For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
May 7, 2004
Remarks by the President and the First Lady at Iowa Send-Off
Grand River Center
Dubuque, Iowa
9:54 A.M. CDT
MRS. BUSH: I'm the one who gets to introduce the President.
(Applause.) We're so glad to be here. We're so happy to be here in
Iowa. Thank you all very, very much for coming out. It's great to see
such a huge crowd. And thank you all. (Applause.)
George and I first traveled together in his first campaign in 1978,
when he ran for Congress out in West Texas, in our home district,
Midland, Texas. Newly married, we spent a year on the road, driving up
and down the panhandle of Texas through that congressional district.
The race didn't turn out as we hoped, but we had a wonderful time. We
met many, many of our best friends then. And believe me, you learn a
lot about your husband when you spend a year traveling with him in a
car. (Laughter.) By the end of the campaign, he'd even convinced me
to vote for him. (Laughter.)
I know you all see what I see. The President is a steady leader
during these historic times. (Applause.) He's hopeful about the
future because he has tremendous confidence in the American people. As
we've traveled together, I've seen the President encourage young
children to read, or to go to college; I've seen him pitch in to help a
family build their first home; I've seen him rally our men and women in
uniform at military bases here in the United States, and in Europe.
(Applause.) My husband treats the men and women that he meets with
dignity and respect. And it's the same dignity and respect he has for
the office he holds. He gives me every reason to be proud of him, as
our President, and as a husband and a father.
Today we're so glad to be here. This is the second bus trip of our
last campaign. But we look forward to the campaign this year. Being
on the campaign trail, though, isn't what it used to be. These days we
get to travel in a very nice bus, or airplane, instead of an old car,
and George 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, times that
require a disciplined and determined and strong leader. And I'm so
proud that my husband is that kind of leader.
Ladies and gentlemen, the President. (Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. Thank you all, very much. Thanks
for coming. I'm really glad you're here. It is great to be back in
Dubuque. (Applause.) Once again, here I'm asking for the vote.
(Laughter.) I'm asking for your help. (Applause.) I remember last
time I campaigned here, the crowds weren't quite as big. (Laughter.)
Neither was the entourage. (Laughter.)
But I am thrilled to be here. I know most of you are here to see
Laura, and I appreciate you coming. (Applause.) She's such a fabulous
First Lady, and a great wife, and wonderful mom, that I think she
deserves four more years as the First Lady. (Applause.)
Now, I'm here to ask for your help. I want to thank those who are
involved with the grassroots. I want to thank those who are willing to
put up the signs and to talk to your neighbors, those who are willing
to go to the community centers and the houses of worship, those who are
willing to work door-to-door and remind people that this administration
has a positive vision, a hopeful vision, an optimistic vision for
everybody who lives in this country. (Applause.)
I want you to remind them I got a plan to win the war on terror and
to spread peace and freedom throughout the world -- (applause) -- a
plan that helps to create jobs and spreads opportunity to every corner
of America; a plan that taps into the compassionate spirit of our
country. Working together, we'll make this country safer and stronger
and better. We got a positive platform -- one that I am convinced the
American people understand and appreciate. We will become reelected on
November the 2nd. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. When you're out there gathering up
the vote -- by the way, make sure you talk to discerning Democrats and
independents, as well. (Laughter.) And remind them I put together a
fantastic team of people to serve this country, people who have come to
Washington, D.C. from all walks of life, from different backgrounds,
all bound together by the desire to serve this country, not their
self-interest. We've got a fabulous Vice President in Dick Cheney.
(Applause.) One time I had given a speech, and Mother was in the
crowd. I said, "You know, Dick Cheney is the finest Vice President our
country has ever had." (Applause.) She said, "Wait a minute,
buster." (Laughter.)
I am proud to have traveled with some really fine members of the
Congress. Iowa sent some good, decent souls to Washington, D.C. to
represent you and to represent our nation. (Applause.) And one such
person is the fantastic United States Senator Chuck Grassley.
(Applause.) Remember when we campaigned together? We'd be traveling
the back roads of Iowa, and he would say, I know the farmer who lives
there. (Laughter.) And we'd go down the road for another couple of
miles, and he'd say, oh, I know who lives there. No wonder this guy is
constantly reelected. He not only does his job, he knows everybody,
everywhere across the state of Iowa. (Applause.)
You've got a really good Congressman representing you in
Washington, D.C. I'm going to tell you, the Budget Chairman, Jim
Nussle, is a good man. (Applause.) I'm proud to call Congressman Jim
Leach my friend -- a good, thoughtful, decent guy. (Applause.) I'm
proud that people from the other side of the state are coming here to
east Iowa. And we got a fine congressman from the western part of the
state in Congressman Tom Latham. Thank you for coming, Congressman.
(Applause.) I had your breakfast laid out for you on Air Force One,
but you were a no-show. (Laughter.) I won't hold it against you.
(Laughter.) And I, finally, appreciate -- finally, I want to
appreciate -- send my appreciation to Congressman Steve King from the
great state of Iowa. Thank you for coming, Congressman. (Applause.)
I know there's a lot of state officials who are here today --
senators and representatives. I'm honored you all are here. I want to
thank you for your service to the state of Iowa. I appreciate the -- I
appreciate you working on behalf of the people of your districts. I
was also honored to have been greeted by your mayor, Mayor Terry
Duggan. He was out at the airport today. I am so honored, Mayor, that
you took time to be here to greet the President of the United States.
My only advice to you: fill the potholes. (Laughter and applause.)
No, they tell me he's doing a fine job -- a fine job. And I really do
appreciate you coming, Mayor.
I want to thank my friend, Michael Martin Murphy for coming today
-- appreciate you coming. (Applause.)
Laura and I grew up in West Texas. We grew up in a town called
Midland, Texas. That's right next door to Odessa, Texas. (Laughter.)
And when you lived in Midland, Texas, you didn't particularly care for
the people who played football for Odessa, Texas. And I'm proud to be
associated, however, with a former Odessa football star, a man who has
made his mark in helping youngsters understand the values of life, a
person who came to this state and captured the hearts of the citizens
of Iowa because he's such a decent fellow, a pretty good football
coach, too, my friend Hayden Fry -- appreciate you. (Applause.)
When you're out rounding up the vote, you might start by reminding
your friends and neighbors what this administration has accomplished.
The last three years have brought serious challenges, and we have given
serious answers. We've led -- we've risen to the challenge. We came
into office with a stock market in decline and an economy headed into
recession. But we acted, delivered historic tax relief, and now our
economy is the fastest growing of any major industrialized nation in
the world. (Applause.)
We uncovered corporate crimes, crimes that cost people their jobs
and their savings. So we worked with the Congress and we passed strong
corporate reforms. Wrongdoers are being brought to account. It is
clear in America, we will not tolerate dishonesty in the boardrooms of
our country. (Applause.)
We saw war and grief arrive on a quiet September morning. So we
have pursued the terrorist enemy across the world. We've captured or
killed many leaders of the al Qaeda network. And the rest will learn
there is no cave or hole deep enough to hide from American justice.
(Applause.)
When Dick Cheney and I came to Washington, we found a military that
was underfunded and underappreciated. So we gave our military the
resources and respect they deserve. And today, no one can question the
skill, the strength, and the spirit of the United States military.
(Applause.)
We confronted the dangers of state-sponsored terror and the spread
of weapons of mass destruction. We ended two of the most violent and
dangerous regimes on Earth. We liberated over 50,000 million people.
Once again, America is proud to stand against tyranny and to set
nations free. (Applause.)
It is the President's job to confront problems, not to pass them on
to future Presidents and future generations. (Applause.) Great events
will turn on this election. The man who sits in the Oval Office will
set the course of the war on terror and the direction of our economy.
The security and prosperity of America are at stake. I look forward to
this campaign. I'm running for a reason -- I want our country to be
safer and stronger and better. I've got a vision for the future of
this country that is optimistic. (Applause.) I know where I want to
lead us. I look forward the explaining it in clear and simple terms to
the American people.
And we've got a tough race. So I've asked you to come today to get
your uniforms ready, get ready for the contest. I take nothing for
granted. I look forward to getting out amongst the people and talking
about my vision.
I'm running against an experienced United States senator. He's
been in Washington an awful long period of time. He's been there so
long -- he's been there long enough to take both sides on just about
every issue. (Applause.) He was for the Patriot Act, for NAFTA, for
No Child Left Behind, and for the use of force in Iraq. Now he opposes
the Patriot Act, NAFTA, No Child Left Behind Act and the liberation of
Iraq. His positions remind me of that old Texas saying -- if you don't
like the weather, just wait a few minutes and it will change.
(Laughter.)
No, he's an experienced senator, he's a tough opponent, and I
understand that. I look forward to an honest and calm debate on the
issues. I look forward to gathering the support of the American
people. That's the endorsement I seek. I seek your endorsement. I
seek the people who are working every day. (Applause.) He claims to
have picked up some important endorsements amongst foreign leaders.
(Laughter.) He just won't tell us their names. (Laughter.)
He did tell us -- gave us a hint the other day. On national TV, he
said, and I quote, "What I said is true. I mean, you can go to New
York City, and you can be in a restaurant, and you can meet a foreign
leader." Now, I think this may be a case of mistaken identity.
(Laughter.) Just because a fellow has an accent -- (laughter) -- and a
fancy suit, and a nice table at a New York restaurant, it doesn't mean
he's a foreign leader. (Laughter and applause.) But whoever these
mystery people are, they will not determine the course of this
election. The American people will decide the outcome of this
election. (Applause.)
The voters will have a clear choice. It's a choice between keeping
the tax relief that is moving this economy forward, or putting the
burden of higher taxes back on the working people. It is a choice
between an America that leads the world with strength and confidence,
or an America that is uncertain in the face of danger. I look forward
to taking on the big issues with a sense of optimism and resolve and
determination. I will make it clear that I stand ready to lead this
country for four more years. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
THE PRESIDENT: A big issue in this campaign, and a big issue for
every family in America is the federal tax burden. With the largest
tax relief since Ronald Reagan was the President, we have left more
money in the hands that earned. By spending -- (applause) -- by
spending and investing and helping to create new jobs, the American
people have used their money far better than the federal government
would have. (Applause.) Our economy is strong, and it is getting
stronger. (Applause.) The economy grew at a rate of 4.2 percent in
the first quarter, and the economic growth over the past three quarters
has been the fastest in nearly two decades. Manufacturing activity is
increasing. Business investment is rising. Disposable income is up.
Inflation is low. Mortgage and interest rates are at near historic
lows. Home ownership is at the highest rate ever. (Applause.) Our
farm economy is strong. America has had four straight years of rising
farm exports. And last year we had the highest farm income on
record. (Applause.)
This morning, we got some more good news about our economy. Last
month, America added 288,000 new jobs. (Applause.) The economy has
overcome a lot because the entrepreneurial spirit is strong. We've
overcome a lot because of good policy. Since last August, we've added
1.1 million new jobs. People are finding work in this country. The
tax relief we passed is working. (Applause.)
This administration understands he role of government is not to try
to create wealth, but an environment in which the small business owner
can grow to be big business. We understand the importance of the
entrepreneurial spirit and the importance of small business owners in
our society. Seventy percent of new jobs are created by small business
owners. And therefore, this pro -- a pro-growth plan we passed has
focused on small businesses.
Today I met with Lynne Oyen -- Lynne and her husband, Ken -- Kevin
-- own an electrical supply company. It's a small business. It's a
business that is creating new jobs. It's a business that's a
sub-chapter S corporation, which means they pay taxes at the individual
income tax level. Therefore, when you reduce income taxes on the
individual, you're helping small businesses like Lynne's. Lynne is
adding employees. Lynne is making investment decisions to expand our
economy. (Applause.)
I want to thank you for coming, Lynne. Lynne and her husband
represent the importance of stimulating growth amongst the small
business owners of the Iowa economy. And that's what we're doing
through good policy.
As well, we're helping individual families with good tax policy.
We've got Greg and Lorie Foley with us today. They're right there. I
appreciate them coming. (Applause.) Some of their neighbors are
here. The Foleys -- first of all, Greg was deployed for 10 months on
active duty. I appreciate his service as a member of the Iowa National
Guard. (Applause.)
Because the child credit went up and the marriage penalty went
down, and the 10-percent bracket was reduced because we reduced overall
tax rates, this good family saved $2,200 on their taxes last year and
this year -- $2,200 in one year, and $2,200 in the next year. Now,
that may not seem like a lot for some of the folks in Washington, D.C.,
but it's a lot for them. It's a lot of money in their pocket to help
them do their duty as a mom and a dad. That extra money comes in
handy. It comes in handy when you're having trouble making -- making
the bills. It comes in handy when times have been tough.
So I asked them, what are they going to do with the money. If they
want to say, none of your business, I would have understood that.
(Laughter.) Fortunately, they said -- they told me what they're going
to do. They're going to improve their house. See, they'll make their
house better for their family. Now, when they make a decision to make
their house better, somebody has got to provide the supplies to make
the house better, which means somebody is more likely to find work at
the place that's selling the supplies. And somebody that made the
supplies, that sells the supplies, is more likely to be able to keep a
job.
I said, Greg, you going to do it yourself? He said he didn't think
so. He was going to hire somebody to come in and do it. So the person
that comes in and helps remodel the home now has a little extra money
in his pocket. That's the way the economy works. We stimulated the
economy by letting these people keep more of their own money.
(Applause.)
And now Congress is debating whether to make sure this tax relief
stays in their pocket. See, if they don't make sure that child credit
stays at $1,000 next year, these good folks' taxes are going up.
They'll be -- the government will be taken money out of their pocket.
We don't need to be doing that at this time in our -- when the economy
is starting to grow. See, the more money in people's pockets, the
stronger this economy will be.
My opponent has a different view of that. He voted against every
one of the tax measures that left more money in Greg and Lorie's
pocket. He was a "no." And when it comes time to raising taxes, it's
a lot easier to get a "yes" vote out of him. That's just his point of
view. He voted to raise taxes over 350 times. He voted for raising
the gas tax 11 times, and one time favored a tax increase of 50 cents a
gallon.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: Now, that would be a $5 or more increase on you
every time you fill up your tank. You'd think with that amount of
money, he'd at least throw in a free car wash. (Laughter.)
We just have a different view. We have a different point of view
of how this economy works. The reason I bring up his view on taxes is
because, in a campaign, as you know, it's easy to make political
promises. Now, we've been watching carefully, and we've been toting up
the amount of money he's promised to spend if he happens to be elected
-- that's $1.9 trillion so far. And we're just getting started in the
campaign. (Laughter.) And if he had a history of voting on tax
increases, you can understand where he is going to get the money from.
It's an important distinction in this campaign that people must
understand. He said he's going to raise the money to pay for this by
taxing the rich. We've heard that before, haven't we? The problem is
you can't raise enough money by taxing the rich to pay for all those
promises. So guess who is going to get to pay? You are. But we're
not going to let him have that opportunity. (Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: This country -- the people of this country
understand that we must not raise taxes right now. Raising taxes will
undermine growth and destroy jobs. We need to keep taxes low. We
should not raise taxes on the American people. (Applause.)
It is very important in this campaign for me to continue to lay out
a vision of how America can be the most competitive country in the
world, a good place to do business so people will be able to find
work. That means a lot of things. It means we better have tort reform
in this country. Frivolous and junk lawsuits make it awfully difficult
for people to build their business. (Applause.) And part of that tort
reform is medical liability reform so that we don't run up the cost of
health care and run doctors out of business. (Applause.)
If we want to be competitive, if we want to be able to create jobs
in the 21st century, we better get us an energy policy. We better get
an energy plan. (Applause.) There's one stuck in the Congress.
Here's what it ought to say -- it should say we ought to encourage
conservation -- and we will. We ought to make sure we have alternative
sources of energy. Listen, I'd love to be the President that says, the
corn crop is up, or the -- there's more soybeans than ever before, and
that means there's more ethanol available and more biodiesel
available. Listen, we ought to be at some point in time in a position
to have alternative sources of energy. (Applause.)
And we also need to have clean coal technology. We ought to be
having safe nuclear power. We ought to be using every ounce of our
efforts to find more energy to make us less dependant on foreign
sources of energy. (Applause.)
The President has got to make sure that we're optimistic and
confident in order for jobs to be created. That means we've got to
reject what I call economic isolationism. Instead of shutting down
markets and walling ourselves from the rest of the world, we ought to
say to other nations, treat us like we treat you. See, you're able to
sell your goods in our country; we want to be able to sell our goods
into yours. Just give us a chance. Give our farmers a chance to
compete, give our workers a chance to compete, give our entrepreneurs a
chance to compete, and we can compete with anybody, anywhere, anytime.
(Applause.)
We're going to make sure education systems work. The No Child Left
Behind Act is a solid piece of legislation, really good reform, because
we're challenging the soft bigotry of low expectations. We're raising
the bar. We're saying, if you can't read, we're going to correct the
reading problems early. We're not going to quit on any child. No, to
make sure we're competitive in the 21st century, we've got to make sure
our public school systems fulfill their functions, fulfill the goal of
educating every child. And we've got to use our community college
systems to make sure that we train workers for the jobs which actually
exist -- the jobs of the 21st century.
No, I can't wait to explain my vision for America, a vision that's
got great faith in the entrepreneurs of our country; a vision that's
got great faith in the workers of America; a vision that clearly says
we will be competitive in the 21st century so our people can find work
and we can compete. And the way to do that is through a pro-growth,
pro-entrepreneur, pro-small business economic agenda. (Applause.)
Our future also depends on America's leadership in the world. The
momentum of freedom in our time is strong, but we still face serious
dangers. Al Qaeda is wounded, but they are not broken. Terrorists are
testing our will in Afghanistan and Iraq. Regimes in North Korea and
Iran are challenging the peace. If America shows weaknesses and
uncertainty in this decade, the world will drift toward tragedy. This
will not happen on my watch. (Applause.)
This nation is strong and confident in the cause of freedom. And
today no friend or enemy doubts the word of the United States of
America. (Applause.) America and our allies gave an ultimatum to the
terror regime in Afghanistan. The Taliban chose defiance -- the
Taliban are no longer in power. (Applause.) America and our allies
gave an ultimatum to the terror regime in Iraq. The dictator chose
defiance, and now the dictator sits in a prison cell. (Applause.)
September the 11th, 2001 taught a lesson I will never forget, and
our nation must never forget: America must confront threats before
they fully materialize. (Applause.) In Iraq, my administration looked
at the intelligence and we saw a threat. The United States Congress
looked at the intelligence, and they saw a threat. The United Nations
Security Council looked at the intelligence, and it saw a threat. In
2002, the United Nations Security Council, yet again, demanded a full
accounting of Saddam Hussein's weapon programs. They did so, and we
joined with them because we remembered the history of Saddam Hussein.
Saddam Hussein professed hatred for America. Saddam Hussein had
terrorist ties. Saddam Hussein paid suiciders to go into Israel to
kill innocent Israeli citizens. Saddam Hussein attacked his
neighbors. Saddam Hussein had used weapons of mass destruction not
only against his neighbors, but against his own people.
So the ultimatum was delivered. Saddam Hussein, as he had for
decade -- for a decade -- chose defiance. So either I had to -- I had
a choice to make, see? I had to trust the word of a madman, or take
action to defend our country. And given that choice, I will defend
America every time. (Applause.)
My opponent admits that Saddam Hussein was a threat. He just
didn't support my decision to remove Saddam from power. Maybe he was
hoping Saddam would lose the next Iraqi election. (Laughter.) We
showed the dictator and a watching world that America means what it
says. Because our coalition acted, Saddam's torture chambers are
closed. Because we acted, Iraq's weapons programs are ended forever.
Because we acted, nations like Libya have gotten the message and have
voluntarily disarmed. (Applause.) Because we acted, an example of
democracy is rising at the very heart of the Middle East. Because we
acted, the world is more free, and America is more secure. (Applause.)
We've had a tough -- tough weeks in Iraq. We face serious
challenges. See, there's illegal militias and remnants of the regime
who are joined by foreign terrorists. They're trying to take force by
the power they can never gain by the ballot. That's what they're
trying to do. They're trying to stop the advance of freedom. They
can't stand freedom. They're trying to shake our will, is what they're
trying to do. They don't understand our country. They don't
understand our nature. They don't understand our resolve. America
will never be intimidated by thugs and assassins. (Applause.)
We have a clear strategy as this country heads toward democracy and
freedom. First we'll make sure the country is secure. We've got some
fantastic troops over there, brave men and women -- (applause.)
They're working with Iraqis so that the Iraqis can stand up and secure
their own country at the right time. We're training people; they've
got instructions, of course, to protect themselves at all costs.
They've also got instructions, their timing, to take care of those who
are trying to stop the advance of freedom, to make the country as
secure as possible, because we're fixing to transfer sovereignty to the
people of Iraq.
And that's the second phase of our strategy; there's a political
strategy that we're now implementing. We put a schedule out there that
says, on June 30th, we'll transfer sovereignty. We will meet that
schedule. When America says something, we will do it. The Iraqi
people -- (applause.)
By far, the vast majority of Iraqis reject the few who are trying
to stop the advance of freedom. Iraqis want to run their own
government. Iraqis want to be self-governing. And we look forward to
helping be there. The stakes are high. This is an historic
opportunity to make the world a more free place, and a peaceful place.
Americans understand that free societies are peaceful societies. We
also understand that freedom is not America's gift to the world;
freedom is the Almighty's gift to each man and woman who lives in this
world. (Applause.) It's hard work, but it is essential work. America
will finish what we have begun, and we will win this essential victory
in the war on terror. (Applause.)
People in this country will have a clear choice when it comes to
American security and national security. My opponent says he approves
of bold action in the world -- but only if other countries do not
object. (Laughter.) I'm all for listening to other countries. I'm
all for working with other countries. We put together coalitions in
Afghanistan and Iraq to spread freedom and peace. But I will never
turn over America's national security decisions to the leaders of other
countries. (Applause.)
We also have a difference of opinion on the war on terror. My
opponent said the war on terror is far less of a military operation and
far more of an intelligence-gathering, law enforcement operation. I
disagree. I disagree. Our nation followed this approach after the
World Trade Center was bombed in 1993. The matter was handled in the
courts and thought by some to bet settled. But the enemy was still
training. The enemy was still plotting. The enemy was drawing up more
ambitious plans. After the chaos and carnage of September the 11th, it
is not enough to serve our enemies with legal papers. With those
attacks, the terrorists and their allies declared war on the United
States of America, and war is what they got. (Applause.)
We'll give our troops the best equipment, best possible -- for
those of you who have got loved ones in the theater, I want to thank
you for your service. (Applause.) You -- you email your guys and tell
them the Commander-in-Chief is incredibly proud of what they're doing
for the country. (Applause.)
I look forward to working with the members of Congress to make sure
our troops get the best. That's why I asked for, and Congress
supported, the $87 billion supplemental last fall. That means we spent
money to make sure our troops had the best. My opponent voted "no" on
that issue. So I asked him to explain his vote. He said, I actually
did vote for the $87 billion -- right before I voted against it.
(Laughter.) Our troops don't need double-talk. What they need is
support. And I will support the troops. (Applause.)
Our men and women in the military have taken great risks and
they're doing great work. At bases across our country and the world,
I've had the privilege of meeting those who defend our country and
sacrifice for our security. The abhorrent pictures on our TV screens
have stained our honor. They do not reflect the nature of the men and
women we have sent overseas. We've sent decent, compassioned,
honorable, sacrificing citizens. (Applause.) I've seen their decency
and unselfish courage. And I can assure you, ladies and gentlemen, the
cause of freedom is in good hands. (Applause.)
This nation is prosperous and it is strong. Yet, we need to
remember that our greatest strength is in the hearts and souls of our
citizens. We're strong because of the values we try to live by:
courage and compassion, reverence and integrity. We're strong because
of the institutions that help give us direction and purpose: our
families, our schools, and our religious congregations. (Applause.)
These values and institutions are fundamental to our lives, and they
deserve the respect of our government.
We stand for the fair treatment of faith-based groups so they can
receive federal support for their works of compassion and healing. We
will not stand for government discrimination against people of faith.
(Applause.)
We stand for welfare reforms that require work and strengthen
marriage, which have helped millions of Americans find independence and
dignity. We will not stand for any attempt to weaken those reforms and
to send people back into lives of dependence. (Applause.)
We stand for a culture of life in which every person counts and
every person matters. We will not stand for the treatment of any life
as a commodity to be experimented upon or exploited or cloned.
(Applause.)
We stand for the confirmation of judges who strictly and faithfully
interpret the law. We will not stand for judges who undermine
democracy by legislating from the bench, or judges who try to remake
the values of America by court order. (Applause.)
We stand for a culture of responsibility in America. We are
changing the culture of America -- all of us are helping to change the
culture from one that has said, if it feels good, do it, and if you've
got a problem, blame somebody else, to a culture in which each of us
understands we are responsible for the decisions we make in life.
(Applause.) If you're fortunate to be a mother or a father, you're
responsible for loving your child with all your heart. 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
CEO in corporate America, you are responsible for telling the truth to
your shareholders and your employees. (Applause.) And in the
responsibility society, each of us is responsible for loving our
neighbor just like we'd like to be loved ourselves. No, the strength
of this country -- the strength of this country lies in the hearts and
souls of our fellow citizens.
For all Americans, these years in our history will always stand
apart. There are quiet times in the life of a nation when little is
expected of its leaders. These are not one of these times. You and I
are living in a period when the stakes are high, when the challenges
are difficult, a time when firm resolve is needed.
None of us will ever forget that week when one era ended and
another began. On September the 14th, 2001, I stood in the ruins of
the Twin Towers. I'll never forget the day. A fellow pointed at me
and said, "Do not let me down." Workers in hard-hats, and police and
firefighters were shouting, "Whatever it takes. Whatever it takes."
As we all did that day, these men and women searching through the
rubble took it personally. I 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.)
In these times, I have also been witness to the character of this
nation. You know, not so long ago, some had doubts about our
character. They questioned our capacity to meet a serious challenge or
to serve a cause greater than self-interest. But Americans gave their
answer. I've seen the unselfish courage of our troops. I've seen the
heroism of Americans in the face of danger. I've seen the spirit of
service and compassion renewed in our country. And we've all seen our
nation unite in common purpose when it mattered most.
We'll all need these qualitites for the work ahead. I'm here to
ask for your help and ask for your vote because we have a war to win,
and the world is counting on us to lead the cause of freedom and
peace. I'm here because I believe we have a duty to spread opportunity
to every part of America. I'm here to ask for your help so we can make
this country safer and stronger and better. This is the work that
history has set before us. We welcome it. And we know that for our
great land, the best days lie ahead.
Thanks for coming. May God bless. God bless our great country.
Thank you all. (Applause.)
END 10:45 A.M. CDT
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