For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
September 12, 2003
Remarks by the President at Haley Barbour for Governor Luncheon
Mississippi Coliseum
Jackson, Mississippi
1:33 P.M. CDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all, please be seated. Thanks for
coming. I'm glad to be back in Mississippi. I thank the warm welcome
for a former Texas governor who's proud to be on stage with the future
Mississippi governor. (Applause.) I'm here to remind the good people
of this state -- Republican, Democrat or independent -- if they're
interested in good government, if they want somebody to call upon the
best of Mississippi, if they're interested in every person being able
to achieve their dreams in this state, they need to elect Haley Barbour
as the governor of Mississippi. (Applause.)
I like his slogan: Mississippi can do better. It says when he's
your governor, he'll have an optimistic outlook for all the people of
this state. He believes in high standards and raising that bar. He
believes in the vast human potential of Mississippi. There's no doubt
in my mind that when you elect Haley Barbour as governor of
Mississippi, Mississippi will do better. (Applause.)
And I know him. This isn't just your typical hot air. (Laughter.)
I know him well. He recounted some of our history. We've been friends
for a long time. So when I say, for example, he believes in personal
responsibility, I know he believes that way. And when he says he's
going to focus on education to make sure no child is left behind in
Mississippi, I know he believes that. (Applause.)
Haley has served at the highest levels of government, but let me
assure you of one thing, whether it was in my conversations with him in
Washington, D.C. or in Austin, Texas, he always talked abut Yazoo
City. (Laughter.) It is safe to say he never forgot his roots.
(Applause.) No, there's no doubt in my mind this good man can do the
job. If the people of this state give him a chance, they're going to
realize that he's going to call upon the best of Mississippi.
He and I share something else in common -- we both married above
ourselves. (Laughter and applause.) I'm proud to be on stage with
Marsha, had a chance to say hello to Sterling and Reeves. My only
advice to those boys was, listen to your mother. (Laughter.) I'm
still listening to mine. (Applause.)
Laura sends her love. She sends her love not only to Haley and
Marsha, she sends her very best to many of our friends out here today.
She is a fabulous wife, by the way, and a great First Lady for
America. (Applause.)
Speaking about a guy who married well, Senator Lott is with us.
(Laughter and applause.) Tricia and Trent are really good friends of
Laura and mine. We both love our country and we both love Scottish
terriers. (Laughter.) Let me tell you something about Trent --
Mississippi is really, really lucky to have him as a United States
senator. (Applause.)
You've got some pretty good congressmen, too. I'm proud to call
Roger Wicker and Chip Pickering friends. These guys are doing a great
job on behalf of this state. (Applause.) It's great to see Chip and
his beautiful wife today. I do want you to do me a favor, if you don't
mind, a little personal privilege from the President -- I hope you give
your dad my best, Judge Charles Pickering. (Applause.)
I nominated him to a higher court because I believe in his
character, I trust his judicial philosophy. He's a man who will
interpret the law, not legislate from the bench. Some senators are
playing politics with American justice. They did this man and this
country a disservice. It is time for some on the Senate floor to stop
playing politics with people like Charles Pickering's good name.
(Applause.)
There's a lot of people here hoping Haley runs good at the top of
the ticket, starting with the Lieutenant Governor, Amy Tuck. I'm proud
to have welcomed her to the Oval Office the other day. It is -- along
with Travis Little. They were up there to, oh, get a picture or two
taken. (Laughter.) But it was good to talk to Amy again. I had the
honor of welcoming her to the Republican Party. I appreciate the
courage of your decision, Amy, and I appreciate your willingness to
lead. Thank you for being here. (Applause.) Of course, I did
meet Senator Little.
I also want to thank State Auditor Phil Bryant for being here. I
want to thank the -- (applause) -- thank you, Phil. I appreciate Mike
Retzer, my long-time friend, for working hard for the Bush-Cheney
campaign. There is another election around the corner one of these
days -- we'll be back. (Laughter and applause.)
I also know you've got some candidates here running, and I always
like to mention candidates who have decided to take on the task of a
statewide race, because it's not an easy job. It's not easy to ask
your family to run -- ask your family to join you in running. But
we've got Julio del Castillo here, who's the candidate for Secretary of
State. We've got Scott Newton, the candidate for Attorney General.
We've got Max Phillips, the candidate for Agriculture Commissioner.
And we've got Tate Reeves, the candidate for Treasurer. Thank you all
for running, I hope you help them. (Applause.)
It's good to see your former governor, Kirk Fordice here today.
Kirk, good to see you, sir. (Applause.)
I want to thank Jim Herring, the Chairman of the Mississippi
Republican Party for his hard work. And I want to thank all the folks
involved with grassroots politics here in Mississippi. I want to thank
Cindy Phillips, who is the national committeewoman, as well.
(Applause.)
Finally, there is a special fellow here that my family has known
for a long time. He's a really great American, great fellow from
Mississippi. Laura and I occasionally slide across the street there in
Washington, D.C. to go to church at the little St. John's Church in
LaFayette Square. One of our favorite things when we get to church is
to shake hands and to say hello to one of the special Americans, and
that's my friend, Sonny Montgomery. (Applause.) It looks like they
still remember you here, Sonny. (Laughter.)
I first want to thank you for your generosity, but remind you that
there is more to do in the campaign for an important race like
governor. You've got to turn out the vote. You've got to go to your
coffee shops and tell the people that may not be quite as interested in
politics as you are that there's a lot at stake for Mississippi. When
they're just about to sip that coffee, you tell them that Haley Barbour
has got a clear vision for the future of this state. He's not going to
win it on his looks alone. (Laughter.) He's going to win it because
he cares about people.
See, when he hears somebody is looking for a job, it bothers him.
If somebody is looking for a job and can't find work, it means you've
got a problem here in Mississippi. That's the way I feel about the
nation. He and I share a philosophy: the role of government is not to
create wealth, the role of government is to create an environment in
which entrepreneurship can flourish, in which small businesses can grow
to be big businesses. And that's why, for example, in Washington, I
worked with the Congress to pass tax relief. When the economy goes
slow, if you let people have more of their own money, they're likely to
demand a good or a service. (Applause.)
Haley understands that. He understands whose money we spend in
government. We're not spending the government's money. We're spending
the people's money -- and you better have you a governor who
understands that when he gets you elected to represent this great
state. (Applause.)
This economy is beginning to pick up a little steam, but there are
still some citizens who hurt. So long as they're hurting, we've got to
keep creating an environment for economic growth. It will be important
to have a governor in Mississippi who understands that fiscal
discipline is necessary at the state capital. If you're interested in
job creation, government has got to be fiscally disciplined. If you're
interested in job creation, you've got to put policy in place that
encourages small business growth. After all, most small businesses --
most new jobs are created by small businesses in America. Haley has
got a plan. He's got good ideas. He comes with the right philosophy
and he's got a plan to create jobs here in Mississippi. For the people
in Mississippi who are interested in job creation, the right man for
the job is Haley Barbour. (Applause.)
By the way, one way to make sure this is a good state in which to
create jobs is to have a governor who's willing to take off the -- take
on the plaintiffs attorneys and fight for real, meaningful litigation
reform. (Applause.) You don't want it said that the fastest growth
industry in your state is the plaintiff's bar. That's not good for
attracting industry and creating jobs. You don't want the greatest
wealth accumulation in any state to be in the hands of plaintiff's
attorneys. You need to get you a governor who understands that, who's
tough enough to stand up to the special interests that oftentimes
dominate state politics; is willing to look those in the eye who are
trying to ruin the condition for job creation, who are running your
doctors out of your state, look them in the eye and say, I demand that
we have reasonable tort reform in the state of Mississippi -- and that
man is Haley Barbour. (Applause.)
Last time I came to your beautiful state I was here because I was
worried about docs getting run out of Mississippi. I'll never forget
meeting with the guy from the Delta. It was a fellow, he came down
from the north. He heard a call. He's what you might call a
faith-based doctor, practicing real medicine but he was motivated by
faith to help people who hurt. A fantastic person. The guy never grew
up in Mississippi, but heard there was a need for health care in this
state, so he came here. He wanted to give of his time and talents so
somebody might live a better life.
And he told me the stories about what it's like to live in a state
where the system isn't fair anymore, where the lawyers have pushed too
far. And he left your state of Mississippi because the premiums went
up too high. You lost a good heart in your state because the system is
awry. You need you a governor who understands that health care must be
accessible and affordable; a governor that when he says he's going to
get you medical liability reform, will get you real medical liability
reform -- not only for the sake of the docs but, more importantly, for
the sake of the people who need good health care. Haley Barbour is
that governor. (Applause.)
In order for this state to reach its full potential you need to
have a governor who understands the number one priority of any state is
the education of the children of that state. Haley understands that.
We passed good law in Washington, D.C. It's an interesting change of
attitude for the nation's capital. It used to be we just passed out
money in Washington. And we're pretty good at that, by the way. But
now we've said, if you're going to receive money for education purposes
and elementary and secondary act money and Title I money within that
title, is now we expect to see whether or not the children are learning
to read and write and add and subtract.
See, the state of Mississippi needs a governor, just like our
country needed a President, that was willing to challenge the soft
bigotry of low expectations. When you lower the bar, you get bad
results. If you believe certain children can't learn, you'll have a
system that just shuffles the kids through. If you believe it's
impossible to teach a certain type of child, guess what's going to
happen? That type of child will never learn.
I believe every child can learn. I believe it's in the reach with
every state and every school to teach the basics. And, therefore, in
return for federal money, I expect the basics to be taught. And I want
to thank Senator Lott, and the congressman here to stood with me on
that important initiative. Now, in return for federal money, states
must show people whether or not our children are learning to read and
write and add and subtract. If you believe they can learn, then you
want to know. If you believe that the best can happen, then we want to
see. We don't want somebody to theorize whether it's happening -- we
want concrete proof. And if it's not happening, we will use the
measurement systems not as a way to punish the good teachers, but to
correct the situation.
Haley Barbour agrees with that philosophy. He believes about
raising the bar. He believes support the teachers. But most of all,
he knows that we must correct problems early, before they're too late,
to make sure that not one, single child gets left behind in the state
of Mississippi. (Applause.)
I appreciate the fact that Haley understands that there are people
who hurt in Mississippi, there are people who are lonely and addicted,
people who are homeless, and people who are hungry. He also
understands what I know, that the government can hand out money -- but
it cannot put hope in people's hearts or a sense of purpose in people's
lives. That's done when a loving soul puts their arm around somebody
who hurts and says, I love you, what can I do to help you?
The true strength of this country is the hearts and souls of the
American people. That's our strength. And the job of people in
positions of responsibility is to rally that spirit. That's why the
faith-based initiative that I proposed in Washington is so vital. It's
an initiative that Haley fully understands. It's an initiative that he
wants to get started here.
Listen, there are great programs that come out of government, and
sometimes they work and sometimes they don't. But we ought to use all
avenues, all our strengths, to achieve the common goal that everybody
feels the great hope of America. When we find somebody who's lonely
and addicted on drugs, we ought not to fear a faith-based program's
involvement with that person. You see, sometimes it takes a change of
heart to change a habit. And when we find effective programs based
upon faith, government at the federal level and state level should not
fear faith, we should welcome faith into the important delivery of
human services to people who hurt. (Applause.)
I had a chance to talk to Haley on Air Force One coming down. He
came over to Fort Stewart and I thought it might be okay if I shared
some thoughts on the war on terror. So I think I will. I was in Fort
Stewart, it's the home of the 3rd Infantry Division. They're the
troops who took it up the west side, from the south of Iraq to free
Baghdad. What an honor it is to stand up in front of fantastically
brave troops and to thank them on behalf of a grateful nation.
It's important for me to continue to do this because this nation
still remains at war. It's a different kind of war. You saw how
different it was on September the 11th, 2001. Instead of armies
marching across plains or Air Forces bombing Pearl Harbor, we were
attacked by cold-blooded killers who took our own assets and flew them
into the buildings without regard to the nature of the victim. These
people didn't care if they were young kids, women, men -- no such thing
in their mind as innocent our guilt. They're interested in one thing,
death.
On that day, this country decided that no matter how long it took
we would find those who would inflict harm upon America and bring them
to justice. (Applause.) I will never forget the lessons of September
the 11th, 2001, so long as I am your President. I have a solemn duty
to protect America, and we're making progress. We're slowly but surely
bring the al Qaeda killers to justice. I remind people that over
two-thirds of the known operatives and leaders are either dead or
captured. And I can assure you we're after the rest of them. No
matter how long it takes, no matter what the cost, we will bring those
who harmed America and want to harm America to justice. We owe it to
future generations of Americans. We owe it to the peace and security
of the world to use our strength to find the killers. (Applause.)
Therapy will not work with these kind of people. Treaties make no
sense. There's only one thing: get them before they get us, to stay
on the offensive. (Applause.)
Right after September the 11th, I laid out a new American doctrine
that said if you harbor a terrorist, if you feed a terrorist, if you
house a terrorist, you're just as guilty as the terrorists. And the
Taliban found out what the United States of America meant.
(Applause.) Not only were we able to destroy terrorist training camps
and cut off support for these killers when we routed the Taliban out of
Afghanistan, but we did something even -- as important: young girls
now go to school for the first time, because the Taliban is no more;
girls go to school thanks to the might of the United States of
America. (Applause.)
And that's important, because we believe everybody matters. We
believe every life is precious. We believe and know that freedom is
not America's gift to the world, it is the Almighty's gift to every
individual in the world. (Applause.) And we've brought freedom to the
people of Iraq in a military operation that was one of the swiftest and
most humane military operations in history. We rid the world of Saddam
Hussein and we freed millions of people in Iraq. There are no more
torture chambers in Iraq. There will be no more mass graves in Iraq.
Schools are -- the hospitals are now opened, schools are flourishing.
And one thing is for certain: terrorist groups will no longer find
support in Iraq, and terrorist groups will not ever be able to get
weapons of mass destruction in Iraq because Saddam Hussein is no more.
(Applause.)
But I understand this, that in order to make sure America is secure
in the long-run and the world is more peaceful, we must spread
freedom. Free people don't attack their neighbors. Free people don't
develop weapons of mass destruction. The truth of the matter is, the
greatest security for America in the long-term is the spread of
liberty. And that's why it's so important in the heart of the Middle
East that we establish a free society in Iraq. It is so important that
we succeed. And that's why I went to the nation the other night and
asked for a significant amount of money from the United States Congress
to fund the efforts necessary to make Iraq secure and free and
peaceful. The money we spend today to achieve this incredibly
important objective will be money that others don't have to spend in
future years. We would rather win our war against terror in Iraq than
to fight them here on the streets of America. And we must succeed in
making sure that freedom takes hold in that important part of the
world. (Applause.)
There is no doubt in my mind America will prevail. See, I
understand the country pretty well, I know the people of America. We
are resolved and we are strong and we're plenty tough when we have to
be tough. The truth of the matter is, this is a country as well that's
got a great heart, great generosity. Not only are we going to work
hard here in Mississippi and other places to make sure promise is
available, and hope is available for everybody. Ours is a nation that
is willing to lead the world in the incredibly important work of human
rescue. We're going to provide medicine to millions of men and women
and children suffering from AIDS on the continent of Africa.
(Applause.)
See, that's the spirit of the country. That's the country we are.
We believe in freedom for everybody. We believe in hope. We believe
in opportunity. And when we see suffering, we will not turn our back.
I believe that when you find somebody good and honorable, you give
him a chance to represent you. In this state, you've found a man
that's good and honorable. The guy has got the experience to do the
job; a fellow that when he picks up the phone, the President might just
go ahead and answer it. (Laughter.) It's a man who will represent you
with class. He'll call upon the best of this state. This is a man who
is serving for the right reason: he believes in serving something
greater than himself in life. And that man is your next governor, Mr.
Haley Barbour. Thank you for supporting him.
God bless, and God bless America. (Applause.)
END 1:57 P.M. CDT
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