For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
May 4, 2004
Remarks by the President at the Golden Lamb Inn
Lebanon, Ohio
2:43 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all for coming. (Applause.) I'm proud
to be the first sitting President to have visited here. I am --
actually, I'm a standing President today. (Laughter.)
I'll tell you why I'm here. I want to -- I'm here to tell you I
want to be your President for four more years. (Applause.) I see
clearly where we need to go in order to make this country safer and
stronger and better, and I need your help. I need you to find people
to register to vote. I need you to turn out the vote. I need you to
put up the signs. I need you to do your duty as Americans and vote.
And when you do, I'll be reelected, thanks to your help. (Applause.)
Rob told me 11 other Presidents have visited the Golden Lamb. None
of them came on a bus like this. (Laughter.) I don't think so, do
you? I really appreciate my friends here in Ohio. This is an
important state. And it's the state we're going to work hard to earn
the -- earn the confidence of the people from all walks of life. But
it's going to require a good grassroots effort in order for us to get
the message out. I want you to make sure you tell your friends and
neighbors -- it doesn't matter what their political party is -- that
our message and our vision is one that is positive, and hopeful, and
optimistic for every single American. That's what we believe.
(Applause.)
I regret that Laura is not here today. I know it. You drew the
short straw. (Laughter.) You know, I really got lucky when she said,
"yes." She is a fabulous wife, a great mother, and she's doing a
wonderful job as the First Lady of this country. (Applause.) I think
she deserves four more years. (Applause.)
I want -- as you get out and gather the vote, remind people that
it's the President's job to surround himself with excellence, to put a
good team together on behalf of the American people. I've assembled a
great Cabinet and a great administration -- people from all walks of
life, people from different backgrounds, people who have come to
Washington, D.C. to serve our nation and not their self-interest.
We've had no finer Vice President of the United States than Dick
Cheney. (Applause.) Mother heard me say that one time -- (applause) --
she said, wait a minute, Buster.
No, I'm proud of my team. I'm proud of working with the members of
Congress. You got a fine congressman in Rob Portman. (Applause.) I
didn't know he was an innkeeper. (Laughter.) But he's a great guy, an
honest fellow, a smart person, a person who cares deeply for the people
of Ohio. I traveled today down from Dayton with Congressman Mike
Turner. He's doing a fine job, as well. I appreciate you coming,
Congressman Turner. (Applause.)
I appreciate Lieutenant Governor Jennette Bradley who is with us
today, and State Treasurer Joe Deters. I want to thank the members of
the statehouse who are here. I appreciate the Mayor came out today,
Amy Brewer. (Applause.) Madam Mayor. She didn't ask for any advice,
but I'm going to give her some. (Laughter.) Fill the potholes,
Mayor. (Applause.) And thank you for your service.
I want to thank my friend, Jo Ann Davidson, who is my regional
chairman, a former Speaker of the House of Ohio. I understand Anthony
Munoz is here. Where is Anthony? (Applause.) Anthony, como esta?
Good to see you again, buddy. Thank you for coming. What a class act
he is. (Applause.) He's a person who understands that a responsible
citizen is somebody who puts something back in the community in which
they live. And I'm proud to call you friend, Anthony. Thank you for
coming.
I want to thank all the people who care about your country and
decided to participate in the political process. It's really
important. It's important for citizens to understand we have a duty
and democracy to participate. I hope you go out and gather people to
the polls. You might suggest they vote for me when you do. And tell
them I've got a reason. Look, I'm here asking for the vote. The
reason I've come here is I want people to know I want to be your
President. I take nothing for granted. I'm here to say, I need your
help and want your help to lead this country for four more years.
(Applause.)
I'm seeking the endorsement of the people. I'm running against the
-- and it's going to be a tough campaign, by the way. We're not going
to take anything for granted, and neither should you. I'm running for
a fellow who's got a lot of experience. He's been in Washington an
awful long time. So long, he's taken about -- both sides of just about
every issue. (Laughter.) That's called Washington-itis.
And he's seeking the endorsements, too. As you might remember, he
claims to have picked up some important endorsements from foreign
leaders. He just won't give us their names. Here's what he said about
that one question. He said, "What I said is true." He said, "I mean,
you can go to New York City and you can be in a restaurant and you can
meet a foreign leader." That's what he said when one of the big-time
reporters asked him about it. I've got a hunch this whole thing might
be a case of mistaken identity. (Laughter.) Just because somebody has
an accent, or a nice suit, or a good table in New York City, it doesn't
make him a foreign leader. Whoever these mystery men are, they will
not be deciding the election. I'm here to ask for the endorsement, not
of foreign leaders, but of the American people. (Applause.)
And I've got a reason. I've got a job to make this country a safer
country. My job is to do everything in our power to protect the
American people from an enemy which is cold-blooded, an enemy that has
no conscience, an enemy which struck us on September the 11th. We have
rallied together as a nation. We're doing everything we can to protect
our homeland. Our ports are more secure; the borders are better off;
it's harder to get through an airport these days. I fully understand.
After all, they're looking inside your shoes. But it's for a reason.
It's to make sure that we do everything we can to protect the
homeland. But the best way to protect America is to stay on the
offensive and bring these killers to justice, one person at a time.
(Applause.)
It's important for the President and future President to understand
the nature of the war we face. This is more than a war that requires
law enforcement and intelligence. That's what some people have said.
That's the attitude we took after the World Trade Center was bombed in
1993. We served some legal papers, and some thought the matter was
settled. But the enemy was still planning, and they were plotting, and
they were training. After the carnage of September the 11th, you need
to have a President who understands you can't win this war with legal
papers. We've got to use every asset at our disposal.
The terrorists declared war on the United States of America, and
war is what they got. (Applause.) And we're making good progress.
We're chasing them down. We've got a lot of friends on the hunt.
We're cutting off their money. We're sharing intelligence. We've got
some fantastic military troops on the -- on the hunt for them.
(Applause.) Two-thirds of known al Qaeda leaders have been brought to
justice, and the rest of them can feel us breathing down their neck.
You've got to have a President who understands the nature of the
war. It's essential that we not show any weakness. We must be
determined and strong and unrelenting in our search for those who would
do harm to the American people. The war on terror is more than just
chasing down al Qaeda. The war on terror is enforcing doctrine. It's
essential that when an American President speaks, he speak clearly, and
when he says something, means what he says. (Applause.)
When I said, if you harbor a terrorist, you're just as guilty as
the terrorist, I meant what I said. When a President says something,
it must be clear and it must be meaningful. In order to keep the
peace, there must be truth in the words of the President. The Taliban
found out what I meant. Thanks to our troops and our coalition
members, we routed the Taliban from power. And Afghanistan is no
longer a training base for al Qaeda. (Applause.)
Part of the war on terror was making sure al Qaeda couldn't train
there. Part of the war on terror is to spread freedom in places like
Afghanistan. I want you to remember what life was like for little
girls in Afghanistan before we arrived. The Taliban were so barbaric
and so backwards, so corrupt in their vision that young girls -- many
young girls never received an education. Thanks to the United States
of America and our brave troops, thanks to our friends and our
coalition, not only did we rout the Taliban and America is more safe,
we routed out a government. And now young girls have got hope and
optimism for their future. (Applause.)
A President must understand the world the way it is. And after
September the 11th, this country needs to have a President who
understands that when we see a threat, we must take it seriously before
it materializes. When a President sees a threat, he just can't hope it
goes away. He just can't hope that somehow the -- a tyrant will change
his mind.
I saw a threat in Afghanistan (sic). I looked at the intelligence
and saw a threat. The Congress looked at the intelligence. Members of
both political parties looked at that same intelligence and saw and
threat. The United Nations Security Council looked at the intelligence
and it saw a threat. The United Nations Security Council, like me,
remembered -- we saw more than a threat, we remembered that Saddam
Hussein had used weapons of mass destruction against his own people and
against his neighborhood; that Saddam Hussein professed hatred for
America; that he had terrorist ties; that he paid suiciders to kill
innocent citizens in the Middle East. We remembered all that.
And so we went to the United Nations, and the United Nations agreed
with America, when, unanimously, the Security Council said, disarm or
face serious consequences. When America speaks, we must mean what we
say. We said, disarm or face serious consequences. Saddam Hussein, as
he had for a decade, defied the demands of the free world. So I had a
choice to make: Either trust the word of a madman, or defend America.
Given that choice, I will defend America every time. (Applause.)
The world is better off without Saddam Hussein in power.
(Applause.) Because we acted, torture chambers are closed. Because we
acted, democracy is rising in the heart of the Middle East. Because we
said something and did what we said, countries like Libya got the
message and voluntarily disarmed. Because we acted, America is more
secure, and the world is more peaceful. (Applause.)
There's hard work still to do. And like you, I mourn the loss of
every life. And like you, I recognize how difficult the work in Iraq
is. It's essential that we implement our strategy for the sake of
long-term peace and freedom. You see, free societies are peaceful
societies.
I also know that freedom is in the soul of every human being.
Freedom isn't America's gift to the world -- freedom is the almighty
God's gift to every man and woman in this world. (Applause.)
The Iraqi people long to be free. The Iraqi people want to
self-govern. But there are thugs and assassins who want to stop the
march to freedom. That's what you're seeing on your television
screens. You're seeing a few killers trying to -- trying to halt the
progress of freedom because they understand that freedom will be a
major defeat in the cause against terror. Terrorists can't stand free
societies. Terrorists understand the power of freedom just like
Americans understand the power of freedom. This country will finish
what we have begun. We will see that Iraq is free and self-governing
and democratic. We will accomplish our mission. We will win this
essential victory in the war on terror. (Applause.)
I'm running because I understand the historic opportunity we have.
It's an historic moment to help change the world. I believe, as the
strongest nation on the face of the Earth, we have a duty and an
obligation to spread freedom, to resist tyranny, to help people from
all walks of life realize their ambition. And I know that by
fulfilling that duty, by using our strength and our influence, by
spreading freedom, that we will leave behind a legacy of peace for our
children and for our children's children. This is the course that
history has put before us, the challenge that history has put before
us. We welcome it. We do not shirk our duty. We welcome our duty.
There is a difference of opinion when it comes to that duty in
foreign policy. My opponent says he approves of bold action in the
world. But only if other countries do not object. I believe strongly
in alliances. I believe strongly in working with other nations that
share the same values we share, that understand the need for freedom
and peace to be spread throughout the world. But I will never turn
over America's national security decisions to leaders of other
countries. (Applause.)
I'm running because I have a vision for a strong America that's
based on a strong economy. I understand the role of government is not
to create wealth, but an environment in which the entrepreneurial
spirit flourishes. I understand the job of government is to empower
people to realize their dreams. You see, we have a difference of
opinion in this race -- the role of the federal government versus the
role of the private individual.
We went through tough economic times. We've been through a
recession and a war, and a national emergency and corporate scandals.
But I understood that in order to come out of these tough economic
times, the best thing to do is not to increase the size and scope of
the federal government, but the best thing to do is to let people keep
more of their own money. In order to grow the economy, when people
have more money, they demand -- (applause.) The cornerstone of our
pro-growth economic policy is to trust the people of America with their
own money. We're not spending the government's money in Washington,
D.C. It's your money. And when you have more money in your pocket,
this economy will grow and expand.
I like to say that the numbers look good. First quarter economic
growth was strong. Jobs are now being created in Ohio. They're being
created nationwide. More people own their home than in a long period
of time. Home ownership rate is the highest ever. More minorities are
owning their own home. People are starting their own business. It is
clear that the economic stimulus package we passed is working. It is
clear that people are spending their money far wiser than the federal
government would have. (Applause.)
And the fundamental question in this campaign is how do we make
sure the economy continues to grow? How do we make sure America is the
best place in the world to do business? How do we make sure we're the
leader in the world? Let me give you some ideas.
First, we've got to make sure we're wise with the people's money.
We've got to make sure that we don't run your taxes up. The worst time
to raise taxes on the American people would be right now. I'm running
against a fellow who's made over a trillion dollars of promises in this
campaign. And we're only getting started. We've got six months to go
and he's already over a trillion. I can't imagine what it's going to
be like next October. And the problem is, he said he's going to pay
for it by taxing the rich. That's code word. That's the way they talk
in Washington. There's not enough money. You can't tax the rich
enough to pay for his promises. Guess who he's going to tax? He's
going to tax me and you. You're going to pay for this. He's either
going to break his promises on these new spending increases, which I
don't think he'll do, or he's going to tax the American people, which I
will think he'll do.
This is a terrible time to raise taxes on the American people. You
need to put me in office for four more years so your taxes won't go
up. (Applause.)
We've got to make sure that we've got good trade policy in this
country. You hear a lot of talk about ideas that would isolate us from
the world. I think that would be a disaster. If we want to be
competitive in the long run, we don't want to be isolated. We just
want to have a chance to compete.
Presidents before me have opened up the United States for foreign
goods because it's good for consumers. If you've got more goods coming
in, it gives you more products from which to choose, and helps you get
a better price for something you want to buy. The problem is we
haven't had other countries open up their markets like ours. In order
for us to be competitive, in order for us to be -- for people to be
able to find work in the short-term and the long-term, you need you a
President who will continue to open up foreign markets so we can
compete. Just give us a chance to compete. We've got the best workers
in the world. We've got the best farmers in the world. Open up those
markets, is what we're saying, and give us a chance to compete, and
this economy will continue to grow and expand. (Applause.)
If we want to compete in the long-term, we need tort reform.
There's too many frivolous and junk lawsuits that are making it hard
for small businesses to expand and grow. (Applause.) We need medical
liability reform in this country in order to control the cost of health
care. We need health savings accounts and association health care
plans. Look, we need to make sure the patient and the doctor are the
center of the health care system in the world, not federal
bureaucracies. (Applause.)
If we want to be competitive and strong, if we want our people to
be able to find work, you better get you a President who understands we
need to become less dependent on foreign sources of energy.
(Applause.) I've laid out a strong energy strategy that's stuck in the
United States Senate, an energy policy that encourages alternative
sources of energy. It's an energy policy that encourages conservation,
but it's an energy policy that's realistic, too. We need clean coal
technology. We need clean nuclear power. We need to become less
dependent on foreign sources of energy if we want this economy to
grow. (Applause.)
Finally, if we want to be smart, if we want to be the leading
country in the world when it comes to growth so people can work, we got
to be better -- we've got to be smarter about how we educate our
people. I mean, this No Child Left Behind Act I signed is a good
start. I look forward to debate on educational excellence. See, this
bill is one that says we're going to raise the standards, not lower the
standards. This is a bill that says we believe every child can learn,
not just a few. This is a bill that says we expect the very best.
This is a bill that says we're going to challenge the soft bigotry of
low expectations.
You see, if you believe every child can learn, then you want to
know, you want to see. This is a bill that says for increased federal
dollars, you measure, you get to run your schools -- I believe in local
control of schools -- but you measure. You show us whether or not
every child is learning to read. And if we find they're not, parents
need different choices. When we find that children aren't learning to
read, we'll change the curriculum. When we find children stuck in
schools that won't teach and won't change, we can demand something
better. We've got to insist that no child be left behind in America.
(Applause.)
And good policy also understands a vision for the future sees
clearly the need to use our community college system to train workers
for the jobs which actually exist. You see, we've got a lot of people
who want to work, and there are new jobs being created in our economy
-- what they call, the jobs of the 21st century. But they don't have
the skills necessary to fill those jobs. This country must expedite,
must help, must pay for through Pell grants and other assistance
programs, training -- programs to train workers for jobs which actually
exist.
Sure, there's some jobs leaving, and that breaks our hearts. But
there's new jobs being created -- better paying, higher- quality jobs.
And we have a duty to help train workers to meet those jobs. No, a
vision for the future is one that understands that in order for us to
compete, we've got to be the best place for people to do business. And
the best place means good tax policy, good regulatory policy, and an
educated work force to fill the jobs of the 21st century. (Applause.)
And finally, you need to put me back in office because I understand
the true strength of this country is in the hearts and souls of our
citizens. We talk a lot about our military being the strength of
America, and it's an important part of our strength. And by the way, I
intend to keep the military strong. And if you have a loved one in the
military, you thank him on behalf of a grateful Commander-in-Chief.
(Applause.) And we'll continue to push pro-growth policies so that
we're a wealthy nation. But the strength of this country is the fact
that we've got citizens who are willing to love a neighbor just like
they would like to be loved themselves. The strength of this country
is the fact that there are thousands and thousands of citizens who are
willing to take time out of their life to help somebody who hurts, to
help the lonely, to feed the hungry, to find shelter for the homeless.
You see, the great fabric of America is made up of the thousands
acts of kindness and generosity that take place on a daily basis, not
because government has said to do so, but because they've heard a call
that is bigger than government. They understand that a responsible
citizen is one that reaches out to somebody who hurts. The job of the
President is to capture and lift that spirit, is to call people to a
service greater than self, is to help change this country one heart,
one soul, one conscience at a time, by rallying and tapping the true
strength of the country, which is the hearts and souls of the American
people. (Applause.)
Linda Rabolt is here today. She works for the Interfaith
Hospitality Network. (Applause.) That's good. Some of you heard
about Linda. They work at churches in this community to serve 41
families. You see, they saw somebody who hurt and they reached out to
them. They're showing what it means to love a neighbor.
Here's what she said about serving the homeless: "It's not that
they don't have needs and desires and dreams. They're just down on
their luck." See, Linda sees a better day, a better day. She sees a
bright future. "It's rewarding to be a part of their lives," she says,
"and to watch them to grow and change and move on."
That's the spirit of this country, isn't it? What a fabulous
country we have -- a country that's resolute and determined; a country
that's resolute never to give in to an enemy that hates us, determined
to do what it takes to make the world more peaceful; a country that is
compassionate and decent when it comes to making sure the future is
bright for every single citizen. And it is such an honor -- such a
high honor -- to be the President of such a fantastic land.
I thank you for your support. I thank you for your friendship.
May God bless you, and may God continue to bless the United States of
America. Thank you all, very much. (Applause.)
END 3:12 P.M. EDT
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