For Immediate Release
Office of the Vice President
April 26, 2004
Remarks by the Vice President at a Reception for Gubernatorial Candidate Mitch Daniels
Union Station Grand Hall and Conference Center
Indianapolis, Indiana
April 23, 2004
6:15 P.M. CDT
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you all very much. (Applause.) Thank
you. Sit down, please. Mitch would have left you standing all the way
through the speech. (Laughter.) We've been working with him, but he's
still got a ways to go. (Laughter.)
But it's true, Mitch, when the President asked me to be his running
mate, he said it wasn't because he was worried about carrying Wyoming.
(Laughter.) We got 69 percent of the vote in Wyoming. I point out to
him every once in a while those three electoral votes came in mighty
handy. (Laughter.)
But it's great to be back in Indiana, and I appreciate the warm
welcome. In this political year, I spend a lot of time appearing with
other candidates for office. It's a lot easier to do when you actually
know the guy. And in the case of Mitch Daniels, it's even better: Not
only do I know him, but I consider Mitch one of the finest public
servants I've ever worked with. (Applause.)
It's a pleasure to be here today and share the stage with the next
governor of the state of Indiana. (Applause.) I bring good wishes to
all you from the President, George W. Bush.
The President and I are tremendously grateful for the strong
support we received in the state last time around. Indiana came
through for the Bush-Cheney ticket with a 16-point margin. And with
your help we're going to carry Indiana again this November.
(Applause.)
My only real job as Vice President is to preside over the United
States Senate. When they wrote the Constitution and created the post
of Vice President, they got down to the end of the Constitutional
Convention and suddenly realized they hadn't given the Vice President
any job. He didn't have anything to do. So they made him the
President of the Senate, said, you get to preside over the Senate, cast
tie-breaking votes.
And my predecessor John Adams, our first Vice President, also had
floor privileges. He was allowed to go down into the well and actually
engage in the debate of the day. And then he did a couple of times,
and they withdrew his floor privileges. (Laughter.) They've never
been restored.
But that give me an opportunity to work closely with the Senate.
And clearly, one of the most respected members of the United States is
Mitch's old boss, Dick Lugar, from Indiana. (Applause.) And it's a
pleasure to have the privilege of working with him on a regular basis.
For the first two years of our administration, of course, the
President and I were honored to have Mitch as the Director of the
Office of Management and Budget. We spent many hours together on the
tough decisions that needed to be made, and he was a superb OMB
director. Mitch is a natural-born executive. He's a person with an
instinct for common sense and fairness, a guardian of the taxpayer
dollars. We didn't call him "The Blade" for nothing. (Laughter.)
Mitch came to Cabinet with a tremendous background in public
service in the not-for-profit sector, as well as from the business
world. He put that experience to good use for the American people
during his tour there. And now he's going to put that experience to
use for the people of his home state.
He knows Indiana. He knows your people. He's covered all 92
counties. He's perfectly in tune with the ideas and the values of this
great state. And at a time when Indiana families need better schools,
when Indiana businesses need relief from unnecessary regulation, when
Indiana communities need pro-growth, pro-jobs policies at the state
level, it's time for a new governor. And Mitch Daniels is the man for
that job. (Applause.)
These are challenging times for Indiana and for America. Those of
us in public office have serious responsibilities, and we hold the
public trust. When President Bush and I took office three years ago,
Mitch was part of the team that was determined to seize new
opportunities for reform and to get beyond some of the old debates that
stood in the way of progress. Today, as we look forward to the
election of 2004, I believe the President has a record of
accomplishment to show for his efforts.
The American people can be confident of a better future, a stronger
economy, and greater security against the dangers of this new century
because of the character and the leadership of our President, George
W. Bush.
This is a period in history defined by serious challenges, by
consequential choices, and oftentimes the need for decisive action.
And the great responsibility of our government is clear: We must
protect the safety and security of the American people.
The attacks of September 11, 2001 signaled the arrival of an
entirely new era. We suffered massive civilian casualties 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 turn 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 our
people from terrorist attack, and to keep terrorists from ever
acquiring weapons of mass destruction.
This great and urgent responsibility has required a shift in our
national security strategy. For many years prior to 9/11, terror
attacks against Americans were treated as isolated incidents and
answered, if at all, on an ad hoc basis -- rarely in a systematic way.
Even after an attack inside our own country, the 1993 attack on the
World Trade Center in New York, there was a tendency to treat terrorist
attacks as individual criminal acts to be handled primarily as law
enforcement matters.
The main perpetrator of the 1993 attack in New York was tracked
down, arrested, convicted, and sent off to serve a 240-year sentence.
Yet behind that individual was a growing network with operatives inside
and outside the United States, waging war against our country.
In 1996, Khalid Shaykh Muhammad, the mastermind of 9/11, first
proposed to Osama bin Laden that they use aircraft to attack targets in
the United States. In 1996 and again in 1998, Osama bin Laden declared
war on the United States of America.
During this period, thousands of terrorists were trained at al
Qaeda camps in Afghanistan. And we've seen the work of terrorists in
many attacks since 9/11 all over the world -- in Riyadh, Casablanca,
Istanbul, Karbala, Mombasa, Bali, Jakarta, Najaf, Baghdad, and Madrid.
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, ladies and
gentlemen, is the business at hand.
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 and the future of some 25 million people -- today,
he's in jail. He will never again brutalize the Iraqi people, never
again support 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's a new
constitution. Free elections will be held later this year. In Iraq, a
basic law has been developed and signed. This was an historic
achievement. It's a landmark document for that region of the world.
And on the 30th of June, Iraqi sovereignty will be transferred back to
the Iraqis. As the President has said, the United States will keep its
word to the Iraqi people. 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 that we are proud to serve.
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. 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.)
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
is just what we have in our President, George W. Bush. (Applause.)
And that measure should be applied to the candidate who now opposes him
in the election of 2004, 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.) 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.
Senator Kerry has also asserted that our troops in Iraq are not
receiving the material support they need. And I'd like to remind the
Senator that last fall, at the President's request, Congress considered
legislation providing funding to support the troops for body armor,
hazard pay, health benefits, ammunition, fuel and spare parts for our
military. Senator Kerry at the time 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."
As a way to clarify the matter recently, Senator Kerry said, and
again I quote: "I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted
against it." (Laughter.) End quote. Obviously, 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.
On the broader picture, Senator Kerry has questioned whether the
war on terror is really a war at all. Recently he said, I don't want
to use that terminology. In his view, opposing terrorism is far less
of a military operation and far more of an intelligence-gathering, law
enforcement operation. As we've seen, however, that approach was tried
before and 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 his votes and his
statements about the war on terror, or 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 our country.
The American people will have a clear choice in this year's
election, on national security, as well as on policies here at home.
When the President took office, the economy was sliding into
recession. Then, just as our economy was ready to recover, terrorists
struck our nation and shook our economy once again. President Bush has
taken strong confident steps to get the economy growing again.
Supported by the leadership of Mitch Daniels, the President has signed
into law significant tax relief for millions of American families and
businesses. We doubled the child tax credit, decreased the marriage
penalty, cut tax rates across the board, and have put the death tax on
its way to extinction.
Now, we're seeing the results of the President's policies. Last
month, the economy added over 300,000 new jobs, and we've just created
more than 750,000 jobs since August. In the second half of last year,
our economy grew at an annual rate of nearly 6.2 percent, its fastest
pace in nearly two decades, and the highest rate of any major
industrialized nation in the world. The home ownership rate is the
highest ever. Interest rates and inflation are low. Manufacturing
activity is increasing. Productivity is high. Business investment is
rising. Incomes are growing. And America's economy is moving in the
right direction. (Applause.)
The American people are using their money far better than the
government would have, and Congress was right to let them keep it. As
you know, there are voices in the land who want to roll back the Bush
tax cuts. If elected, Senator Kerry has promised to repeal the Bush
tax cuts in his first 100 days in office.
That isn't surprising when you consider his record on taxes. Over
the years, Senator Kerry has voted over 350 times for higher taxes on
the American people, including the biggest tax increase in American
history. For the sake of long-term job 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.)
As we work to keep this economy on the right track, we need good
partners at the state level, as well. We need governors who
understand, as we do, that the key to more jobs is not big government
but free enterprises, and low taxes, and spending discipline. That's
the kind of governor Mitch Daniels will be for the people of Indiana.
(Applause.)
Mitch was part of the team that started the economic recovery. To
strengthen that recovery we're going 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 Indiana, and across the nation, good
doctors should be able to spend their time healing patients, not
fighting off frivolous lawsuits. 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. This is unfair to judicial nominees,
and it is an abuse of the constitutional process. Every nominee
deserves a prompt up-or-down vote on the Senate floor. And that's one
more reason we need more Republicans like Dick Lugar in the United
States Senate. (Applause.)
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 nation. The President has a clear vision of the
future for the nation: Abroad, he 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 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 Indianapolis and across this great state. And we're
proud to stand with Mitch Daniels in this campaign. He's one of the
best candidates for any office anywhere in the country. We're looking
forward to the months ahead. And we look forward to the day that Mitch
Daniels is inaugurated as the 49th governor of the state of Indiana.
Thank you all very much. (Applause.)
END 6:35 P.M. CDT
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