For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
May 10, 2002
Remarks by the President at Taft for Governor Luncheon
Hyatt Regency Hotel
Columbus, Ohio
12:15 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. Gosh, it's a great Ohio
welcome. I'm honored to be back. It's good to be back near the family
plot. (Laughter.) As you may recall, Prescott S. Bush, my
grandfather, was raised right here in Columbus, Ohio. (Applause.)
Last time I did that, my mother was watching on C-SPAN. She said, what
about my father? (Laughter.) I said, oh. yes, he was raised in
Dayton, Ohio. (Laughter and applause.) So, Mother, I mentioned him.
(Laughter.)
But it's great to be back in this great state. I'm here to talk
about welfare reform, but I'm also here to make sure that the good
people of Ohio send this good man back to the Governor's Mansion.
(Applause.) There was a lot of reasons to send him back, but none
greater than the fact that he married well. (Laughter.) Hope is doing
a great job as the First Lady of the state of Ohio. (Applause.)
When we were walking in, Bob was telling me how proud he is of Hope
and the job she does, particularly to promote literacy. And I told
him, I'm real proud of my wife, too. I can't tell you what a great job
Laura is doing. (Applause.) She has brought a lot of calm, and a
steady hand. (Applause.) You know, when I asked her to marry me, she
was a public school librarian who didn't like politics, and really
didn't like politicians. (Laughter.) A lot of people are now
beginning to realize why I asked her to marry me. She's got a lot of
class. A lot of people, however, are wondering why she said, yes.
(Laughter.) But I wish she were here. She loves the Tafts. She
really appreciates Hope and Bob. And she sends her best to you all.
I'm also traveling with some pretty good company today. I had the
honor of flying down on Air Force One with a fabulous United States
senator, George Voinovich. (Applause.) I like George, he's the kind
of fellow that tells you what's on his mind. (Laughter.) There's no
doubt what he believes in. One of the things he believes in is Ohio.
He loves the state of Ohio. (Applause.)
I'm also honored to be traveling today with members of a great
congressional delegation, Deborah Pryce, Dave Hobson, Pat Tiberi, Bob
Ney, and Rob Portman. (Applause.) These people not only represent
Ohio well, they're friends, and they're people with whom it's a real
pleasure to work. They bring a lot of class to the United States
Congress.
And earlier today, I had the honor of meeting a fellow named Mike
Turner who won a primary in Dayton, Ohio, who a lot of people think,
when he continues to work hard, he's going to be the next congressman
from Dayton. Welcome, Mike. (Applause.)
I also want to thank Jennette Bradley for willingness to run and
join the ticket. I appreciate you, Jennette. It's going to be a
historic moment when you become the lieutenant governor of the state of
Ohio. (Applause.)
It seems like ever since I was been coming to Ohio to campaign
for one Bush or another, Bennett has been around. It's great to see
you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate it. (Applause.)
I want to thank Tim and all the folks who organized this event.
And I want to thank you all for coming to help to help Bob. You
know, when you find a good, honest, decent, honorable person in
politics, you need to back him, and this guy is just that. (Applause.)
Plus, he's got a great record. He has his priorities straight.
His most fundamental priority is to make sure that every child in the
state of Ohio gets a good education. (Applause.) And the record is
impressive. The record is impressive. Not only has he focused on
making the Ohio schools a funding priority, he's focused on insisting
that there be excellence in every single schoolroom in Ohio. I
appreciate your -- Bob, I appreciate your leadership. The people of
Ohio have got to understand that he has led on this issue.
And not only that, he and Hope understand that if a child cannot
read, a child cannot learn. And it's important to have a governor set
a priority. Not only is public schools a priority, public education a
priority, but teaching every child to read is the first priority of
making sure there's excellence in every public school in the state of
Ohio. (Applause.)
We have just passed historic reform in Washington, D.C., education
reform. It may be hard for you to believe, but there are, at moments,
when Republicans and Democrats come together for the good of the
nation. And this is one of the cases. People from both parties came
together and worked on education reform, which says that we believe
every child can learn in America -- not some, not a few, but every
child. We set the highest of high standards.
We also say that in return for federal money -- we're going to
spend money, Washington is good about spending money -- and in return
for federal money, we expect there to be results. In return for
federal money, you, the local folks, must show us whether or not
children are learning to read and write and add and subtract. And if
they are, we will sing your praises, as a society. But if not, we
expect there to be change. It is not right for there to be children
trapped in schools that will not teach, and will not change.
(Applause.)
High standards, strict accountability, coupled with local control
of schools; I believe that the people who care more about the children
of Ohio are the citizens of Ohio. And we passed power and flexibility
out of Washington, D.C., so that good governors like Bob Taft can chart
the path of excellence for every single child who lives in your great
state.
Earlier today I had the opportunity to talk about welfare reform.
We're getting ready to reauthorize the welfare bill. First of all, it
is important for Americans to understand that the welfare reforms of
1996 have been a huge success. A success because the welfare roles are
down dramatically. But, more importantly, a success because more and
more citizens as a result of finding a job now have dignity in their
lives. (Applause.)
Knowing that there are governors like Bob Taft, I can safely say,
the best way to make sure we continue with welfare reform, is to trust
governors and local authorities to match up programs and needs with
people. In other words, the federal government must get out of the
way, must provide maximum flexibility at the local level, which is
precisely what I intend to do.
It is good to know that you have a governor who is willing to rally
the social entrepreneurs all across the state of Ohio to make sure that
people are able to get the help we want them to get. Ohio is on the
leading edge of welfare reform, thanks to Governor Voinovich and now
thanks to Governor Taft. (Applause.)
And I appreciate Bob Taft's understanding the role of government is
not to create wealth. That's not the role of government. The role of
government is to create an environment in which small business owners
and entrepreneurs have a chance to flourish. His initiative of the
third frontier project for the state of Ohio understands that jobs and
job creation best take place in the private sector. Governor, you're
right on track, and I appreciate your vision for economic vitality.
And, thankfully to the United States Congress, our economy is better on
track.
You may remember when I came to the state of Ohio to campaign, I
said if you give me a chance to be the President, I'm going to make
sure that people get to keep more of their hard-earned dollars. And,
thankfully, we passed tax relief right at the right time. (Applause.)
Here's what Bob and I know. That if you let people keep their own
money and, by the way, it's not the government's money. I love to
read these stories about, well, the government's money, we can't send
the government's money back. It's not the government's money; it's the
people's money. It's the taxpayers' money. When they have more of
their own money, they demand goods and services. And when they demand
goods and services, somebody will produce the goods and services. And
when somebody produces the goods and services to meet demand, somebody
is going to be able to find work. The best way to stimulate our
economy was to let the American people keep their own money, so they
get to decide what to do with it. (Applause.)
George Voinovich has been a leader in Congress, as have the other
members from the congressional delegation, about joining me and the
Vice President to make sure this nation finally wakes up and has a
balanced energy policy. You know, we import over 50 percent of our
energy. And sometimes the people we import from don't like us.
(Laughter.) For the sake of economic security and for the sake of
national security, this nation needs a comprehensive energy plan that
encourages conservation, promotes new technologies that will save
energy and enhance renewable sources of energy, but at the same time,
an energy plan that has the wisdom to promote clean coal technology, so
that we're less dependent on foreign sources of energy. (Applause.)
Oh, there's a lot of issues we face. And, you know, we've got
issues related to trade. I'm pleased that the Senate looks like
they've got an agreement on a trade bill. This nation ought to be
confident. We ought to be opening up markets all around the world to
trade. It'll be good for our Ohio farmers to trade, it's good for Ohio
small business people to trade. I hope Congress finally gets a trade
promotion authority bill to my desk. Confident nations open up
markets, they don't build walls around themselves. I'm confident that
we're the best producers and innovators in many products, and therefore
we ought to be selling our products around the world.
I'm also working on issues like terrorism insurance, to encourage
construction projects. I know the Senate will join me on that. We've
just got to make sure that when we do so, we don't provide a gravy
train for personal injury lawyers in America. (Applause.)
Obviously, we've got budget matters. You know, when I was running
for President, in Chicago, somebody said, would you ever have deficit
spending? I said, only if we were at war, or only if we had a
recession, or only if we had a national emergency. Never did I dream
we'd get the trifecta. (Laughter.) But that's what we got. And we're
going to deal with it. And we're going to deal with it in a way that
understands that each individual American matters, in a way that
promotes jobs not government, and we're going to deal with it in a way
that makes a priority the defense of the United States of America.
(Applause.)
I've got a routine that I really enjoy there at the White House.
It starts off early in the morning where, like I did at the Governor's
Mansion in Texas, I bring Laura her coffee. (Laughter.) My next job
is to take Spot and Barney out for a walk on the South Lawn. Spot was
born there at the White House when Mother and Dad were there, so she's
used to the accommodations and understands the decorum necessary to go
into the Oval Office. (Laughter.) Barney, on the other hand, is only
a year-and-a-half. In that we've got a brand new rug, he's not allowed
in. (Laughter.) So Barney goes off with the gardener and I go in the
Oval Office with the dog, Spot, and sit.
First thing there, sit behind a fantastic desk that many of you may
have seen. It's a desk used by Teddy Roosevelt and Franklin Roosevelt,
and John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, some of the great names that have
preceded me to the Presidency. And the first thing I do is I open up a
threat assessment. I read about the fact that the cold-blooded killers
are still after us. And, by the way, that's all they are. They're
nothing but a bunch of cold-blooded killers. And they still want to
hurt America.
It's hard for a lot of young to understand why they would want to
do so. And the answer is, because we believe in freedom and they
don't. We're a beacon for freedom, and they can't stand that. They
cannot stand the thought that America worships freely; that we welcome
people of all faiths -- Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, you name it,
we welcome it. We understand a lot of Americans have no faith at all,
and that's okay, they're proud Americans, we know that.
They can't stand the thought that there's free and open discourse
in America. They hate the thought of a free press. No, they hate our
freedoms and, therefore, they're going to continue to try to strike
us.
We're doing everything we can. You need to know that our law
enforcement officials are communicating a lot better than ever before
between the federal and state and local governments. Any time we get
any kind of hint, we're moving. And we're sharing intelligence all
around the world. Our coalition is more than just a coalition of
military; it's a coalition of our respective treasuries to shut down
money. It's a coalition of our intelligence gathering to share
information. I mean, we are we're on full alert in Washington,
D.C., about anything that might happen.
But the best way to make sure that we protect the homeland, the
best way for me to do my job is to hunt them down, one by one, and
bring them to justice, and that's precisely what the United States of
America is going to do. (Applause.)
I have submitted a significant increase in our defense budget, for
two basic reasons. One, any time we commit our troops into action,
they deserve the best equipment and the best training, best possible
pay. And by the way, for those of you who have got relatives in the
United States military, you can tell them, this Commander-in-Chief is
incredibly proud of how they've conducted themselves. (Applause.)
And the second reason why is because we're in this for the long
run. There are no calendars, no dates certain as to when this is going
to be over, because we're defending freedom. That's what we're
defending. No matter how long it takes, we will defend our freedoms,
and civilization, itself.
Oh, I know there are some saying, well, it's got to end by such and
such, or what happened here, what happened there. That's what the
enemy wants. What makes them really nervous is when they hear the fact
that our nation is united and focused, and disciplined, and patient.
I've traveled the country a lot and I'm proud to report that's
exactly the way Americans think. You see, I'm amazed of what -- I try
to speculate what went on in the minds of these people when they
attacked us. They must have thought we were weak. You know, they must
have thought that -- this kind of false image of materialism affected
their thinking. They thought we were so materialistic we wouldn't
react. They probably thought all we were going to do is maybe file a
couple of lawsuits. (Laughter.) They were watching the wrong TV
show. (Laughter.) They found out that this nation, when it comes to
the defense of our freedom, is plenty tough.
When it comes to the values we hold dear, we will be strong, and
we'll be steadfast. And when it comes to enforcing doctrine, when I
said, either you're with us or against us, they understand. And when I
said, if you're going to harbor one of those terrorists, you're just as
guilty as the terrorists -- thanks to the United States military,
thanks to our coalition, the world now knows what we mean. (Applause.)
The Taliban government now knows what we mean. We have totally
destroyed their training camps, we've disrupted their chain of
command. We've got them on the run. And once you get them on the run,
the key is to make sure that there's no place to run to. And so our
second strategy is to make sure there is no safe haven for these
killers. There is no place for them to light. Either you're with us,
or you're against us.
And there's going to be a lot of action left. I mean, when you're
hunting them down one by one or in small bunches, it's going to take a
while. It's just going to take a while. And that's the resolve of my
government and our government. It doesn't matter how long it takes.
See, that's the thing that people have got to understand about
America. It just doesn't matter how long it takes, because we love our
freedom.
It also matters that there are potential threats that we
recognize. This threat bothers me, the idea of a terrorist
organization teaming up with a nation that develops and harbors weapons
of mass destruction. It bothers me. We cannot let the world's most
dangerous regimes threaten us with the world's most dangerous weapons
-- for the good of our children, for the good of freedom, for the good
of civilization itself, this nation will be deliberate, will be
patient. But we're not going to allow the world's most dangerous
regimes to hold the United States blackmail with the world's most
dangerous weapons. (Applause.)
I believe that by being firm and tough and strong, we can achieve
peace. It's very important for the moms and dads to tell their
children that your government is interested in peace and freedom. If
there's any doubt in your children's mind about what we're doing,
remind them that when we sent our troops into Afghanistan, we liberated
a country. And, for the first time in a long time, young girls got to
go to school. (Applause.)
While we're chasing down the killers, we're also helping the nation
rebuild herself, with medical care and food. This is a compassionate
nation, a nation that longs for peace. And I believe by being firm and
strong and leading the world, we can achieve peace.
I was pleased to see today that the standoff at the Church of the
Nativity in Bethlehem was resolved peacefully. That's positive news in
a troubled region. But you need to know in that region and around the
world, I visualize a peace so people can live side by side in peace.
And our country will continue to work in that direction.
Out of the evil will come good. Out of the evil will come good,
not only around the world but here at home as well. People ask me,
they say, well, Mr. President, what can I do to help in the war against
terror? And my answer is, if you're interested in fighting evil, do
some good by loving your neighbor like you'd like to be loved
yourself.
If you want to help this country, go across the street to a
shut-in's house and say, what can I do to help you? If you want to be
a part of a movement in America that's taking place, mentor a child.
Go into your church or your synagogue or mosque and rally the good
people that show up to worship to help people in need.
There are pockets of despair in America, there are pockets of
hopelessness, which can and will be overcome because loving citizens
have decided to do something about it. The great strength of this
country is really not our military. It's not the fact that we're, you
know, great and rich. It's the fact that our nation is full of people
with decent hearts and loving souls, people who are willing to take
time out of their day to help a neighbor in need.
I believe that as a result of the evil done to America, many are
taking a hard look at the values in their life. Moms and dads
recognize that their most important job is to love their children with
all their hearts and all their souls. Many citizens around our country
are realizing that, while it's important to make a living, it's also
important to serve something greater than yourself, your community.
And it's happening. That's why I'm so optimistic that not only will we
achieve peace, but we'll show the world the true face of America, a
decent face, a hopeful face, a compassionate face.
It is an unimaginable honor to be the President of the greatest
country on the face of the earth. I'm the man with that honor.
Thank you for coming and God bless you all. (Applause.)
END
12:41 P.M. EDT
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