of the 9/11
Commission reforms. We want to make sure there's still good, close
cooperation between the different agencies in Washington. We're
working on doing that. We need to renew the Patriot Act, so our law
enforcement have the tools necessary to protect you against terrorist
attack. (Applause.) We'll continue to work to make sure Homeland
Security Department does its job.
I'll push for reforms. I've got to warn you, it's hard to get
reform in Washington. See, there's a lot of entrenched interest there,
a lot of people willing to defend the status quo. When you're out
there campaigning, remind them it's not enough to advocate reform.
You need somebody in Washington who can get the job done.
When it comes to reforming our schools, to raise standards, and
close the achievement gap, we're getting the job done. When it comes
to improving health care for our seniors and giving Americans more
opportunities and more choices in health care, we're getting the job
done. (Applause.) When it comes -- when it comes to a strong and
vibrant steel industry, we're getting the job done. (Applause.) When
it comes to improving our overall economy, we're getting the job done.
When it comes to finding the terrorists, securing the homeland, and
spreading freedom and peace, we're getting the job done. (Applause.)
When it comes -- and tell your friends and neighbors, when it comes
time to choose a President, put somebody back in there who can get the
job done. (Applause.)
We -- we live in a time of change, and change can be very
unsettling. It's really a different time, when you think about it.
Not all that long ago, moms stayed at home. Now, moms are working.
Not all that long ago, a person would work for one company and retire
with that company, and that company provided the health care and
retirement. That's changing. These are changing times, and I fully
understand that. And they can be unsettling times. And, therefore,
government has a role not to dictate to people, but to help people --
to stand side-by-side with people.
And one way to do that is to promote an ownership society in
America. One way to help people through times of change is to
encourage ownership. That's why I support health care policies that
people can call their own, manage their own, so they can take them from
job to job. That's why I believe it's very important in the Social
Security system to say to boomers like me, nothing's going to change.
We're in good shape. But if you're a younger worker, you better listen
very carefully to the presidential debates on Social Security. The
fiscal solvency of Social Security is in doubt for the young workers
coming up. Therefore, I think young workers ought to be able to own a
personal retirement account, a personal savings account, in order for
Social Security to work. (Applause.)
In times of change, it's really helpful for people to own their own
home. There's nothing better than people opening that door up, and
say, welcome to my home, welcome to my piece of property. Today, the
home ownership rate in America is at an all-time high. (Applause.) We
want more people owning their own home. We want more people owning
their own business. If you own something, you have a vital stake in
the future of the United States of America. (Applause.)
In these changing times, there are some things that won't change,
the values we try to live by -- courage, compassion, reverence, and
integrity, our beliefs in liberty and opportunity and the
non-negotiable demands of human dignity. During changing times, we
will support the institutions that give us direction and purpose: our
families, our schools, our religious congregations.
We believe -- and we stand for institutions like marriage and
family, which are the foundations of society. (Applause.) We stand
for a culture of life in which every person matters and every person
counts. (Applause.) We stand for judges who faithfully interpret the
law instead of legislating from the bench. (Applause.) We stand for a
culture of responsibility in America. See, the 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're a mother or a father, if you're fortunate enough to be a
mother or a father, you are responsible for loving your child with all
your heart and all your soul. That's your responsibility.
(Applause.) If you're worried about the quality of the education in
the community in which you live, you are responsible for doing
something about it. If you're a CEO in corporate America, you're
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.
Today, when I landed, I met Nancy Weeks. Nancy works with the 4H
National Youth Development Program. She takes time out of her life to
teach values to kids. I'm sure there's Scout leaders here, Boy Scout
and Girl Scout leaders here. I know there's Little League scouts here
-- I mean, Little League coaches here. I know there's people working
with kids. I know there's people here feeding the hungry, providing
shelter for the
homeless, loving those whose souls need love. See, the strength of
this country is the hearts and souls of the American citizens. That's
our strength. I'm running again to rally the armies of compassion,
which are changing this country one heart and one soul at a time.
(Applause.)
For all Americans, these years in our history will stand apart.
There are quiet times in the life of a nation when little is expected
of its leaders. This is not one of those times. This is a time that
requires firm resolve, clear vision, and an unshakeable belief in the
values that makes us a great nation.
You know -- and you'll never forget, either, the week when one era
ended and another began. I stood in the ruins of those Twin Towers on
September the 14, 2001. It's a day that I will never forget. There
were workers in hard hats yelling at me, "Whatever it takes." I was
coming down through there and shaking hands, a fellow looked me right
in the eye and he said, "You don't let me down." See, he took the day
personally. Everybody there -- you took it personally. I took it
personally. I have a duty that goes on. I wake up every day trying to
figure out how best to defend this country. I will never relent in
defending America, whatever it takes. (Applause.)
We've come through a lot together. We've done a lot of hard work.
But there's more work to be done. That's why I've come to Wheeling,
West Virginia. During the next four years we'll spread ownership and
opportunity to every corner of this country. During the next four
years we will pass the enduring values of this nation on to another
generation. During the next four years we'll continue to spread
freedom and peace. And we will prevail. You know, with your support
and your prayers, I will be a leader that America can count on during a
time of change.
Four years ago I came to your state a lot. I'll do so again now.
I said, if you gave me a chance, if you voted for me and if I was
fortunate enough to hold this office, I would uphold the honor and the
dignity of the office to which I had been elected. (Applause.) With
your help -- with your help and your hard work, I will do so for the
next four years.
God bless. Thank you for coming. (Applause.) Thank you all.
(Applause.)
END 3:10 P.M. EDT
|