For Immediate Release
Office of the Vice President
November 18, 2003
Remarks by the Vice President at a Dinner for Bush-Cheney '04
The Lane Restaurant
Buffalo, New York
November 17, 2003
6:16 P.M. EST
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you all very
much. (Applause.) Thank you. (Applause.) Well, thank you all very
much. Couldn't we get a few more people in here? (Laughter.)
That was great, Governor. And I appreciate very much the fact the
Governor has traveled with me throughout New York today. He's done a
superb job for the people of New York. He's one of the President's
closest friends. And I'm delighted to have the opportunity to share
the platform tonight. He does a great job not only for New York, but
for America. (Applause.)
And of course, it's a special privilege, as well, to spend some
time up here in Buffalo with two of my very good friends from Congress
-- Congressman Tom Reynolds and Congressman Jack Quinn. (Applause.)
They do a great job for the folks in this part of the state, this part
of New York State. But they're also leaders in the House of
Representatives, exactly the kind of individuals that we need to have
representing us in Washington.
I have a special interest in the House because I served in the
House of Representatives for 10 years. I was actually elected six
times. I was the congressman from Wyoming. We only had -- there's
somebody back there -- it must be Wyoming County. (Laughter.) He's a
little confused. (Laughter.)
But I -- of course, the state of Wyoming was the smallest -- big
state, but we had the smallest population. So we only have one
congressional seat in the House. It's a small delegation. (Laughter.)
But it was quality. (Laughter.). And I loved my time in the House.
It was great to be a congressman from Wyoming.
I love to tell the story about my last campaign for Congress. It
was the sixth time I'm running. Of course, by then, after 10 years,
your name has been in the newspaper, picture is on television. You've
done all the door-to-door work and the rallies and the barbecues. You
understand -- believe everybody knows who you are.
But we had a tradition, we always finished up the campaign in a
little farming community of Torrington, down along the Wyoming-Nebraska
border. The farm groups would have all the candidates out to talk to
the folks, tell them what you were going to do if you get elected. And
before it was my turn to speak at that last rally, I went out to work
the crowd and make sure I'd personally greeted every voter there. I
walked up to one old cowboy with his back up against the tree, cowboy
hat pulled down over his eyes, reached out and grabbed him by the hand,
and I said, hi, I'm Dick Cheney. I'm running for Congress, and I'd
like your vote.
He said, you've got it. That fool we got in there now is no damn
good. (Laughter and applause.)
And I'm sure that's never happened to Tom or Jack. (Laughter.)
But I want to thank all of you for being here this evening. This is an
extraordinarily important campaign coming up. Lots of times people
say, well, what difference does it make whether or not I do anything?
It doesn't really matter what I do as an individual. There are
millions of people out there. Why do I have to participate? I remind
them of the last election, when the outcome in terms of who was
President of the United States was decided by a handful of votes in
Florida -- clearly an election where every dollar that was contributed,
every volunteer that worked all across the country, all of the effort
that went into that campaign on a national basis was absolutely vital
to our success.
Now, when the President put me on the ticket, he said it wasn't
because he was worried about carrying Wyoming. (Laughter.) He got 70
percent of the vote there. But I point out to him every once in a
while, those three electoral votes came in pretty darn handy.
(Laughter.)
But that's the message, thinking about 2004. This is going to be
an extraordinarily important election. And we deeply appreciate your
willingness to be here tonight. As the President says, we're loosening
up for the campaign, getting ready. We're delighted that we'll be able
to come to New York and accept renomination from the convention in New
York City. And we're planning to do everything we can to carry this
state come next November. (Applause.)
And we know the next 11 months are going to be pretty busy as the
political season draws near. And recently, of course, we've had some
indication of how the Americans feel -- people feel about Republican
candidates. We've won three out of four governors races in the last
couple of months. And of course, just before I came over today, I had
the television turned on, and I watched them swear in the new
Republican governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger. (Applause.)
And next year, I'm convinced the American people are going to reelect
our President for a job well done. (Applause.)
The President and I went to Washington determined to work on
problems and not simply pass them on to future generations. We wanted
to seize opportunities for reform and not get bogged down in the
debates that had all too often prohibited progress in the past.
I think, as we look forward to next year, we've got a good record
to run on. And I think the American people can be confident of a
better future, of a stronger economy, and of greater security against
the dangers of the era we now live in because of the character and
leadership of our President, George W. Bush.
In the weeks following the terrorist attacks on America, people in
every part of the country, regardless of party, took comfort and pride
in the character and conduct of our President. From that day to this,
he has led a steady, focused, and relentless campaign against the
enemies who struck America on 9/11 and killed 3,000 of our fellow
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 that terrorist didn't know what he was talking about. It's
pretty clear the terrorists who attacked us did not understand the
fundamental strength and resilience of our country. And they, clearly,
did not understand the determination of our President.
As we stand here today, many of al Qaeda's known members are
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 no more. In Iraq, a ruthless
dictator, one of the bloodiest dictators of the 20th century,
cultivated weapons of mass destruction and the means to deliver them.
He gave support to terrorists. He developed a relationship with al
Qaeda -- and his regime is no more.
Freedom still has enemies in Iraq. 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, nor will they intimidate the Iraqi people.
Iraq is now the central front in the war on terror. And we are
going to roll back that terrorist threat at the very heart of its power
in the Middle East. We are aggressively striking the terrorists in
Iraq, defeating them there, so we do not have to face them on the
streets of our own cities.
We're calling on other nations to help Iraqis build a free country,
which will make us more secure. We're standing with the Iraqi people
as they assume more responsibilities for their own security and move
toward self-government. These are not easy tasks, but they are
absolutely essential. As the President has said many times, and no one
should doubt, "We will finish what we've begun, and we will win this
essential victory in the war on terror." (Applause.)
In all that they've done and continue to do, the men and women who
wear the uniform of the U.S. military have performed with enormous
skill and great courage. As a former Secretary of Defense, I have
never been prouder of our men and women in uniform than I am tonight.
(Applause.)
These young Americans deserve our wholehearted support. They're
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
people they've already liberated. One of the most important
commitments President Bush and I made during the 2000 campaign was that
the armed forces would be given all of the resources they need, and the
respect they deserve. And we've kept our word. (Applause.)
The long-term security of our nation, and of our friends and
allies, has been a principal concern of the President's. And 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 for the American people. We've
done this because we believe that when families and small businesses
are hurting, the best way to help them is to let them keep more of what
they earn. Because the money we spend in Washington is not the
government's money -- it's the people's money. (Applause.)
This administration has delivered the largest tax relief since
Ronald Reagan lived in the White House, and we are beginning to see the
results of that in strong economic growth. The figures for the third
quarter showed 7.2 percent increase in economic activity in the
country, in GDP -- that's the fastest growth 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 a few voices in the land who want to roll
back the Bush tax cuts. Sometimes you'll hear these voices on the
evening news. (Laughter.) But in fact, the Bush tax cuts are what
brought us out of recession and are going to bring us long-term
economic growth. The President and I will not be satisfied until every
American who wants to work can find a job.
On issue after issue, from national security, to economic growth
and trade, to improving our public schools, President Bush has led the
way for the nation. One of the sure signs of his leadership can be
seen every day in the people he's brought into government. I believe
he's assembled one of the finest teams ever put together by a President
of the United States.
All of us in this administration -- and Republicans in the House
and Senate -- recognize that our job is not to rest on a strong record,
but rather to keep adding to that record.
Abroad, the fundamental interest of the country requires that we
oppose threats to our freedom and our security wherever they gather.
Yet overcoming threats is only the beginning of America's
responsibilities. In the Middle East, we're going to encourage free
markets, and democracy, and tolerance -- because these are the ideas
and the aspirations that overcome violence, and turn societies to the
pursuit 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 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 must also improve our
health care system through liability reform. In New York and all
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. One that, for the sake of our
economic security and our national security, will modernize our energy
infrastructure, as well as hopefully make the 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 superb nominees to serve on
the federal bench -- talented, experienced men and women, 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.
The Senate Democrats have taken to waging filibusters against certain
nominees who don't meet their litmus test. This means that even though
these nominees have a majority of senators supporting them, that is
they get more than 50 votes in the Senate, they cannot get confirmed
unless they get a super majority of 60 votes. That's fundamentally
unfair to the nominees, and we believe it's an abuse of the
constitutional process. It's time to give every nominee a prompt
up-or-down vote on the floor of the United States Senate. (Applause.)
We've achieved a great deal in these last years. But there's still
a great deal left to do in Washington. And around the world, the
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 that the key
to victory is to do the work we've been given, and to do it well. And
we intend to make good use of every day we have the honor of serving
the American people.
Long before I entered my current job, I had the good fortune to
work with other presidents I greatly admire. As a White House staffer
in the aftermath of Watergate, I saw Gerald Ford restore confidence in
government by the sheer force and decency of his character. As a
congressman during the decisive years of the Cold War, I saw the
conviction and the moral courage of Ronald Reagan. And as a member of
the Cabinet under former President Bush, I saw the ideal of public
service in one of its purest forms and came to know a leader of honor
and integrity.
Along the way, I learned a few things about the presidency, and the
kind of person it takes to do that job well. It takes the finest
qualities of character: conviction, personal integrity, good judgment,
compassion, and courage in times of testing for the nation. And that,
ladies and gentlemen, is exactly the kind of man we have in the White
House today. (Applause.)
President Bush and I are honored by your confidence in us, and by
your commitments to the cause we all share. We're proud to have so
many friends in Buffalo and across this great state of New York. And
your support in November of 2003 now will help assure victory next year
in November of 2004. Thank you very much. (Applause.)
END 6:32 P.M. EST
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