For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
August 30, 2004
Remarks by the President and Mrs. Bush at Taylor, Michigan Rally
Heritage Park
Taylor, Michigan
6:53 P.M. EDT
MRS. BUSH: Thank you so much, folks. Thank you all. Thanks so
much. We're so glad to be here today. Thank you so much, Coach, for
being with us.
A couple of weeks ago I was in Royal Oak -- (applause) -- and the
President was in Saginaw and Traverse City earlier this month. And now
we're so glad to be here on our first stop on the way to the
convention, in Detroit, together. (Applause.) We'll be in Michigan a
lot between now and November 2nd. (Applause.) But I know that you're
here today because you see what I see -- President Bush has the courage
and the character that these times demand. (Applause.) And America
needs his leadership for four more years. (Applause.)
Ladies and gentlemen, my husband, the President of the United
States, George Bush. (Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. (Applause.) Thanks for coming.
You know something -- Bo knows Michigan, and he just told me we're
going to carry this state, and I agree. (Applause.) I want to thank
you all for coming. It is great to be here in -- it's great to be here
in Taylor, Michigan. (Applause.)
Laura and I are thrilled to be here, home of the WNBA champs, it's
the home of the NBA champs. (Applause.) More importantly, it's the
home of really decent people. (Applause.) Good, hardworking American
citizens. And I'm proud to be in your midst. I here to ask for your
vote. (Applause.)
That's what we're doing. We're traveling your important state
asking for the vote. I'm here to tell you I've got some -- more to do
to make this country a safer place and a more hopeful place for every
American. But perhaps the most important reason to put me back in is
so that Laura will have four more years. (Applause.) I'm proud of
her. I love her dearly. She's a great mom, a wonderful wife, and a
terrific First Lady. (Applause.)
And I'm proud to be standing by Bo. What a great man Bo
Shembechler is. He is a strong, honorable citizen of this great
state. (Applause.) You know, a few weeks when my opponent was
campaigning in Ohio, he said there's nothing better than Buckeye
football, period.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: Then he came over here to Michigan, and he said, I
just go for Buckeye football.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: It's a good thing Bo wasn't there. (Applause.)
Then he remembered where he was, and he called an audible.
(Laughter.) He said that the University of Michigan was a powerhouse
team. You see, I'm running against a fellow who is a Washington
politician who has taken both sides of just about every issue. And now
we can add Big Ten football to that list. (Applause.)
I'm running with a good man in Dick Cheney, a fine man.
(Applause.) He -- I admit it, he's not the prettiest face in the race.
(Laughter.) But I didn't pick him for his looks. I picked him for his
judgment, his experience. I picked him because he can get the job
done. (Applause.)
I want to thank all the grassroots activists who are here, the
people that are out putting up the signs and making the phone calls.
(Applause.) Not only are we here to ask for the vote, we're here to ask
for your help. I believe we have a duty in this country to vote. I
believe all of us have an obligation to go to the polls. I'm asking
you to register your friends and neighbors. Give them a chance to
vote. And then when you get them headed to the polls -- (laughter) --
remind them that if they want a safer country, a stronger country, and
a better country, to put Dick Cheney and me back in office.
(Applause.)
AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
THE PRESIDENT: In the past few years, we have been through a lot
together, and we've accomplished a great deal. But there's only one
reason to look backward at the record, and that is to determine who
best to lead this nation forward. (Applause.) I am here to let you
know that we have a plan to make this a safer world and a more hopeful
America. I'm here to ask for your vote and your help. You see, there
is more to do. There is more work to be done. We've got more to do to
make our public schools the centers of excellence we all know they can
be. (Applause.) When we came to office three years ago, too many of
our children were being shuffled through school, grade by grade, year
after year, without learning the basics. I went to Washington to
challenge the soft bigotry of low expectations. We're reforming our
public schools by demanding high standards, accountability, and local
control of schools. My administration will challenge those schools
that will not teach and will not change. We want no child left behind
in America. (Applause.)
There is more work to be done to maintain this path to excellence.
We'll make sure there's more math and science in our high school
classrooms so our kids will be prepared for the jobs of the 21st
century. We'll make sure technology is in our classrooms. We want a
high school diploma to mean something. What I'm telling you, after
four more years a rising generation of Americans will have the skills
and confidence necessary to realize the great dreams of the American
system. (Applause.)
We got more to do to -- more to do to make sure health care is
available and affordable. You might remember the old Medicare debate.
Campaign after campaign, politicians came around and said, oh, we're
going to fix Medicare. But it was called "Mediscare." People didn't
want to deal with it, but the system was failing our seniors. In order
to make sure our seniors have got prescription drug coverage, which
they will in 2006, I led the United States Congress to strengthen
Medicare, and our health care is better for the seniors of this
country. (Applause.)
We've expanded community health centers for low-income Americans.
We've created health savings accounts so families can save tax-free for
their own health care needs. There's more work to be done. We'll
introduce technologies into the health care to hold down costs. Most
Americans get their health care through their jobs. Most new jobs are
created by small businesses, and many small businesses are having
trouble affording health care. The best way to enable American
families to get health care is to allow small businesses to pool
resources together so they can buy insurance at the same discount big
businesses can. (Applause.)
In order to make sure you've got good health care here in Michigan,
we need to stop these frivolous lawsuits that are running docs out of
businesses and raising your costs. (Applause.) See, I don't think you
can be pro-doctor, pro-hospital, pro-patient 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. (Laughter.) I made my
choice. I am for medical liability reform now. (Applause.) In all we
do to improve health care here in this country, we will make sure the
health decisions are made by patients and doctors, not by bureaucrats
in Washington, D.C. (Applause.)
I'm running because I know we've got more work to do to keep this
economy growing. You might remember what our economy has been through
during the last three-and-a-half years. We've been through a
recession, we've been through corporate scandals. By the way, it's now
clear that we will not tolerate dishonesty in the boardrooms of
America. (Applause.) We've been through the terror attack, all of
which affected job creation here in America, but we're overcoming those
obstacles. We're overcoming it because we've got great workers in
America. We're overcoming them because our farmers and ranchers are
good at what they do. We're overcoming them because the
entrepreneurial spirit in this country is strong. We're also overcame
them because of well-timed tax cuts. (Applause.)
When it came time to reduce taxes, we did it the fair way. We said
if you're paying taxes, you ought to get relief. (Applause.) We
raised the child credit to help our families. We reduced the marriage
penalty. The tax code sends the wrong message. We ought to be
encouraging marriage in America, not discouraging marriage.
(Applause.) We helped our small businesses. This time, the check
actually was in the mail. (Applause.) Because we acted, our economy
has been growing at rates as fast as any in nearly 20 years. We've
added over 1.5 million jobs since last August. (Applause.) The
national -- the national unemployment rate is down to 5.5 percent, well
below the national average of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. (Applause.)
There is still more work to be done here in Michigan. The recovery
has lagged here. And so as long as anybody is looking for a job, I'll
work to make sure the environment for job creation is strong. See, in
order to make sure jobs are here in America, we need an energy policy.
We need -- we need -- we need to become less dependent on foreign
sources of energy. (Applause.) I submitted a plan to the United
States Congress that encourages conservation, encourages research on
alternative sources of energy, encourages the use of coal in
environmentally friendly ways, exploring for natural gas. But in all
we do, we better make sure that we no longer have to beg for energy
from other parts of the world. This country can do a better job.
(Applause.)
We've got to make sure regulations fair and reasonable on the
employers of America. To keep jobs here in this country, we need
reasonable automobile policies. American automobile makers are making
the cleanest cars and trucks in history. (Applause.) We can do more.
My administration has worked with manufacturers to set wise fuel
efficiency standards. We will cut air pollution from diesel vehicles
by more than 90 percent. My opponent has taken a different approach.
He's consistently supported arbitrary, unfair fuel standards that could
cost Michigan thousands of jobs and makes our cars less safe.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: Now it's campaign time here in this great state and
he's shifted into reverse. (Laughter.) Says he's not committed to
drastically increasing efficiency standards. You know, he hasn't
sounded this confused since he tried to decide if he owns an SUV.
(Applause.)
In order to make sure jobs are here, we want to make sure that
we're treated fairly around the world. Listen, our markets are open
and that's good for Michigan consumers. You've got more choices to
choose from, you're going to get better price and better quality. What
I'm saying is, is that we're treating you one way, you treat us the
same way. We can compete with anybody, anytime, anywhere, so long as
the playing field is level. (Applause.)
In order to make sure jobs stay here in America, we will expand our
access to our community colleges so workers are able to gain the skills
necessary to fill the jobs of the 21st century. In order to keep jobs
here in America, we'll be wise about how we spend your money. See, I
think the federal government ought to set priorities and let you keep
your own money. You can spend your money far better than the federal
government can. (Applause.)
In order to keep jobs here in America, we've got to keep your taxes
low. (Applause.) Running up taxes on the American people will hurt
this economic recovery. We have a difference of opinion in this race.
My opponent went out there and he's already promised about $2 trillion
in new spending.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: We've still got September and October to go.
(Laughter.) So they said, how are you going to pay for it? He said,
tax the rich. You've heard that before haven't you? You know what
that means. The rich dodge and you pay. But we're not going to let
him. We're going to carry Michigan and this country in November.
(Applause.)
We have more to do --
AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
THE PRESIDENT: We have more to do. We've got more to do to wage
and win the war on terror. Our future depends on our willingness to
lead in this world. If America shows uncertainty or weakness in this
decade, the world will drift toward tragedy. This is not going to
happen on my watch. (Applause.)
The world changed on that terrible September morning, and since
that day, we have changed the world. (Applause.) 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. (Applause.) I don't know if you know this or not,
but over 10 million people have registered to vote in the upcoming
Afghan presidential elections. (Applause.) Because we acted, many
young girls now go to school for the first time in Afghanistan.
(Applause.) Because we acted, Afghanistan is an ally in the war on
terror, and 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 clear 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 ruler of Iraq was a sworn enemy of
America. He was defying the world. He was firing weapons at American
pilots who were enforcing the world's sanctions. He had pursued and he
had used weapons of mass destruction. He harbored terrorists. He
attacked his neighbors. He subsidized the families of suicide
bombers. He and his henchmen murdered thousands of his own citizens.
He was a source of great instability in the world's most volatile
region. I saw a threat.
After September the 11th -- one of the lessons of September the
11th, an important lesson that this country must never forget is that
we must take threats seriously before they fully materialize.
(Applause.)
AUDIENCE: USA! USA! USA!
THE PRESIDENT: And so -- and so I went to -- I went to the United
States Congress. I said, we see a threat. The Congress looked at the
same intelligence, remembered the same history of Saddam, and concluded
that Saddam Hussein was a threat and authorized the use of force. My
opponent came to the same conclusion that Saddam Hussein was a threat,
and authorized the use of force.
The last option of a President is the use of military. And so,
therefore, I went to the United Nations in the hopes that we could
solve this problem diplomatically, that we could deal with this threat
through diplomatic means. There was a debate in the United Nations,
and the Security Council of the United Nations voted unanimously to say
to Saddam Hussein, disclose, disarm, or face serious consequences. The
world -- the world spoke with united voice about the threat of Saddam
Hussein. But as he had for over a decade, he chose to defy the demands
of the free world. He ignored the demands of the free world. As a
matter of fact, when the U.N. sent inspectors into Iraq, he
systematically deceived them. So I had a choice to make: either
forget the lessons of September the 11th and trust the word of a
madman, or take action to defend this country. Given that choice, I
will defend America. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: USA! USA! USA!
THE PRESIDENT: Even though -- even though we did not find the
stockpiles we expected to find, Saddam had the capability of making
weapons and could have passed that capability on to the enemy. That
was a risk we could not afford to take after September the 11th. Given
what I know today, I would have made the same decision. (Applause.)
America and the world are safer with Saddam Hussein sitting 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 now 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, my opponent now agrees with me that
even though we haven't found the stockpiles we all thought were there,
knowing everything we know today, he would have voted to go into Iraq
and remove Saddam Hussein from power. I appreciate the fact that he
cleared that up. (Laughter.) But I do want to remind you, there are
still 64 days for him to change his mind again. (Applause.)
I'm running because I know we've got more to do to defend this
country. We must continue to work with friends and allies around the
world to aggressively pursue the terrorists in Afghanistan and Iraq and
elsewhere. You cannot talk sense to these people. You cannot
negotiate with them. After September the 11th, you just can't hope for
the best. We must aggressively pursue them around the world so we do
not have to face them here at home. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: USA! USA! USA!
THE PRESIDENT: America will continue to lead the world with
confidence and moral clarity. (Applause.) We have put together a
strong coalition to help us defeat the enemy. There are nearly 40
nations involved in Afghanistan, some 30 nations are involved in Iraq.
During the next four years, we will continue to build on these
alliances, call upon our friends to work in concert to make us more
secure. But I will never turn over America's national security
decisions to leaders of other countries. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: USA! USA! USA!
THE PRESIDENT: We will keep our commitments to the people of
Afghanistan and Iraq. We will help them become democratic and peaceful
societies. It's in our national interest that they do so. These
nations are now governed by two strong leaders who believe in the
aspirations of their people. We've got a clear goal in those
countries, countries that will be allies in the war on terror,
countries that are headed down the road to democracy. Our troops are
helping to stabilize those countries. More importantly, they're
helping to train Afghan citizens and Iraq citizens so they can do the
hard work, so they can fight off the terrorists, so they can realize
their dreams of a free society. Our military will complete this
mission as quickly as possible so our troops do not stay a day longer
than necessary. (Applause.)
And we will prevail. (Applause.) One of the reasons we'll prevail
is because we've got a fantastic United States military. (Applause.)
I've seen -- I've had the privilege of meeting with them around our
country and all around the world. I've seen their decency and their
unselfish courage. I want to thank the veterans who are here for
setting such a fine example for those who wear our uniform.
(Applause.)
I made a commitment -- I made a commitment to those who wear our
uniform and to the loved ones of those who wear the uniform, that they
will have the resources they need to fight and win this war against the
terrorists. I went to the United States Congress last September and
proposed supplemental funding to support our troops in their missions
in Afghanistan and in Iraq. This legislation provided funding for body
armor and vital equipment, hazard pay, health benefits, ammunition,
fuel and spare parts. It was necessary funding. We received great
bipartisan support for the funding request. As a matter of fact, the
support was so strong that only 12 members of the United States Senate
voted against it --
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: -- two of whom are my opponent and his running
mate.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: And so they say -- asked him why. He said, well, I
actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it. Then
they pressed him further, and he said, well, he was proud of his vote.
Then they pressed him even further, and he said, well the whole thing
is a complicated matter. (Laughter.) There's nothing complicated
about supporting our troops in combat. (Applause.)
In the long-run -- in the long-run -- in the long run, our security
is not guaranteed by force alone. We must -- we must work to change
the conditions that give rise to terror: poverty and hopelessness and
resentment. A free and peaceful Iraq, a free and peaceful Afghanistan
will be powerful examples in a part of the world that is desperate for
freedom. Free nations do not export terror. Free nations listen to
the hopes and aspirations of their people. By serving the cause of
liberty, we're helping others, but we're making America more secure.
By serving -- by serving the cause of liberty, we are spreading the
peace.
Laura and I were having dinner one evening with the Prime Minister
of Japan in Tokyo. He's a fellow who's running a country that my dad
was at war with. So was your dads and grandads. They were the enemy.
But after World War II, my predecessors and others had this great, deep
faith that liberty could transform societies, that liberty could
convert an enemy into a friend. And they stood strong on those
values.
The Prime Minister and I were talking about the peace. We were
talking about how to work together to make the world a more peaceful
place. By standing the line for what we believe in, by holding true to
our values, some day an American President will be sitting down with a
duly-elected leader of Iraq, talking about how to make the world a more
peaceful place. (Applause.)
By serving the ideal of liberty, we're serving the deepest ideals
of the American soul. 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've got more to do to protect this country. I'm running because
I understand there's an enemy out there that still lurks. They hate
what we stand for. You know, we have a difference of opinion on these
terrorists. My opponent said that going to war with them is actually
improving their recruiting efforts. I'm sure you've heard that
before. I believe the logic is upside-down. I think it shows that
people don't understand the nature of these folks. See, during the
1990s, 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. You don't create terrorists by fighting back, you defeat
the terrorists by fighting back. (Applause.)
There's a lot of really good people at the federal level and the
state level and local level who are working hard to protect you. We
reorganized the homeland defenses into the Department of Homeland
Security to better communicate, to better respond. We're making needed
reforms in our intelligence-gathering. It is essential that we renew
the Patriot Act so our law enforcement officials have the tools
necessary to disrupt the terrorist cells. (Applause.)
We're doing more to protect our borders and our ports. We're
working hard, but reform in Washington isn't easy. There's a lot of
entrenched interests there. A lot of people who say, I love the status
quo. It's not enough to advocate reform, you've got to be able to get
the job done. So when you're out gathering the vote, remind people
that when it comes to reforming the schools and raising the standards
and closing the achievement gap, we're getting the job done.
(Applause.) When it comes to health care reforms to give our families
and seniors more access and more choices, we're getting the job done.
When it comes to improving this economy so people can find work, we're
getting the job done. (Applause.) When it comes to better securing
the homeland and defeating the terrorists and spreading freedom and
peace, we're getting the job done. (Applause.) When you're out there
campaigning, remind people, when it comes time to choose a President,
put somebody back in there who can get the job done. (Applause.)
You know, we're living in exciting times, we really are. But
they're times of change, and change can be unsettling for American
families and workers. That's why I believe so strongly in promoting an
ownership society in America. We want people owning their own health
care accounts that they can take from job to job. We want people
owning their own retirement accounts. Listen, baby boomers like me are
just fine when it comes to Social Security. But for you younger
workers out there, look carefully at the rhetoric during this
campaign. Look carefully at the fiscal solvency of the Social Security
system. I believe younger workers ought to have the option of taking
some of their own money and putting it in personal savings accounts
that they can call their own. (Applause.)
We want more people owning their own business in America. You
know, one of the most hopeful statistics at the beginning of the 21st
century is the home ownership rate is at an all-time high in America.
We'll continue to promote home ownership in America. I love the fact
that somebody opens up their door to their house and says, welcome to
my home; this is my piece of property. I believe strongly in
ownership, because I know if you own something, you have a vital stake
in the future of the United States of America.
In these changing times of ours, however, there are some things
that won't change: the individual values we try to live by -- courage
and compassion, reverence and integrity. Our beliefs won't change, and
liberty and opportunity and the non-negotiable demands of human
dignity. During changing times, we must support the institutions that
give us direction and purpose: our families, our schools, and our
religious congregations. We stand for institutions like marriage and
family, which are the foundations of society. (Applause.) We stand
for a culture of life in America, where every person counts and every
person matters. We stand for judges who faithfully interpret the law,
instead of legislating from the bench. (Applause.) We stand for a
culture of responsibility in this country.
You know, the culture is changing from one that had said, if it
feels good, just go ahead and 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. If you're fortunate
enough to be a mom or a dad, you are responsible for loving your child
with all your heart and all your soul. (Applause.) If you're worried
about the quality of the education in the community in which you live,
you are responsible for supporting your teachers and doing something
about it. (Applause.) 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. (Applause.)
Today -- today I got off Air Force One and met Annie Kaigler. She
is -- she works for the foster grandparent program. She is a
volunteer. She takes time out of her life to mentor children. She
takes time out of her life to change America one heart at a time. The
strength of this country is the hearts and souls of the American
people. During the next four years, I will continue to rally the
armies of compassion so this country can be a great, hopeful place.
(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 isn't one of those times. This is a time when we
need firm resolve, clear vision, and a great belief in the values that
make us a great country.
None of us will ever forget that day when one era ended and another
began. On September the 14th, 2001, I stood in the ruins of the Twin
Towers. It's a day I'll never forget. There were workers in hard hats
yelling at me, "Whatever it takes." A fellow grabbed me by the arm as
I was trying to thank people, and he looked me right in the eye and he
said, "Do not let me down." I have a duty that goes on for this
country. I wake up every morning trying to -- how best to secure this
country. I will never relent in defending America, whatever it takes.
(Applause.)
AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
THE PRESIDENT: We have -- we have -- we have come through much
together. We've done a lot of hard work, but there's more to do. Over
the next four years, we'll spread ownership, and opportunity, and hopes
throughout every corner of this country. We'll pass the enduring
values of our country on to a young generation. We will continue to
spread freedom and peace.
When I traveled your state four years ago, I said if I had the
great honor of serving the American people as your President, I would
uphold the honor and the dignity of the office. With your help -- with
your help -- with your hard work and help, I will do so for the next
four years.
May God bless you all. Thank you for coming. Thank you all.
Thank you all, very much. (Applause.)
END 7:31 P.M. EDT
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