For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
May 3, 2004
Remarks by the President and Mrs. Bush at Bush-Cheney '04 Event
Wings Stadium
Kalamazoo, Michigan
4:30 P.M. EDT
MRS. BUSH: Thank you all very, very much. (Applause.) I'm the
one that gets to introduce the President. I'm so glad to be here with
him in Kalamazoo. (Applause.) We've had a great afternoon, driving on
our bus, on the bus trip through Michigan. We've had a really
wonderful afternoon, and we're so glad to be here now.
The President and I first traveled on a campaign back in 1978, when
we lived in Midland, Texas. And he was the driver then of the car, as
we drove up and down that congressional district. And the race didn't
turn out exactly like we wanted it to, but believe me, you learn a lot
about your husband when you spend a year in the car with him.
(Laughter.) By the end of the campaign, he'd even convinced me to vote
for him. (Laughter.) And so far he hasn't given me any reason to
change my mind. (Applause.)
Thank you all. Thanks so much for being here today. I know you're
here because you see what I see -- you see the President is a very
steady leader during these difficult and challenging times for our
country. (Applause.) He's hopeful about our future, because he's got
tremendous confidence in the American people.
As we traveled together, I've seen the President encourage young
children to read, or older children to go to college. I've seen him
pitch in and help a family build their first home. I've seen him rally
our men and women in uniform at military bases all over our country.
My husband treats the people he meets with dignity and respect.
(Applause.) And that's the same dignity and respect he has for the
office he holds. He gives me every reason to be proud of him, as
President, and as a husband and a father.
Today we're here in Michigan for the first bus tour of our last
campaign. We look forward to this campaign. Being on the campaign
trail isn't like it used to be. Now we have a really nice airplane to
travel on. (Laughter.) Or a really nice bus. And the President isn't
behind the wheel anymore. (Laughter.) But today we face a different
world than we did back then in 1978. These are especially challenging
times for our country, and they're times that really deserve a strong
and determined leader. I'm so proud that my husband is that kind of
leader.
My husband, the President of the United States, George W. Bush.
(Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. (Applause.) Thank you all. Thanks
for coming. Be seated, unless you don't have a seat. (Laughter.) I
appreciate you being here. It's great to be back in Kalamazoo. It
just doesn't seem all that long ago that I was here. We had a great
trip in 2000. I'm back here asking for the vote again. (Applause.)
And I'm asking for your help.
I want to thank you for coming. I want to thank you for showing an
interest in the future of our country. For those of you who are ready
to go to work like I am, I would urge you to dial up georgewbush.com.
That will give you an opportunity to volunteer. It will help you find
out ways to register the vote. I'm asking you to go to your community
centers and your houses of worship, to speak to your neighbors from all
political parties, and tell them I've got a hopeful, optimistic,
positive vision for every citizen who lives in the state of Michigan.
(Applause.)
We've accomplished a lot in three years, but there's more to do.
There's more to do. I have a plan to win the war on terror and to
spread freedom and peace throughout the world. (Applause.) We have
shown the country that this administration can help lead the country
through tough times. But there's more to do. I have a plan to make
sure this nation is prosperous in every corner of America, so every
citizen from all walks of life can realize the great promise of our
country.
I understand the limitations of government, so I have a plan to
call upon the compassion of the American people, to rally the deep love
Americans have for their neighbors to make sure that those who hurt
find comfort, those who are hungry find food, those who look for
shelter can find housing. I have a vision I look forward to laying out
to our fellow citizens: With your help, there is no doubt in my mind
we will carry Michigan and earn four more years from the American
people. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
(Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all.
The best reason for four more years is to make sure that Laura is
the First Lady for four more years. (Applause.) I'm really proud of
Laura. She is a great role model. She is steady, a calming influence
when the nation needed calm. She understands the importance of reading
in the lives of our fellow citizens. She loves libraries, she loves
books. She's been an inspiration to the women in Afghanistan. She has
been an inspiration to women all over the world. Laura Bush is a great
First Lady and I'm lucky she's my wife. (Applause.)
When you're out there gathering up the vote, remind them about the
team that I have put together on behalf of the American citizens. I've
asked people from all walks of life to serve in my Cabinet. I've put
together people who are smart and capable; people who are dedicated to
the service of our country. Our country has had no finer Vice
President than Dick Cheney. (Applause.) Mother heard me say that one
time, she said, wait a minute. (Laughter.)
Today, I had the privilege of traveling from Washington to South
Bend and to Niles, and now here, to Kalamazoo, with a really fine
member of the United States Congress, Congressman Fred Upton.
(Applause.)
I want to thank Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land for joining us
today. Secretary, thanks for coming. (Applause.) A good sign when
the Speaker and the Majority Leader of the Senate show up -- Leader Ken
Sikkema is with us, as well as Speaker Rick Johnson. Thank you both
for coming. I'm glad you all are here. Thank you. (Applause.)
And I want to thank the -- I want to thank the local officials who
are here, and the state officials. Thank you all for taking time out
to come by to say hello. I'm proud you're here. My only advice is
fill the potholes. (Laughter and applause.)
I want to thank my friend, Betsy DeVos, who is with us today. She
represents all the grassroots activists who are here in the crowd. I
want to thank you for what you're doing to make sure that people get to
the polls. (Applause.)
I want to thank the men and women who wear our uniform who are here
today. (Applause.) I've had the -- I've had the high honor of being
the Commander-in-Chief of some of the finest citizens our country has
every produced. I've been to bases all across our country, and all
across the world, and I can tell you, ladies and gentlemen, freedom is
in the hands of some mighty fine people. (Applause.)
This is going to be a tough campaign. That's why I'm here asking
for your help. We got a lot of work to do. We got a lot of work to do
together. I'm running against an experienced candidate, somebody who
spent a lot of time in Washington in the halls of the United States
Senate. I'm not going to take him lightly. He's a worthy opponent.
And that's why we've got to do everything we can to convince people to
go to the polls. We've got to convince people to listen to the
message.
My opponent has been there long enough to develop the Washington
language. I call it Washington-itis. (Laughter.) The other day in
Washington, they asked him about what kind of car he has. (Laughter.)
Here in the state of Michigan, he was asked that question. Of course,
this is the great auto-producing state. He said, well, we've got some
SUVs. He talked about having a couple of minivans, and a big
Suburban. Last month on Earth Day -- (laughter and applause) -- he had
a little different description of the fleet. He said, I don't own an
SUV. To clear up the confusion, he said this: The family has it; I
don't have it. (Laughter.) In other words, he doesn't have an SUV
except when he's in Michigan. (Laughter.) One guy is getting a lot of
mileage out of one SUV.
What this country needs is a leader who speaks clearly and when he
says something he means it. (Applause.) You've got to tell the people
what you intend to do and then go out and do it.
We've done a lot for the last three years. We've dealt with
emergencies and wars and recessions. But there's a lot to do. Today,
I want to tell you about the course I intend to put this nation on for
the next four years. I want this country to be safer and stronger and
a better nation. (Applause.)
I've come to Kalamazoo to ask for your help, but also to let you
know I see clearly where I want to lead this nation. And my most
important duty is to make sure this country is safe. My most important
duty is to speak clearly about the challenges we face. There's still
an enemy that would like to strike America. On September the 11th, our
world changed. On September the 11th, we realized that oceans wouldn't
protect us, and that because of what we believe, there's an enemy that
wants to hurt us. That's the reality that we now face.
I have a solemn duty to do everything I can to protect America.
And we made a lot of changes in Washington. The communication between
the intelligence agencies and law enforcement are a lot better. The
ports are better guarded. As you know, the airplanes are safer.
They're even looking at your shoes. (Laughter.) We got a lot of good
people working hard. We have to be right a hundred percent of the
time, but the enemy has to be right only once. The best way to protect
the homeland is to go on the offensive, is to stay on the offensive,
and is to bring the killers to justice. (Applause.)
There are some who question whether America is really at war. In
other words, they think that this is primarily a law enforcement and
intelligence matter that confronts the country. But that's what we
thought after the World Trade Center was bombed in 1993. We thought it
was a law enforcement and intelligence matter. And yet, the enemy was
planning more sophisticated attacks. The enemy was using training
bases in Afghanistan. Those who believe that way, in my judgment, are
absolutely wrong. This isn't a matter of intelligence and law
enforcement -- this is a matter of war. The enemy declared war on the
United States of America, and war is what they got. (Applause.)
And we're making progress. We're making progress. About
two-thirds of the known al Qaeda leadership are -- have been brought to
justice. And we're chasing down the rest of them. (Applause.) We're
chasing down the rest of them. Right after September the 11th, I laid
out a doctrine that said, if you harbor a terrorist, if you feed a
terrorist, if you hide a terrorist, you're just as guilty as the
terrorist. When an American President lays down such a doctrine, he
better mean what he says. For the sake of keeping -- for the sake of
peace and freedom, when the American President speaks, he better mean
it. I meant what I said, and the Taliban in Afghanistan found out I
meant what I said. (Applause.)
There are no longer al Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan. In
other words, America is more secure. Afghanistan is heading toward
democracy and freedom. The thing I really like about our action
besides making America more safe and secure is the fact that we
liberated people. There were people in the clutches -- (applause.)
It's hard to believe this, if you're an American citizen, because of
the nature of our society, but there are young girls -- were young
girls growing up in Afghanistan who never had a chance to go to
school. It's just beyond our comprehension, isn't it, that people
would be that barbaric, that backwards. These people were enslaved to
a backward ideology. And thanks to America and our allies, people are
now free in Afghanistan, and the world is better off for it.
(Applause.)
The American President must be a realist. He must see the world
the way it really is. And after September the 11th, I learned this
lesson, and it's the lesson that we must keep in our minds as we
protect our country: When we see a gathering threat, we just can't
hope it goes away. If we see a threat, given the lesson of September
the 11th, this nation must lead the world to deal with that threat.
I looked at the intelligence and the history in Iraq and saw a
threat. The Congress, the members of the United States Congress looked
at the same intelligence and they saw a threat. The United Nations
Security Council on my watch looked at the intelligence and it saw a
threat. But it also had seen a threat from the past, and no wonder.
Saddam Hussein was a man who used weapons of mass destruction against
his own people and in his neighborhood. Saddam Hussein made his hatred
of America well- known. He was a threat. He paid suiciders to go kill
innocent Israeli citizens. He had terrorist connections.
In other words, we all saw a threat. I saw a threat, the Congress
saw a threat, the United Nations Security Council saw a threat -- to
the point where they passed a unanimous resolution that said, Mr.
Saddam Hussein, disarm or face serious consequences.
As I just told you, when the President speaks, he better mean what
he says. (Applause.) As he had done for year after year after year,
Saddam Hussein didn't answer the request of the free world. So I was
faced with a choice: Do I take the word of a madman? Do I forget the
lessons of September the 11th, 2001, and hope for the best? Or do I
take actions necessary to defend America? Given that choice, I will
defend America every time. (Applause.)
Thanks to our fantastic military -- (applause) -- and thanks to
over 30 other nations, Iraq is becoming a free society. Thanks to our
fantastic military, and thanks to friends and allies, the torture
chambers in Iraq are closed. (Applause.) Thanks to the United States
and friends and allies, the long-suffering people of Iraq now have
hope. They have hope to live like we want to live, in a free society,
in a peaceful society, and a chance to raise your children in a hopeful
environment.
We're on a very difficult mission right now, and it's tough work.
It's tough work because there are a few who want to destroy the hopes
of many. It's tough work because we're dealing with people with no
conscience. They're willing to kill innocent Iraqis, or they're
willing to kill coalition forces in order to stop the march of freedom,
in order to not allow liberty to take root and to spread its wings in a
part of the world that needs freedom and needs liberty. They're doing
everything in -- they can to shake our will. America will not allow
freedom to lose in Iraq because of a bunch of thugs and assassins.
(Applause.)
Like you, I mourn the loss of life. Like you, I hurt when a mom or
a dad loses a loved one. And I have told them when I've met them in
person that the mission of their son or daughter was a vital mission to
the long-term security of the United States. Because you see, a free
society in the part of the world that breeds resentment will be a
peaceful influence in a part of the world that needs peace. These are
historic times. These are really important times in our country.
I told the story the other day at the press conference about my --
Laura and my dinner with Prime Minister Koizumi. He is the Prime
Minister of Japan. And we were talking about how to work together to
keep the peace on the Korean Peninsula. Kim Jong-il is a danger. Kim
Jong-il is developing nuclear weapons. And so, working with a former
enemy, it dawned on me during the course of the conversation, what
happens if we had got it wrong at the end of World War II? Would I
have been talking to the Prime Minister of Japan about a way to make
the world a peaceful place? It also dawned on me, when we get it right
in Iraq, when freedom and democracy take hold in that part of the
world, someday an American President will be talking to an elected
Iraqi leader as to how to deal with the current threat of that era.
These are historic times. Our troops are performing brilliantly, and
we will succeed. (Applause.)
There are plenty of others in the world who agree with the spread
of freedom and democracy -- thank goodness. See, I understand, freedom
is not America's gift to the world, or any other country's gift to the
world; freedom is the Almighty's gift to every man and woman who lives
in this world. (Applause.)
We have a duty to spread freedom. We have an obligation to spread
freedom. And we're getting plenty of help. There's a difference,
however, between leading a coalition of nations and submitting to the
objections of a few. I'll always work with other countries. If I'm
fortunate enough to be your President for four more years, we'll
continue to build alliances and to work with other nations to spread
freedom and make the world more peaceful. But I will never turn
America's national security decisions over to leaders of other
countries. (Applause.)
I've come to Kalamazoo to tell you I've got a clear vision on what
we need to do to make the world more free and more peaceful. I've come
to let you know that a priority of mine over the next four years, will
be to do everything in our power as a nation to safeguard the American
people.
I also have come to let you know that I've got a plan to make sure
that America is a strong nation, and that starts with making sure that
our economy is strong in every part of our country. I'm an optimistic
fellow because I have seen what this nation has been through. I'm also
optimistic because I know how strong the entrepreneurial spirit is in
America, how vibrant our economy is because the people are hopeful and
optimistic. Remember what our economy has been through. We've been
through a recession. When we came to office, the country was headed
into a recession. That's a long word for, we're going backwards.
(Laughter.) It's a long word for, dismal times, when people were
worried about their jobs and small businesses were worried about
meeting the payroll.
We started to come out of the recession, and then the enemy hit
us. September the 11th affected the economy. It hurt. It hurt us
because we realized we were a battlefield in the war on terror. We
lost a lot of jobs. Remember, the airlines weren't flying for a while,
the stock market was shut down. It was a tough period. We came out of
that. America refused to be intimidated, refused to relent.
And then we found out we had some citizens in our country who
forgot what it meant to be a responsible citizen, and they didn't tell
the truth. The corporate scandals affected the economy. You see, in a
market-oriented economy, you've got to have faith in the balance sheet,
faith in the numbers. There were some people who broke the faith. We
passed tough laws. We will not tolerate dishonesty in the boardrooms
of America. (Applause.)
The decision to deal with Saddam Hussein also affected the
economy. You might remember on the TV screens, it said "March to
War." That's not a conducive environment in which to risk capital.
Marching to war is an incredibly negative thought. Fortunately, now
we're marching to peace.
But all those were overcome because the spirit of America is a
strong spirit. And the small business sector of this economy stepped
up. People started to invest. People refused to be pessimistic.
People decided to make good decisions about the economy. And I believe
one of the reasons why is because of the tax cuts we delivered for the
American people. (Applause.)
The proper role of the government is to make sure that the
entrepreneurial spirit is strong, that the environment for taking risks
is good. Cutting taxes was essential to making sure that that was the
case. And remember, we didn't just cut taxes on a few; we cut taxes on
everybody who paid taxes. We raised the child credit to make it easier
to raise a family. We reduced the marriage penalty. What kind of tax
code is it that penalizes marriage? We want to strengthen families in
America. (Applause.) Small businesses benefitted. Families
benefitted. The tax relief and the economic stimulus package we passed
is working.
The economy grew at the rate of 4.2 percent in the first quarter.
We were in recession in early '01. Early '04, we're growing at the
rate of 4.2 percent. Economic growth over the past three quarters has
been the fastest in nearly two decades. This economy is beginning to
move. (Applause.)
I understand that Michigan still suffers. My attitude is, when I
hear one person is looking for work, we got to make sure we continue to
grow the economy. And while the growth numbers, the job numbers were
good in certain parts of our country, here, it's slower in Michigan.
But the plans we put in place should help those workers. We got to
make sure that we don't go backwards and undo the good works we have
done. Part of the vision for the next four years is to make sure this
economy is healthy and strong with pro-growth, pro-small business,
pro-entrepreneur economic policies. (Applause.)
Let me tell you -- a couple of people I met today, just to maybe
put this economic plan in perspective. I met the O'Roarks -- Tom and
Beth. They're with us. There they are, right. And they got two
kids. And the reason I bring them is that the tax relief plan we
passed saved them $1,700. That's good. (Applause.) That may not seem
like a lot to some. It's a lot to them. They'll save $1,700 this
year, too. That's their money by the way. (Applause.) When somebody
has got more of their own money, they're going to demand an additional
good or a service. And when that demand goes up, somebody produces the
good or a service. And when somebody produces it, somebody is likely
to find work.
No, the tax relief was important for our economy, but it's also
important for families all across the country, like the O'Roarks. I
said the other day, our tax relief is showing that Americans can spend
their money far better than the federal government would have.
(Applause.)
Factory orders are up, manufacturing is coming back. I tell you
the statistic I love about our nation right now -- more people own a
home. See, the home ownership rate is incredibly high. And not only
that, more minorities own their own home. I tell you what's beautiful
about that; we want more people owning something in America. We want
people owning their own business. We want people owning and managing
their own retirement accounts. We want more people owning their own
home because this administration understands when you own something,
you have a vital stake in the future of our country. (Applause.)
It's very important that fiscal policy understand the importance of
small businesses in our society. Seventy percent of new jobs are
created by small business owners. Good fiscal policy, good economic
policy focuses on the small business sector -- should focus on the
small business sector of America. I want you to know that an inherent
part of the economic plan that we put forward is creating incentives
for small business to expand.
Most small businesses in America are sub-chapter S corporations or
sole proprietorships. Those are legal terms describing what kind of
taxes they pay, basically. If you're a sole proprietorship or a
sub-chapter S corporation, you pay tax at the individual income tax
rate. Therefore, when you hear us saying we're going to reduce
individual income taxes, we're really reducing taxes, as well, on small
businesses. The more a small business has in its coffers, the more
likely it is it's going to expand. If 70 percent of new jobs are
created by small businesses and you're worried about job creation, it
seems to make sense to provide stimulus to the small business sector of
the economy. (Applause.)
I was talking to Jim Van Zoeren, he runs a trucking company. Big
Jim. And he's an upbeat guy. He's going to invest about $4 million in
trucks and trailers and forklifts this year. He's a small business
guy. He's willing to invest. Invest means he's going to buy something
from somebody. And when he buys it from somebody, somebody has got to
make it.
Now, the economy works as a result of the decision-making process
from people like Jim. He has already hired 20 workers in the year 2004
to make that investment. In other words, when you hear investment is
up, you hear the tax plan encouraged investment, think jobs. Because
there are 20 more people working for his firm as a result of the
investments that he made. He's planning to hire 10 more this year.
See, when Jim hires 30 people this year, there's people like him -- it
says something's happening. There's people like him all across the
country. There's a lot of small businesses and entrepreneurs who are
optimistic and hopeful, who have had their decision-making helped by
good tax policy. And I intend to keep it that way. One reason I need
to stay in office is to make sure that we don't ruin the incentives and
don't stop the momentum of economic growth by failed Washington, D.C.,
policies. (Applause.)
One thing you better watch out for are spending promises on a
campaign. And you've got to take these promisers for their word. My
opponent is a pretty good spender. We've got six more months to go in
the campaign and he's easily over a trillion in new promises. And so
the question that I ask is, how is he going to pay for it? He said, of
course, by taxing the rich. There's not enough money to tax the rich
to pay for the new promises he's made. So guess who he is going to
tax? He's going to tax you. That's what's going to happen. In order
to meet all the promises he's making, he's going to have to raise the
taxes on the American people.
Now is not the time to be raising taxes. This economy is getting
strong. This economy is getting better. A tax increase on the
American people, a tax increase on small business owners, a tax
increase on moms and dads who are trying to raise their families,
raising that marriage penalty up is the wrong policy at the wrong time,
and we're not going to let him have a chance to do so. (Applause.)
There is more to do to make sure this economy is the best way to do
business in the world. If you're interested in jobs growing here in
America, if you're interested in jobs staying here, I got some ideas
that I want to share with you right quick. First, we cannot let
Congress raise taxes on you. Raising taxes on the American people will
make the country less competitive and will make it harder for people to
find a job. Secondly, we got to make sure we've got good worker
training programs.
Listen, technology is changing. There are -- changing the work
force. And the demand for workers -- there's all kinds of jobs in
America, but oftentimes, workers need new skills. They need new
training. The community college system in America is a fantastic place
to match up workers who want to find new skills with employers looking
for new workers. (Applause.) I've got a plan called the Jobs for the
21st Century Program to do just that.
We've got to make sure that health care costs are more affordable,
and we must do so without letting the federal government run the health
care industry. (Applause.) That's why I'm for association health care
plans and health savings accounts, and that's why I am for medical
liability reform at the federal level, to stop the junk and frivolous
lawsuits which are running up the cost of medicine. (Applause.)
You know, most American Presidents have opened up our markets to
foreign products. That's good for consumers. When you get more
products to choose from, it helps on price, it helps on quality. The
problem is, a lot of American Presidents haven't said to other nations,
open up your markets. The best way to make sure that we have jobs for
the 21st century, the best way we make sure that people can find work
is reject economic isolationism and make sure the playing field is
level. Listen, American workers, American farmers, American ranchers
can compete with anybody, any time, anyplace so long as the rules are
fair. (Applause.)
We need to make sure we get an energy policy in this country. We
want to make sure that people are able to find work in the 21st
century; this nation needs an energy policy. I've laid out a plan to
encourage conservation. I've laid out a plan to develop alternative
sources of energy. Listen, I want to be the person who lays the
groundwork for a President to be able to say, hey, the corn harvest was
up, and we're less dependent. We need alternative sources of energy to
be developed in this country. We've got research and development --
ongoing research and development to encourage that. We need clean coal
technology. We need to be exploring for natural gas in our own
hemisphere. We need safe nuclear energy. We need a full-scale energy
plan to make us less dependent on foreign sources of energy.
(Applause.)
I'm running because I got a plan to make sure we're the best place
to do business so people can find work. I'm running because I
understand what it means to keep America competitive in the world. We
live in a global economy. I'm also running because I want to keep us
-- I want to enable us to be the innovative society that we are.
Listen, we need to have broadband technology in every home in
Kalamazoo, Michigan, and every farm in rural Michigan, as well.
(Applause.)
The role of government is not to create wealth, but an environment
in which the entrepreneur, the imagination, the genius of the American
people can survive, and that's why I need four more years as your
President. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
(Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: Finally, I want to talk about something that's dear
to my hear because -- and it's because I understand the true strength
of the country, and that is, my job is to rally the compassion of
America to help save lives in this country. Look, government is not a
loving organization. (Laughter.) Government is justice. Government
is law. But government is not loving. Love exists in the hearts and
souls of the American citizens. The true strength of this country is
not our military -- although it's an important part of keeping the
peace. The true strength of the country is not the fact that we're a
very strong economy relative to other nations in the world. The true
strength of the country is the hearts and souls of the American people,
and I understand that. (Applause.)
I also understand that many problems can be only solved by love.
Many problems can only be solved when a decent citizen takes time out
of their lives and says, how can I help you, brother? What can I do to
make your life better?
The job of the President is to understand the proper relationship
between the government and the strength of the country. And the job of
the President is to call upon that strength and rally that strength and
encourage that strength to help save America one heart, one soul, one
conscience at a time.
And that's why I have pushed so hard for what I call the Faith and
Community-Based Initiative, that says to people, let us not focus
on the process in Washington, D.C. Let's focus on the results. And if
there's a faith community that's got the capacity to change hearts and,
therefore, help an addict on drugs, we ought not to fear empowering
that program. We ought to encourage that program through government
help. (Applause.)
I met Iris and Louie Tortorelli here today. Where are the
Tortorellis? There they are. Thank you all. (Applause.) Nice
spattering of applause there for them. (Laughter.) They're mentors.
These are people that have lived a full life and they want to live a
fuller life, by taking time out to help a child learn to read. What a
wonderful gift. Not only a gift to the child, but a gift to them.
(Applause.)
Like many of you in the audience, they are soldiers in the army of
compassion. I'm sure I'm looking at people that have heard that call
to love a neighbor just like you'd like to be loved yourself; people
who are willing to do simple acts of kindness and love to help brighten
somebody's day. These good folks are mentoring children, elementary
school children. Here's what Louie said. He said, "It's so rewarding
to work with the kids. I'm excited about what I'm doing. I can't do
much physical work anymore, but I can do that."
I want to thank Iris and Louie for setting such a fine example. I
want to thank you all, as well. (Applause.) It's really part of what
I call ushering in a new culture, the responsibility era, I like to
call it. It's a different kind of culture from one that we had been
through in the country -- the culture that said, if it feels good, just
go ahead and do it, and if you've got a problem, blame somebody else.
I envision a new culture and it's happening, not because of me, but
because of America, where each of us understands we're responsible for
the decisions we make in life.
If you're a mom or a dad, you are responsible for loving your
children 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're responsible for doing something about it. If you're a
-- if you're a CEO in corporate America, you're responsible for telling
the truth to your shareholders and your employees. (Applause.) Each
of us is responsible for loving our neighbor like we'd like to be loved
yourself. It's happening here in America. It's happening, because the
strength of this country is the character of the American people.
On September the 14th, 2001, I stood in the ruins of the Twin
Towers. I will never forget that day. There were workers in hard-hats
shouting, "Whatever it takes." A guy pointed at me and said, "Don't
let me down." As we all did that day, these men and women searching
through the rubble took it personally. I took it personally. You took
it personally. I have a responsibility that goes on. I will never
relent in bringing justice to our enemies. I will defend the security
of America, whatever it takes. (Applause.)
I want to again thank you for coming. We have a purpose together.
We have a mission. We have a war to win. And the world is counting on
us to lead the cause of freedom and peace. We have a duty to spread
opportunity to every part of this country. That is the work that
history has set before us. We welcome it. And we know that for our
country, the best days lie ahead.
May God bless you. (Applause.)
END 5:24 P.M. CDT
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