For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
March 3, 2004
Remarks by the President at Bush-Cheney 2004 Reception
The Shrine Auditorium
Los Angeles, California
5:52 P.M. PST
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all very much. Thanks for coming.
(Applause.) Thank you all for coming. Appreciate you coming. Please
be seated. Thanks for the warm welcome. It is great to be back in Los
Angeles. I'm thankful you all are here.
I'm aware that they handed out the Oscars last Sunday night.
"Terminator 3" didn't win any. (Laughter.) But the star of the movie
had a pretty good year. (Applause.) I know he's new to politics, but
he is getting used to all the lights and the cameras. (Applause.) I
used to think my brother, Jeb, was the coolest governor. (Applause.)
By electing Arnold Schwarzenegger, the voters of California have shown
that no party can take this state for granted. (Applause.)
The Vice President and I are going to be spending some quality time
in the state of California. With your help, we're going to make
California part of a nationwide victory in November of '04.
(Applause.)
Speaking of the Vice President, he's doing a fine job. The country
has had no finer Vice President than Dick Cheney. (Applause.) Mother
may have a second opinion. (Laughter.)
It's good to see the Desert Moms here. (Applause.) Those are the
ones who didn't go through the background check. (Laughter.) But
recently, Laura was in the desert with the Moms. (Applause.) And she
sends her best to not only the Moms, but all the folks here. I'm
really proud of Laura. She is a fabulous First Lady and a great wife.
(Applause.)
I want to thank my friend, Brad Freeman, who has been a loyal
friend. He's the state finance chairman here in California. I want to
thank my friend, Gerry Parsky, who's the state campaign general
chairman. I want to thank my friend, Mercer Reynolds, from Cincinnati,
Ohio, who is the chairman of the Bush-Cheney Reelect Campaign. I
appreciate the fact that Bill Simon is here, and his wife, Cindy. I
want to thank them for having served. (Applause.)
I want to thank all the grassroots activists who are here.
(Applause.) There you go. I appreciate my friend, Rabbi Marvin Hier,
who gave the blessing. He has a wonderful heart. It sets an
incredibly important tone for the country. (Applause.) I want to thank
Art Yoon, who's the Mayor Pro Tem of Hermosa Beach, for leading the
pledge.
But most of all, I want to thank you all for being our friend.
Thank you for helping us. (Applause.) Thank you for getting ready for
this campaign.
Last night, I placed a call to Senator Kerry. I told him I was
looking forward to a spirited campaign. I congratulated him on his
victory. This should be an interesting debate on the issues. He spent
two decades in Congress; he's built up quite a record. (Laughter.) In
fact, Senator Kerry has been in Washington long enough to take both
sides on just about every issue. (Applause.)
The voters will have a very clear choice this year between keeping
the tax relief that is moving this economy forward, or putting the
burden of higher taxes back on the American people. It's a choice
between an America that leads the world with strength and confidence,
or an America that is uncertain in the face of danger. (Applause.)
I'm ready for this campaign. (Applause.) I look forward to setting
the alternative squarely before the American people.
We've achieved great things the past three years. But most
importantly, we have a positive vision for the years ahead; a positive
vision for winning the war against terror and extending peace and
freedom. (Applause.) A positive vision for creating jobs and
promoting opportunity; a positive vision for compassion here at home.
We'll leave no doubt where we stand, and we will win on the 2nd of
November. (Applause.)
The last three years have brought serious challenges, and we have
given serious answers. We came to office with a stock market in
decline, an economy heading into recession. We delivered historic tax
relief, and now our economy is the fastest growing of any industrialize
nation. (Applause.)
We confronted corporate criminals that cost people their jobs and
their savings. So we passed strong corporate reforms and made it clear
we will not tolerate dishonesty in the boardrooms of America.
(Applause.)
We saw war and grief arrive on a quiet September morning. So we
pursued the terrorist enemy across the world. We captured or killed
many of the key leaders of the al Qaeda network. And the rest of them
will learn there is no cave or hole deep enough to hide from American
justice. (Applause.)
We confronted the dangers of state-sponsored terror, and the spread
of weapons of mass destruction. So we ended the two most violent and
dangerous regimes on Earth. We freed over 50 million people. And once
again, America is proud to lead the armies of liberation. (Applause.)
When Dick Cheney and I came to Washington, we found a military that
was underfunded and under-appreciated. So we gave our military the
resources and respect they deserve. (Applause.) And, today, no one in
the world can question the skill and the strength and the spirit of the
United States military. (Applause.)
When we came to office, people had gotten used to gridlock, and old
problems were used to score political points. Old problems were
politicized and debated and then just passed on from year to year. But
we came to Washington to get things done. We passed major reforms to
raise the standards in our public schools. We passed reforms in
Medicare to get prescription drugs and choices to our seniors. We have
chosen to lead, and we have delivered results for the American people.
(Applause.)
It is the President's job to confront problems, not to pass them on
to future Presidents and future generations. (Applause.) A President
needs to step up, make the hard decisions, keep his commitments -- and
that is exactly how I will continue to lead our country. (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.
My opponent hasn't offered much in the way of strategies to win the
war, or policies to expand our economy. So far, all we hear from that
side is a lot of old bitterness and partisan anger. Anger is not an
agenda for the future of America. (Applause.) My administration has
taken on the big issues with optimism and resolve and determination,
and we stand ready to lead this nation for four more years.
(Applause.)
A big issue for every family in America is the federal tax burden.
With the largest tax relief since Ronald Reagan was President, we've
left more money in the hands that earned it. By spending and investing
and helping create new jobs, the American people have used their money
far better than the government would have. (Applause.) Because we
acted, our economy is growing stronger. The economy grew in the second
half of 2003 at the fastest rate in nearly 20 years. Productivity is
high; business investment is rising; interest rates and inflation are
low; home ownership is the highest rate ever; manufacturing is
increasing. We've added 336,000 new jobs over the last five months.
The tax relief we passed is working. (Applause.)
My opponent has plans for those tax cuts. He wants to take them
away. And he will use that money to expand the federal government. I
have a better idea -- to keep this economy growing and to create jobs,
the tax cuts must be permanent. (Applause.)
And we must do more to keep the economy growing. We need to
maintain fiscal discipline in Washington, D.C. We need to protect
small business owners and employees from frivolous lawsuits and
needless regulation. (Applause.) We need to help control the costs of
health care by passing federal medical liability reform. (Applause.)
We need to continue to open up markets for America's farmers and
ranchers and entrepreneurs and manufacturers. We need to pass sound
energy legislation to modernize the electricity system and make our
country less dependent on foreign sources of energy. (Applause.)
My opponent talks about job creation, too, but he's against every
one of these job-creating measures. Empty talk about jobs and economic
isolation won't get anyone hired. The way to create jobs is our
pro-growth, pro-entrepreneur agenda. (Applause.)
This economy of ours is going through a time of change, and we're
helping people to gain the skills and security to make a good living.
All skills start with education. So I worked with Congress to pass the
No Child Left Behind Act. This is a good law that is challenging the
soft bigotry of low expectations. It's a law that is bringing higher
standards and accountability to every public school so that not one
single child is left behind. (Applause.)
And there's more to do. We have a plan to help high school
students who fall behind in reading and math. We have a plan to help
community colleges train workers for the industries that are creating
the most new jobs. You see, this administration understands clearly
that education is the gateway to a hopeful future, and that gate must
be open to all Americans. (Applause.)
We're also working to promote an ownership society in America in
which more people own their own homes and build their own savings. We
want more people owning their own small businesses. We want people to
own and manage their own health care plans. We want younger workers to
be able to own and manage their own retirement under Social Security.
(Applause.)
I understand this, that when people have solid assets, they gain
independence and security and dignity and more control over their own
future. I believe in private property so much, I want everybody to
have some in America. (Applause.)
On issue after issue, the American people have a clear choice. My
opponent is against personal retirement accounts. He's against putting
patients in charge of Medicare. He's against tax relief. He seems to
be against every idea that gives Americans more authority, more
choices, and more control over our own lives. It's the same old
Washington mind-set: They'll give the orders, and you will pay the
bills. I've got news for the Washington crowd: America has gone
beyond that way of thinking, and we're not going back. (Applause.) I
trust the people of this country. I trust the people to make the best
decisions for their own money, for their own health, for their own
retirement.
Our future also depends on America's leadership in this world. The
momentum of freedom in our time is strong, but we still face serious
dangers. Al Qaeda is wounded, but not broken. Terrorists are testing
our will in Afghanistan and Iraq. Regimes of North Korea and Iran are
challenging the peace. If America shows weakness 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, and 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 -- the dictator now
sits in a prison cell. (Applause.) September the 11th, 2001, taught a
lesson I will never forget: America must confront threats before they
fully materialize. (Applause.)
In Iraq, my administration looked at the intelligence information
and we saw a threat. Members of Congress looked at the intelligence
and they saw a threat. The United Nations Security Council looked at
the intelligence and it saw a threat. The previous administration and
Congress looked at the intelligence and made regime change in Iraq the
policy of our country. In 2002, the United Nations Security Council
yet again demanded a full accounting of Saddam Hussein's weapons
programs. As he had for over a decade, Saddam Hussein refused to
comply. So we had a choice to make: either to take the word of a
madman, or take action to defend America and the world. Faced with
that choice, I will defend America every time. (Applause.) Thank
you.
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 election in Iraq. (Laughter and
applause.) We showed the dictator and a watching world that America
means what it says. Because our coalition acted, Saddam's torture
chambers are closed. (Applause.) Because we acted, Saddam's weapons
programs are ended forever. Because we acted, nations like Libya have
gotten the message and renounced their own weapons programs.
(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 still face thugs and terrorists in Iraq who would rather go on
killing the innocent than accept the advance of liberty. They know
that a free Iraq will be a major defeat in the cause of terror. This
coalition of killers is trying to shake our will. They don't
understand America. America will never be intimated by thugs and
assassins. (Applause.) We are aggressively striking the terrorists in
Iraq. We're on the offensive. We'll defeat them there so we don't
have to face them in our own country. (Applause.)
We're calling on other nations to help Iraq to build a free
society. A free Iraq will make us all more safe. We're standing with
the Iraqi people as they assume more of their own defense and move
toward self-government. These are not easy tasks, but they are
essential tasks. We will finish what we have begun. We will win this
essential victory in the war on terror. (Applause.)
On national security, Americans have the clearest possible choice.
My opponent says he approves of bold action in the world, but only if
other countries don't object. (Laughter.) I'm all for united action,
and so are the 34 coalition partners in Iraq right now. Yet America
must never outsource America's national security decisions to leaders
of other countries. (Applause.)
Some are skeptical that the war on terror is really a war at all.
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. 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 be settled -- but the terrorists were still training
in Afghanistan, plotting in other nations, and 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. (Applause.) With those
attacks, the terrorists and their supporters declared war on the United
States of America, and war is what they got. (Applause.)
At bases across our country and the world, I've had the privilege
of meeting with the men and women of our military. These good folks
are defending our country. They're sacrificing for our security. I've
seen their great decency and their unselfish courage. I can assure
you, ladies and gentlemen, the cause of freedom is in good hands.
(Applause.)
This nation is prosperous and 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: families and
schools and religious congregations. 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 the 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, exploited or cloned. (Applause.)
We stand for the confirmation of judges who strictly and faithfully
interpret the law. (Applause.) We will not stand for judges who
undermine democracy by legislating from the bench and try to remake the
culture of America by court order. (Applause.)
We stand for a culture of responsibility in America. We're
changing the culture of America 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 are fortunate enough to
be a mother or a father, you're responsible for loving your child with
all your heart. (Applause.) If you're worried about the quality of
the education in which you live, you're responsible for doing something
about it. (Applause.) If you're a CEO in corporate America, you have
a responsibility to tell the truth to your shareholders and your
employees. (Applause.) And in this new responsibility society, each
of us is responsible for loving our neighbor just like we would like to
be loved ourselves. (Applause.)
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. This is not one of those times. You and I
are living in a period when the stakes are high and the challenges are
difficult, a time when 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 remember a lot about that day. I remember the
workers in hard hats who were shouting, "Whatever it takes." I
remember the guy who 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. 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've also been a witness to the character of this
nation. Not so long ago, some had their doubts about the American
character, our capacity to meet serious challenges, our capacity to
serve a cause greater than self-interest. But Americans have given
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. We've all
seen our nation unite in common purpose when it mattered most.
We will need all of these qualities for the work ahead. 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 America. This is the work that history has set before us. We
welcome it. And we know that for our country, the best days lie
ahead.
God bless you all. Thank you all. (Applause.)
END 6:25 P.M. PST
|