For Immediate Release
Office of the Vice President
July 28, 2004
Vice President's Remarks at John Swallow Luncheon
Little America Hotel
Salt Lake City, Utah
12:29 P.M. MDT
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you very much,
John and Suzanne. And, Lynne, thank you for that warm introduction.
Lynne and I just a couple of weeks ago went back home to Casper to
celebrate our 45th high school reunion. Some of the folks there
remembered us. (Laughter.) A few of them wandered around saying,
whatever happened to Cheney? (Laughter.) But it was a pleasure and
delight to get to go home and renew those acquaintances with those
people we only see every five years at these reunions.
But I often tell the story that the presidential election of 1952
was an extraordinarily important one for Lynne and me. That's the year
Dwight Eisenhower got elected President. In 1952, I was living in
Lincoln, Nebraska with my folks. Dad worked for the Soil Conservation
Service. Eisenhower won the election. When he got in, he reorganized
the Agriculture Department. Dad got sent to Casper, Wyoming. And
that's where I met Lynne. We grew up together, went to high school
together. Come August, we'll celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary.
(Applause.) I explained to a group the other day that if hadn't been
for Dwight Eisenhower's election victory, Lynne would have married
somebody else. She said, right, and now he'd be Vice President of the
United States. (Laughter and applause.) There's no doubt in my mind
that's true.
But having had the opportunity to travel around a lot this week,
and spend time in the West -- we've been to Washington and Oregon this
week. We were down in Camp Pendleton with the U.S. Marines just
yesterday, and in Riverside, California. We'll be on home in Jackson
tonight. Friday and Saturday, back on the road for another swing in
the continuing campaign. It's always a special privilege, as Lynne
said, to get back home to the West, have an opportunity to spend some
time talking to folks and engaging, if you will, in the debate of the
day.
I'm especially looking forward to the campaign ahead now that I
have an opponent. (Laughter.) People keep telling me -- they say
Senator Edwards got picked because he's charming, good looking, sexy.
I said, "How do you think I got the job?" (Laughter.) Always bothers
me when people laugh at that line. (Laughter.) I'm not sure why they
do.
But it's a pleasure to bring greetings to everybody in Utah from
the President of the United States, George W. Bush. (Applause.) The
President and I are grateful for all the great support we've received
in Utah in the past, and certainly have the feeling that Utah is going
to be part of a great nationwide victory come November 2nd.
(Applause.)
Over the years, I've had the good fortune to work with a many
decent, hardworking public servants from Utah. At the Cabinet table in
the White House, I serve alongside your former governor, now our superb
EPA Administrator, Mike Leavitt. As President of the Senate, I have a
chance to work with Utah's outstanding United States senators in Bob
Bennett and Orrin Hatch. They do a superb job for everybody here in
the state of Utah. And I believe Bob Bennett is here today with us.
(Applause.) Also, Governor Walker is with us today, as well as
Congressman Bishop and Chris Cannon. And we're also joined today by
your next governor, Jon Huntsman. (Applause.) The President and I are
proud to be on the ballot with so many fine candidates in this state,
and we have no doubt that Utah will have excellent leadership again
next year.
We're also going to be on the ballot with John Swallow. I was
proud to campaign with John during his run for the second District seat
two years when he came within 1,600 votes of victory. He's bringing
the same strong, optimistic message this year, and with your help, he's
going to win. (Applause.)
John is the kind of person who appreciates hard work and values the
opportunities that he's been given in life. As a Congressman, he'll
focus his energy on making sure everyone in his district has that same
chance to succeed. By standing up for low taxes and a quality
education for every child, he'll make Utah a better place to live,
work, and prosper. John is also a man of sincere conscience, and he
will use his responsibilities in Washington to further the culture of
life that we're working so hard to build. John proved himself as a
member of the Utah House of Representatives. And when you vote for
John Swallow for Congress, you'll be sending a good man to do a big
job. He's ready for it. And President Bush and I look forward to
seeing him soon in Washington as Utah's next new congressman.
(Applause.)
The nation needs people of John's caliber serving in the Congress
as we take on one of the greatest challenges in our history. Today we
face an enemy every bit as intent on destroying us as the Axis powers
were in World War II, or the Soviet Union in the days of the Cold War.
This enemy, in the words of the 9/11 Commission's filed just last week
-- the report specifically for the commission describes our enemy as
"sophisticated, patient, disciplined, and lethal." What this enemy
wants, as the 9/11 report explains, is to do away with democracy, to
end the rights of women, and to rid the world of religious pluralism.
And in pursuit of its goals, this enemy is perfectly prepared to
slaughter anyone -- man, woman, or child -- to advance its cause.
This is not an enemy we can reason with, or negotiate with, or
appease. This is, to put it simply, an enemy that we must vanquish.
And with President George W. Bush as our Commander-in-chief, that is
exactly what we're going to do. (Applause.)
Under the President's leadership, we removed the Taliban from power
in Afghanistan and closed down the training camps where terrorists
trained to kill Americans. Under the President's leadership, we
removed the regime of Saddam Hussein, a man who cultivated weapons of
mass destruction, used them against the Iraqi people, and their
neighbors, and provided safe harbor and sanctuary for terrorists.
Saddam Hussein once controlled the lives and the future of 25 million
people. Today, he's in jail. (Applause.)
The defeat of tyranny and violence in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the
rise of democracy in that troubled part of the world will be a crucial
setback for international terrorists. Because we are strong and
resolute, these nations will never go back to the camp of tyranny and
terror. And America will never go back to the false comforts of the
world before 9/11. Terrorist attacks are not caused by the use of
strength. They are invited by the perception of weakness. And this
nation has made a decision: We will engage the enemy, facing him with
our military in Afghanistan and Iraq today, so we do not have to face
him with armies of firefighters, police, and medical personnel on the
streets of our own cities. (Applause.)
From the beginning, America has sought -- and received --
international support for our operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. But
as the President has made very clear: There is a difference between
leading a coalition of many nations and submitting to the objections of
a few. President Bush will never seek a permission slip to defend the
security of the United States of America. (Applause.)
Our nation is extremely fortunate during these times of testing to
have the dedicated service of our men and women in uniform. The men
and women who are defending our country represent the very best of the
United States of America. We have with us today, Paul and Marilyn
Johnson. I don't know how many of you know the story of the Johnson
family. They have four sons and a son-in-law. Three of the sons --
Caleb, Bill and Nick -- serve in the Utah National Guard, and returned
home from Iraq in May, just a few weeks ago. Their son Chris is
currently serving in Afghanistan. And their son-in-law Douglas is
currently serving in Iraq. Five members of the family who have taken
up the cause and are serving on behalf of the United States in Iraq and
Afghanistan. I think we owe them a deep well of gratitude.
(Applause.)
One of the most important commitments that the President and I made
during the 2000 campaign was that our armed forces would be given the
resources they need and the respect they deserve, and we have kept our
word to the U.S. military. (Applause.)
The President and I have some important differences with the folks
gathering in Boston this week. When Congress voted to authorize force
against Saddam Hussein, Senators Kerry and Edwards voted yes. But when
it came time to fund the troops doing the fighting in Iraq, it was
another story. Last fall, at the President's request, Congress
considered legislation providing critical funding for our troops -- for
body armor and other vital support, such as hazard pay, ammunition, jet
fuel, vehicles, and spare parts. The legislation passed
overwhelmingly, with a vote in the Senate of 87 to 12, and that small
group of 12 senators who voted against providing funding for the troops
included Senator Kerry and Senator Edwards.
Recently, Senator Kerry told us that his decision to oppose funding
for our military personnel was "complicated." But as John Swallow
understands, funding American troops in combat should never be a
complicated choice. It's wrong to vote to commit our troops to combat
and then refuse to provide them with the resources they need. We need
a President who will back our troops 100 percent, and that's exactly
what we've got in George W. Bush. (Applause.)
At every level of the ballot, great events will turn on the outcome
of this election. The leader who sits in the Oval Office -- and the
men and women who represent us on Capitol Hill -- will set the course
of the war on terror, and set the direction of the American economy.
Strong, consistent leadership is required, both on our actions overseas
and our policies here at home.
When President Bush and I took office, our economy was sliding
toward recession. Then, on 9/11, terrorists struck our nation and
shook the economy once again. We faced a basic decision -- to leave
more money with families and businesses, or to take more of the
American people's hard earned dollars for the federal government.
President Bush made his choice. He proposed and delivered tax savings
to the American people -- not once, not twice, but three times.
(Applause.)
The Bush tax cuts have helped our national economy create jobs for
10 consecutive months. We've added more than 1.5 million new jobs
since last August. Here in Utah, more than 5,000 people went to work
at a new job last month; and you have created more than 22,000 jobs
since last March. Over the past year, the nation's economy has grown
at a rate of nearly 5%. The Bush tax cuts are working. (Applause.)
These past four years have brought great progress in other critical
areas, as well. With the President's leadership, we passed Medicare
reform -- after years of inaction. And now senior citizens have more
affordable access to modern medicine and to prescription drugs. And we
passed a responsible environmental law called the Healthy Forests Act
to improve forest health and to reduce the risk of catastrophic
wildfire across the West.
Our accomplishments these past four years demonstrate something
about the character of our President. President Bush did not go to
Washington to mark time, or to spend his energy on small goals. He
came to take on the big issues, and to make serious reforms. He has
led with confidence, clear vision, and unwavering purpose. He's made
the hard choices, and kept his word. And that's exactly how he plans
to lead the nation for four more years.
John Swallow shares our hopeful, optimistic vision for the future,
and we look forward to working with him to accomplish great goals. We
need John in Congress to help us keep moving forward on a pro-growth,
pro-jobs agenda. We need John in Congress to help us make the Bush tax
cuts permanent. We need John in Congress to help us end lawsuit
abuse. It's a lot easier for America's businesses to hire new workers
if they don't have to keep hiring lawyers. And for the good of our
health care system, we need medical liability reform. America's
doctors should be able to spend their time healing patients, not
fighting off frivolous lawsuits. (Applause.)
Our country needs a comprehensive energy policy. It's time for the
Democrats in the United States Senate to allow passage of the
President's plan to make the U.S. less dependent on foreign sources of
energy.
Our opponents have a different vision for the economy. They talk
about jobs, yet they never explain how they would put a single American
back to work. They opposed our tax relief, and now they are proposing
massive increases in federal spending. They helped block the energy
plan in the Senate. They oppose effective reform of our legal system,
and they're against medical liability reform. Their big idea for the
economy: to raise our taxes.
In fact, the team meeting this week in Boston would repeal many of
the Bush tax cuts within their first 100 days in office. This isn't
surprising when you consider their record. Over the years, Senator
Kerry has voted over 350 times for higher taxes on the American people
-- including the largest tax increase in history. That's an average of
a vote for higher taxes every three weeks for the last 20 years. At
least the folks back in Massachusetts knew he was on the job.
(Laughter.)
If you listen to the other side's proposals between now and
November, you'll see a clear pattern. Their plans would increase the
power of the Washington bureaucracy, increase the clout of the trial
lawyers, increase the size of government's claim on the American
people's paycheck. And they would not create jobs or drive economic
growth. What we're hearing from the other side is the failed thinking
of the past -- and we're not going back. (Applause.)
With John's support, President Bush and I will also continue to
defend our society's fundamental rights and values. We stand for the
fair treatment of faith-based charities, so they can receive federal
support for their good works. We stand for a culture of life, and we
reject the brutal practice of partial birth abortion. We believe that
our nation is "one nation under God." And we believe that Americans
ought to be able to say "under God" when they pledge allegiance to the
flag. (Applause.)
On issue after issue, 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 protect our homeland by turning back the
forces of terror, and to spread hope and freedom around the world.
Here at home, we will continue building prosperity that reaches every
corner of the land so that every child born in America has a chance to
learn, to succeed, and to rise in the world.
John has the same great goals for the state of Utah -- and with
your help, he'll start carrying them out next year as your
Congressman. John is a decent, humble man, and exactly the kind of
Congressman the good people of the second district deserve. President
Bush and I are grateful to all of you for your hard work and commitment
to the cause we all share. We are looking forward to the months ahead,
and to November 2nd, when we will see our cause to victory.
Thank you very much. (Applause.)
END 12:48 P.M. MDT
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