For Immediate Release
Office of the Vice President
November 14, 2003
Remarks by the Vice President at a Bush-Cheney '04 Luncheon
The Rooftop Room
New York, New York
12:20 P.M. EST
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you all very
much. (Applause.) Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you. (Applause.)
Thank you all very much. Well, thank you very much for that warm
welcome. And it's great to be back in New York today, to have an
opportunity to join all of you. I want to thank the Mayor for his kind
words, and for the superb job he does every day for the people of New
York City.
The Mayor mentioned my old friend Al Simpson, when he talked about
-- when he introduced me today. And of course, I served as Wyoming's
congressman for 10 years, back in the '80s. Wyoming only had one seat
in the U.S. House. It was a small delegation, but it was quality.
(Laughter.) But my colleague during those years was Al Simpson. Of
course, what's unique about Wyoming, since we're the smallest state
from a population standpoint, so the House member's seat is exactly the
same as the senator's district, the geographical area.
And I love to tell the story about my first campaign for reelection
when I was running to get reelected to Congress, and I was scheduled to
be on a radio talk show -- you know those little radio stations every
town has -- in the morning. And we were driving over down to Riverton
where the radio station was located. And on my way over there, we had
the car radio turned on to the station we were going to go to and the
announcer was already on the air saying, we don't where Cheney is. He
was due here 15 minutes ago.
Obviously, there had been some kind of scheduling foul-up. So we
stepped on it, went tearing over to Riverton, and pulled down into the
radio station. It was right there on the south side of town, pulled
down into the gravel parking lot. I threw open the car door and went
tearing up the front steps and burst into the door of the radio
station. And as I went through the door, I noticed there was a person
here to my left. But you know, I didn't really get a good look at
him. It sort of registered somebody was standing there. And I got
into the middle of the room, stopped, looked around, and I noticed it
didn't look much like a radio station.
I could look over here to the left through a door, and there was a
kitchen. And over here was a bedroom, with a baby crawling around on
the floor in diapers. (Laughter.) And I turned around to look at this
person I had passed as I came in, and it was the lady of the house.
And she was vacuuming the carpet at 9:00 in the morning in her
nightgown. (Laughter.) She said, I'll bet you're looking for the radio
station, aren't you? (Laughter.)
I knew right away that was the right answer. So I said, yes,
ma'am. She said, well, they moved last week. But they've got a new
building uptown, in the center of town. And they still had the call
sign up on the end of the building. They hadn't taken it down yet. So
this is my home now. My family and I, we all live here.
And of course, I felt like an absolute idiot. I'd burst through
the door at 9:00 in the morning unannounced. And on my way out, I had
to say something to her, so I introduced myself to her at her United
States Senator Alan Simpson. (Laughter and applause.) Al has never
forgiven me for that, and he hates it when I tell that story.
But I want to thank the other guests who are here with us this
morning, Lieutenant Governor Mary Donohue, and Assembly Leader Charles
Nesbitt, our Republican state chairman, Sandy Treadwell, and
Conservative Party Chairman Mike Long. I appreciate the fact that all
of you are here this morning. (Applause.)
And I also want to recognize the President's close friend,
Ambassador Mercer Reynolds, of course, who is our national finance
chairman for the Bush-Cheney Campaign. (Applause.) If Mercer gives
you a call, you'll know why. And we're grateful to him for the
outstanding job he's doing.
And I want to thank all of you for being here today, as well, to
give support to our campaign early on. I'm tremendously grateful for
the opportunity to serve the nation as Vice President. And all of us
are proud to be friends and supporters of our President, George W.
Bush. (Applause.)
We're looking forward to 2004. As the President says, we're
loosening up for the campaign. And we're very happy we'll be accepting
the nomination at our convention right here in New York City. We know
the next 11 months will be a busy time, and the political season draws
near. And recently, we had some early indications about how voters
feel about Republican leadership. Last week, two more states joined
New York in electing Republican governors with Haley Barbour in
Mississippi. And in Kentucky, Ernie Fletcher is the first elected
Republican governor in 36 years. There's another election tomorrow in
Louisiana. We're in a strong position there to retain the
governorship. And of course next week, we'll get off to a good start
on the West Coast on Monday morning when we swear in Arnold
Schwarzenegger as the new governor of California.
This is shaping up to be a good year for the party. And I'm
confident that next year, the American people are going to elect our
President, as well, for a job well done.
The President and I will be proud to present our message to voters
in New York and all across America. We came to Washington three years
ago determined to solve problems, instead of simply pass them on to
future generations. The President was determined to seize new
opportunities for reform, to get beyond the old debates that often
stood in the way of progress.
And today, as we look ahead to the election of 2004, we have a
record of accomplishment to show for our efforts. The American people
can be confident of a better future, a stronger economy, and greater
security against the dangers of the new era because of the character
and leadership of our President, George W. Bush.
In the weeks following the terrorist attack on America, people in
every part of the country, regardless of party, took comfort and pride
in the character and the conduct of our President. From that day to
this, he led a steady, focused, relentless campaign against the enemy
who struck America and killed our citizens.
Not long after September 11th, one high-ranking al Qaeda official
said, "This is the beginning of the end for America." It's pretty
clear the terrorists did not know us. It's pretty clear the terrorists
who attacked did not understand the strength and the resilience of this
country, and they did not understand the determination of our
President.
As we stand here today, many of al Qaeda's known leaders have been
captured or killed. Those still at large are living in fear, and their
fears are well founded because we're on their trail.
In Afghanistan, the Taliban regime brutalized an entire population
and harbored al Qaeda -- and that regime is now more. In Iraq, a
ruthless dictator cultivated weapons of mass destruction and the means
to deliver them. He gave support to terrorists. And his regime is no
more.
Freedom still has enemies in Iraq. And these terrorists are
targeting the very success and the freedom that we're providing to the
Iraqi people. Terror attacks on innocent civilians will not intimidate
Americans and will not intimidate the Iraqi people. Iraq is now the
central front in the war on terror. We are rolling back the terrorist
threat at the heart of its power in the Middle East. We are
aggressively striking the terrorists in Iraq and defeating them there
so we do not have to face them in the streets of our own cities. We're
calling on other nations to help Iraqis build a free country, which
will make all of us more secure.
We're standing with the Iraqi people as they assume
responsibilities for their own security and move toward
self-government. These are not easy tasks, yet they are absolutely
essential. As the President said many times, and no one can doubt, we
will finish what we've begun. And we will win this essential victory
in the war on terror. (Applause.)
In all they've done and continue to do, the men and women who wear
the uniform of the United States have performed with enormous skill and
courage. As a former Secretary of Defense, I've never been prouder of
the men and women of the United States military than I am today.
(Applause.)
These young Americans deserve our wholehearted support. They are
playing a classic role, one that they undertook after World War II,
when they brought help and hope to the people of Europe and Japan.
Now, in the Middle East and Central Asia, they are earning the trust of
the people that we've liberated. In their important work, American
soldiers and Marines have good allies at their sides. There are 32
countries standing with us in Iraq, accepting the hardship and the
danger of serving in a vital effort. One of the largest contributors
to our coalition is Italy, which suffered a heavy loss this week, with
the attack on the military police headquarters in Nasiriyah. I met
with President Carlo Ciampi two days ago and told him of America's
great respect for the friendship and the courage of the Italian
people. Italy is a true friend of the cause of freedom, and an
outstanding ally for the United States of America. (Applause.)
The long-term security of our nation and of our friends and allies
has been a principal concern of this administration. So has the
economic well-being of our citizens. By the time we took office, the
economy was sliding into recession. And to get it growing again, we've
delivered significant tax relief. We've done this because we believe
that when families and businesses are hurting, the best way to help
them is to let them keep more of what they earn. After all, as the
President reminds us frequently, the money we spend in Washington is
not the government's money -- it's the people's money.
This administration has delivered the largest tax relief package
since Ronald Reagan was in the White House. And we are beginning to
see strong economic growth as a result. (Applause.)
The figures for the third quarter show that the economy grew at an
annual rate of 7.2 percent, the fastest pace in nearly 20 years.
Exports are expanding. Business investment is rising. Housing
construction is booming. Jobs are being created. And the Bush tax
cuts are working. As you know, there are voices in the land who want
to roll back the Bush tax cuts. Sometimes I hear these voices on the
evening news. (Laughter.) But in fact, the Bush tax cuts are what
brought us out of the recession. And they're helping foster long-term
economic growth. The President and I will not be satisfied until every
person who wants to work can find a job.
On issue after issue, from national security to economic growth and
trade, to improvements in our public schools, President Bush has led
the way for making progress for the American people. And one of the
sure signs of leadership can be seen every day in the people he's
brought into government. As many of you know, I've had the privilege
of holding a number of positions in public service, as White House
Chief of Staff, a member of Congress, Secretary of Defense. Looking at
the group now serving under President Bush, I can tell you, this is one
of the finest teams ever assembled by a President of the United
States. (Applause.)
All of us in this administration -- and the Republicans in the
House and Senate -- recognize that our job is not to rest on a strong
record, but to keep adding to that record. Abroad, the fundamental
interests of this nation require that we oppose threats to our freedom
and security wherever they gather. Yet overcoming threats is only the
beginning of America's responsibilities. In the Middle East, we are
encouraging free markets, democracy and tolerance because these are the
ideas and aspirations that overcome violence and turn societies to the
pursuits of peace. In that region and beyond, all who strive and
sacrifice for the cause of freedom will have a friend in the United
States of America.
Here at home, we have a full agenda, and some pressing business to
complete. After so many years of inaction, we are nearing major reform
in Medicare -- reform that strengthens the system, and provides
America's seniors with prescription drug coverage. We also must
improve our health care system through liability reform. In New York,
and across America, doctors should be able to spend their time healing
patients instead of fighting off frivolous lawsuits. (Applause.)
Thanks to the President's leadership, the Congress is nearing
passage of a comprehensive energy plan. For the sake of our economic
security and our national security, we should modernize our energy
infrastructure and we must make this nation less dependent on foreign
oil.
Also on Capitol Hill, it's time for the United States Senate to get
about the business of confirming President Bush's judicial nominees.
(Applause.) The President has put forward a superb list of nominees to
serve on the federal bench -- talented men and women of experience who
represent the mainstream of American law and American values. Yet some
of these nominees have been denied up-or-down votes for months, or even
years. Senate Democrats have taken to waging filibusters against
certain nominees who don't meet their litmus test. This means that
even though the nominees have a majority of senators supporting them --
that is more than 50 votes -- they can't get confirmed unless they get
a super majority of 60 votes. It's unfair to the nominees, and it's an
abuse of the constitutional process. For the last few days, Republican
members have kept the Senate in session, day and night, to highlight
the abuses by the Senate Democrats. It is time to give every nominee a
prompt up-or-down vote on the Senate floor. I would urge New York's
United States senators to help return fairness to the confirmation
process.
We've achieved a great deal over the last several years. But
there's a great deal left to do in Washington. Around the world this
nation has many serious responsibilities and challenges. The campaign
season will come in due course, and when it does, President Bush and I
will run hard and take nothing for granted. We understand the key to
victory is to do the work that we've been given, and to do it well. We
intend to make good use of every day we have the honor of serving the
American people.
On the President's behalf, I want to thank you again for standing
with us. We are both honored by your confidence in us, by your
commitment to the cause we all share. Your support in November of 2003
will help assure victory in November of 2004.
Thank you very much. (Applause.)
END 12:35 P.M. EST
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