For Immediate Release
Office of the Vice President
May 10, 2004
Remarks by the Vice President at a Rally for Bush-Cheney '04
Building 100, Bangor International Airport
Bangor, Maine
5:45 P.M. EDT
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you. (Applause.) All right.
(Laughter.) Well, that's a great welcome. It's good to be back in
Maine.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible.)
THE VICE PRESIDENT: No doubt about that. (Applause.) Well, this
is a beautiful part of America. I might ask Peter next time around to
show me a few fishing holes later on when I come back. I'm proud to be
with all of you today, and I bring good wishes to all of you from a man
who loves this state and its people, President George W. Bush.
(Applause.)
As Vice President my only real job is as President of the Senate.
I don't know how many of you know when they wrote the Constitution,
they put in the post of Vice President, and they got down to the end of
the Constitutional Convention, and they decided they hadn't given the
guy anything to do. (Laughter.) So they made him the President of the
Senate and gave him the right to preside over the Senate, cast
tie-breaking votes in the Senate.
My predecessor John Adams also had floor privileges. He was
allowed to go down into the well of the Senate and actually participate
in the debate. And then he did a couple of times, and they withdrew
his floor privileges. (Laughter.)
But I know a good deal about the Senate, and so I get to spend a
good deal of time with your two outstanding Senators from Maine --
Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins. (Applause.)
And we've got two outstanding congressional candidates this year
running on the Republican ticket here in Maine, Brian Hamel and Charlie
Summers. (Applause.)
I want to thank all of you for coming today, and for your
continuing commitment to the cause. The President and I are
tremendously grateful to all our supporters here in Maine. You worked
hard for us in 2000, and we came mighty close to victory. We're going
to be counting on you again this year. The most important thing you
can do is register to vote, and encourage your friends and neighbors to
do the same. You can also become a volunteer for the campaign, sign up
on our website. They picked a name that's easy to remember:
georgewbush.com. (Laughter.) And we're going to work hard to earn the
support of people across this state. With your dedication, and the
strong leadership of our President, Maine is going to be part of
another nationwide victory for George W. Bush come November.
(Applause.)
These are challenging times for our country. Those of us in public
office have serious responsibilities. When President Bush and I took
office three years ago, we were determined to try to get beyond old
debates that stood in the way of progress. I think as we look ahead to
the election of 2004, we've achieved considerable accomplishment. I
believe the American people can be confident of a better future, a
stronger economy, and greater security against the dangers of a new
era, because of the character and leadership of our President, George
W. Bush. (Applause.)
This is one of those periods in history defined by serious
challenges and the need for decisive action. And the greatest
responsibility of our government is clear: We must protect the safety
and security of the American people. The attacks of September 11th,
2001 signaled the arrival of an entirely new era in our history. We
suffered massive civilian casualties, right here at home on our own
soil. We awakened to dangers even more lethal -- the possibility that
terrorists could gain chemical, biological, or even nuclear weapons
from outlaw regimes, and use those weapons against the United States.
Remembering what we saw on the morning of 9/11, and knowing the nature
of our enemies, we have as clear a responsibility as could ever fall to
government: We must do everything in our power to protect the American
people from terrorist attack, and to keep terrorists from ever
acquiring weapons of mass destruction.
The President and I understand that America requires an aggressive
strategy against these enemies -- not merely to prosecute a series of
crimes, but to fight and win a global campaign against the terror
network. Such an enemy cannot be deterred, contained, appeased, or
negotiated with. It can only be destroyed -- and that's the business
at hand. (Applause.)
To make our country safer, we reorganized the government and
created the Department of Homeland Security. We also passed the
Patriot Act, to give law enforcement the tools needed to catch
terrorists inside the United States. Every American can be certain the
government is doing everything we can to prevent another terrorist
attack against America.
But we've also taken decisive action to stop the terrorist threat
before it reaches our own shores. In Afghanistan, we've removed the
brutal Taliban from power and destroyed the al Qaeda training camps.
In Iraq, America and our allies rid the Iraqi people of a murderous
dictator and rid the world of a menace to our peace and security.
Just over a year ago, Saddam Hussein controlled the lives of some
25 million people -- tonight he is in jail. (Applause.) He will never
again brutalize the Iraqi people, never again support dangerous
terrorists or pursue weapons of mass destruction, never again threaten
the United States of America.
We still face serious challenges in Afghanistan and Iraq, but our
progress has been enormous. In Afghanistan, there is a new
constitution. Free elections will be held later this year. In Iraq, a
new basic law has been signed. And on June 30th, Iraqi sovereignty
will be placed in Iraqi hands. As the President has said, the United
States will keep its word to the people of Afghanistan and Iraq. Iraq
will be a free and independent country, and America and the Middle East
will be safer because of it. Our coalition has the means and the will
to prevail. We are standing for freedom and security, and that is a
cause we are proud to serve. (Applause.)
Our nation is extremely fortunate during these times of testing to
have the dedicated service of our men and women in uniform. Many of
them have seen hard duty, long deployments, and fierce fighting.
They've endured the loss of friends and comrades. And they are
unwavering in their mission. I know that Bangor, Maine is often the
first stop on the return trip for United States soldiers coming home,
and no matter what time of day it is, residents of this city and state
turn out to give them a hearty welcome. (Applause.)
That's a wonderful way of showing the people of our military just
how much they mean to us. They are men and women of courage and
honor. They are proving every day that when we send them to defend
this nation and our interests, we are sending the very best of the
United States of America. (Applause.) Let me also say we have an
absolutely outstanding Secretary of Defense in Don Rumsfeld.
(Applause.)
These are not times for leaders who shift with the political winds,
saying one thing one day and another, the next. We need a
Commander-in-Chief of clear vision and steady determination, and that's
just what we have in President George W. Bush. (Applause.) And that
same standard should be applied to the candidate who now opposes him in
this year's election, the Junior Senator from Massachusetts.
In one of Senator Kerry's recent observations about foreign policy,
he informed his listeners that he has met with unnamed foreign leaders
who support him. (Laughter.)
AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible.)
THE VICE PRESIDENT: A voter -- (Laughter.) I'm not going to
repeat that. (Laughter.)
A voter in Pennsylvania asked Senator Kerry directly who these
foreign leaders are. Senator Kerry said, "That's none of your
business." (Laughter.) But it is our business when a candidate for
President claims the political endorsement of foreign leaders.
American voters are the ones charged with determining the outcome of
this election -- not unnamed foreign leaders. (Applause.)
Senator Kerry has also asserted that our troops in Iraq are not
receiving the materiel support they need. May I remind the Senator
that last fall, at the President's request, Congress considered
legislation providing funding for body armor and vital supplies for our
military. Senator Kerry was asked whether he would vote against the
President's request. He said, and I quote, "I don't think any United
States senator is going to abandon our troops. That's irresponsible."
End quote. The legislation passed overwhelmingly, with a vote in the
Senate of 87 to 12. Senator Kerry voted "no".
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: As a way to clarify the matter, Senator Kerry
recently said, and again I quote, "I actually did vote for the 87
billion dollars before I voted against it." (Laughter.) The Senator
is free to vote as he wishes, but he should be held to his own
standard. It is irresponsible to vote against vital support for the
U.S. military. (Applause.)
In one respect, Senator Kerry's record on defense is consistent:
He has repeatedly favored cuts or outright cancellations of vital
weapons systems for our military. The MX missile, cancel; the B-1
bomber, cancel; anti-satellite system, cancel; strategic defense
initiative, cancel; the AH-64 Apache Helicopter, cancel; the Patriot
air defense missile system, cancel; the F-15, cancel; the F-14, cancel;
the Phoenix air-to-air missile, cancel; the Sparrow air-to-air missile,
cancel. He also proposed canceling the Aegis Cruiser -- made right
here in Maine at Bath Iron Works.
AUDIENCE: Booo! (Inaudible.) (Laughter and applause.)
THE VICE PRESIDENT: I don't know who that guy is, but he's going
with me when I leave here. (Laughter.) At numerous times, Senator
Kerry has voted against funding weapons systems vital to fighting and
winning the war on terror, as well -- such as the Blackhawk helicopter
and the Predator drone.
On the broader picture, Senator Kerry has questioned whether the
war on terror is really a war at all. He said, quote, "I don't want to
use that terminology." In his view, opposing terrorism is far less of
a military operation and more of a law enforcement operation. But as
we've seen that approach was tried before, and it proved entirely
inadequate to protecting the American people from terrorists who are
quite certain they are at war with us.
I leave it for Senator Kerry to explain, or explain away, his votes
and his statements about the war on terror, our cause in Iraq, and the
needs of the American military. Whatever the explanation, it is not an
impressive record for someone who aspires to become Commander-in-Chief
in this time of testing for the country. (Applause.)
The American people will have a clear choice in the election of
2004 -- on national security as well as on policies here at home. When
the President and I took office, the economy was sliding into
recession. Then, just as our economy was ready to recover, terrorists
struck our nation and shook the economy once again. President Bush has
taken strong, confident steps to get the economy growing again.
Working with strong allies on Capitol Hill, the President has signed
into law significant tax relief for millions of American families and
businesses.
Across the nation, we are seeing the results of the President's
policies. In the first quarter of this year, the economy grew at a
strong rate of 4.2 percent. Over the last three quarters, the economy
has grown at a rate of 5.5 percent --- the fastest pace since Ronald
Reagan's first term in the White House. The home ownership rate is the
highest ever. Interest rates and inflation are low. Manufacturing
activity is increasing. Productivity is high. Business investment and
factory orders are rising.
Last Friday we got more good news confirming the growing strength
of our economy. The economy added 288,000 new jobs in April alone, and
we have added more than 1.1 million new jobs since August. (Applause.)
Manufacturing jobs in America have increased for three straight
months. And here in Maine, your unemployment rate is now 4.9 percent,
down from 5.2 percent at the beginning of the year, and below the
national average. The Bush tax relief is working, and jobs are on the
rise. America's economy is moving in the right direction -- don't let
anyone tell you otherwise. (Applause.)
For the sake of long-term growth and job creation, we ought to do
exactly the opposite of what Senator Kerry proposes. We should make
the Bush tax cuts permanent, and practice spending discipline in
Washington, D.C. (Applause.)
To strengthen that recovery, we're going to continue to move
forward with an aggressive, pro-growth agenda. Our nation needs legal
reform, to protect small business owners and employees from frivolous
lawsuits and needless regulation.
We need to control the cost of health care by passing medical
liability reform. Here in Maine and across the nation, good doctors
should be able to spend their time healing patients, not fighting off
frivolous lawsuits. (Applause.)
We need to protect our environment, including an effective wetlands
conservation policy, as President Bush discussed here in Maine last
month. We need to pass sound energy legislation, to modernize our
electricity system, and to make America less dependent on foreign
sources of energy.
It is also time for the United States Senate to get about the
business of confirming President Bush's judicial nominees.
(Applause.) The President has put forward talented, experienced men
and women who represent the mainstream of American law and American
values. Yet Senate Democrats have taken to waging filibusters, denying
up-or-down votes for months, and even years. That's unfair to the
judicial nominees, and an abuse of the constitutional process. Every
nominee deserves a prompt up-or-down vote on the Senate floor. And
that's why we need more Republicans like Olympia Snowe and Susan
Collins in the United States Senate.
On issue after issue -- from national security, to economic growth,
to improving our schools -- President Bush has led the way in making
progress for the American people. President Bush has a clear vision
for the future of the nation. Abroad, we will use America's great
power to serve great purposes, to turn back the forces of terror, and
to spread hope and freedom throughout the world.
Here at home, we will continue building a prosperity that reaches
every corner of the land, so that every child who grows up in the
United States will have a chance to learn, to succeed, and to rise in
the world.
President Bush and I are both honored by your confidence in us, and
by your commitment to the cause we all share. We're grateful to our
many friends in Bangor and across this great state. And now, together,
we are going to see our cause forward to victory on November 2nd.
Thank you very much. (Applause.)
END 6:04 P.M. EDT
|