For Immediate Release
Office of the Vice President
July 17, 2004
Vice President's Remarks at a Bush-Cheney '04 Rally
Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center
Waterloo, Iowa
July 16, 2004
4:20 P.M. CDT
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well. (Applause.) Thank you very much.
That's a great welcome. All right. (Laughter.) Well, it's great to
be back in Iowa. I was in Sioux City a few weeks back, and we've been
looking forward to our return trip. As I explained to people at the
time, I was born next door in Lincoln, Nebraska -- a few yeas ago. And
so coming to Iowa is always a little bit like coming home.
And Lynne mentioned that we met when we were -- when I was 14 years
old. We're actually en route -- after we go to Minneapolis and do an
event there tomorrow morning, we're headed home to Casper, Wyoming, to
celebrate our 45th high school reunion. (Applause.) Lynne was very
young when she graduated. (Laughter.)
But I often tell the story about the fact that we got married
because Dwight Eisenhower got elected President of the United States in
1952, because in those days, we were living in Lincoln, Nebraska. My
dad worked for the Soil Conservation Service. Eisenhower got elected,
reorganized the Agriculture Department, and Dad got shipped to Casper,
Wyoming, where I met Lynne and we grew up together, went to high school
together. We'll mark our 40th wedding anniversary next month, August.
(Applause.) But I explained that to a group the other night that if it
hadn't been for Eisenhower's victory, Lynne would have married somebody
else. (Laughter.) And she said, right, and now he'd be Vice President
of the United States. (Laughter and applause.)
I especially wanted to thank Chuck Grassley for being here today,
and for his kind words. (Applause.) As Vice President, my only real
job is to preside over the Senate as President of the Senate. When
they wrote the Constitution, they created the post of Vice President.
But then they got down to the end of the Constitutional Convention and
discovered they hadn't given him any real work to do. So they made him
the President of the Senate.
But that means I get to spend a lot of time up there on the Hill.
I go up and have lunch every Tuesday with the Senate Republicans. And
Chuck does an absolutely superb job. When you think about what we've
been able to accomplish -- (applause) -- the significant tax program
that President Bush has been able to advocate and put into place
wouldn't have happened without Chuck Grassley. He's done a superb job
for Iowa, a superb job for all of us, and I'm delighted to be on the
ticket with him this year. (Applause.)
The President and I also count on your congressman, Jim Nussle.
Jim does a great job for this district, as well, too. (Applause.)
The President and I are tremendously grateful for all the support
we've got here in Iowa. You'll be seeing a lot of us over the next few
months. And with your help, Iowa is going to be part of a great
nationwide victory in November. (Applause.)
President Bush has his opponent in this campaign, and now I have
mine. (Laughter.) I called Senator Edwards to welcome him to the
race, and we had a very friendly chat. Somebody said to me the other
day that Senator Edwards got picked for his good looks and charm. I
said, "How do you think I got this job?" (Laughter and applause.)
We're looking forward to a spirited contest this year. And when
you talk to your friends and neighbors about this campaign, ask them to
remember all that has occurred since George W. Bush was elected
President. These last three-and-a-half years have brought some serious
challenges to our country. But we're meeting every one of those
challenges with strength and resolve. And today, the American people
can be confident of a better future, a stronger economy, and a nation
that is more secure, because of the character and leadership of our
President, George W. Bush. (Applause.)
In the weeks following the terrorist attack on America, people in
every part of the country, regardless of party, took pride in the
conduct of our President. Since 9/11, he has led a steady, focused,
relentless campaign against the enemies who struck America that morning
and killed some 3,000 of our fellow citizens. With the President's
leadership, we are fighting the war on terror -- and we will win the
war on terror. (Applause.) Many of al Qaeda's known leaders have been
captured or killed. Those still at large are on the run, and we are
going to hunt them down -- one by one. (Applause.)
In Afghanistan, we removed the brutal Taliban from power and
destroyed the camps where terrorists trained to kill Americans. In
Iraq, America and our allies rid the Iraqi people of a murderous
dictator, and rid the world of a gathering threat to our peace and
security. Saddam Hussein once controlled the lives and the future of
almost 25 million people. Today, he is in jail. (Applause.) Because
we acted, Afghanistan and Iraq have gone from terrorist states to free,
sovereign nations, and emerging democracies.
The defeat of tyranny and violence in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the
rise of democracy in a troubled part of the region -- a troubled part
of the world, will be a crucial setback for international terrorism.
Because we're 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. (Applause.) 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. In
the war on terror, we will always seek cooperation from our allies
around the world. 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. The United States will never seek a
permission slip to defend the security of our nation.
Our nation is extremely fortunate during these times of testing to
have the dedicated service of our men and women in uniform. They are
proving every day that when we send them to defend our country, we are
sending the very best of the United States of America. (Applause.)
One of the most important commitments that George Bush and I made
during the 2000 campaign was that our armed forces would have the
resources they need and the respect they deserve -- and we have kept
our word to the U.S. military. (Applause.)
These are not times for leaders who shift with the political winds,
saying one thing one day and another, the next and that brings to mind
-- brings to mind our opponents in this campaign. (Laughter.) Senator
Kerry's position on big issues often depends on when you ask him.
(Laughter.) When Congress voted to authorize force against Saddam
Hussein, Senator Kerry voted yes. This year, when it served his
purpose, he described himself as an opponent of the war.
When it came time to fund our troops in Iraq, he managed to take
both sides of that issue as well. 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 senators voting no included Senator Kerry and Senator
Edwards.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Later Senator Kerry gave one of those
explanations we've all come to expect from him. He said, "I actually
did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it." (Laughter.)
Well that sure clears things up. (Laughter.) The second time the
issue of troop funding came up, Senator Kerry and Senator Edwards
signaled their own priorities by not even showing up for the vote.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: I'm not going to repeat that. (Laughter.)
Earlier this week, Senator Kerry told us he is proud that he and
Senator Edwards voted against the funding the troops. Later he
explained that his decision to oppose funding for our military
personnel was complicated. Funding American troops in combat should
not be a complicated choice. (Applause.) We need a President who will
back our troops one hundred percent, and that's exactly what we have in
George W. Bush. (Applause.)
There is no doubt that 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.
Our economy has been tested these past three-and-a-half years, and
we have responded with strong, decisive action. When we took office,
the stock market was declining and the economy was sliding toward
recession. Then, on 9/11, terrorists struck our nation and shook our
economy once again. We faced a basic decision: to leave more money
with families and businesses, or to take more of your tax dollars for
the federal government. President Bush made his choice. Working with
our allies on Capitol Hill, like Chuck Grassley, he proposed and
delivered tax relief -- not once, not twice, but three times.
(Applause.)
Since President Bush took office, more than a million Iowa
taxpayers have seen their federal tax burden reduced; more than 370,000
married couples here now pay lower taxes because we reduced the
marriage penalty; and nearly 280,000 Iowa families now pay lower taxes
because we doubled the child tax credit. (Applause.) For individuals
and families, the average savings from the President's across-the-board
cuts topped $1,500. You're using that money far better than we would
have in Washington, and we did the right thing by letting you keep it.
(Applause.)
The Bush tax cuts have helped our national economy create jobs for
10 consecutive months. We've added more than 1.5 million since last
August. In Iowa, tax relief has helped to send 13,900 men and women to
work in the past 11 months; and your unemployment rate is now 4.3
percent -- more than a full point below the national average.
(Applause.) Our farm economy is strong. America has seen four
straight years of increasing farm exports, and net cash farm income is
near an all-time high. The national home ownership rate is at record
highs. Incomes are rising. Productivity is high. And in the last
year, our economy has grown at a rate of nearly 5 percent. The
American people are proving the pessimists wrong -- the Bush tax cuts
are working. (Applause.)
We recognize there are still challenges, especially in our
manufacturing communities. That's why we'll keep moving forward with a
comprehensive pro-growth, pro-jobs agenda. The President and I will
not be satisfied until every American who wants to work can find a
job. (Applause.)
We've seen the positive effects of tax relief and now the task
before us is work with Congress to make the Bush tax cuts permanent.
(Applause.)
There are a number of other items on our agenda this year.
For the good of this economy, we need to end lawsuit abuse.
(Applause.) Junk and frivolous lawsuits can ruin an honest business.
They put people out of work. They clog the courts, delaying justice
for people with real problems. It's a lot easier for America's
businesses to hire new workers if they don't have to keep hiring
lawyers. (Applause.)
We need medical liability reform to control the costs of health
care. Here in Iowa and across the nation, doctors should be able to
spend their time healing patients, not fighting off frivolous
lawsuits. (Applause.)
Our country also needs a comprehensive energy policy. It's time
for Congress to pass the common-sense plan President Bush submitted
three years ago, a plan that would promote domestic energy production;
encourage alternative sources of fuel, such as ethanol and biodiesel;
promote conservation; and make the United States less dependent on
foreign sources of energy. (Applause.)
Our opponents have a different vision for our economy. They talk a
lot about jobs, yet they never explain how they would put a single
American back to work. They oppose effective reform of our legal
system; they're against medical liability reform; and they helped block
the energy plan in the U.S. Senate. Their big idea for the economy:
raise our taxes.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: In fact, they would repeal many of the Bush
tax cuts within their first 100 days in office.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: 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 biggest tax
increase in American history. That's an average of a vote for higher
taxes every three weeks for the last 20 years.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: At least the folks back in Massachusetts knew
he was on the job. (Laughter.)
Listen to the other side's proposals between now and November, and
you'll see a very clear pattern. Their plans would increase the power
of Washington and the bureaucracy, increase the clout of the trial
lawyers, increase the size of government's claim on your 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.) Under the strong economic
leadership of President Bush, this nation is going to continue moving
forward for four more years. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: 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. (Applause.) We stand for a culture of
life, and we reject the brutal practice of partial birth abortion.
(Applause.) We believe that our nation is one nation under God.
(Applause.) And we believe that Americans ought to be able to say
"under God" when they pledge allegiance to the flag. (Applause.) The
founders of this great country acknowledged God in the Declaration of
Independence, but we have judges now who seem to have forgotten this
history.
And we also have a situation in the United States Senate where
Democrats -- including Senators Kerry and Edwards -- are blocking the
President's mainstream appointments to the judiciary. Senators Kerry
and Edwards made sure that the Senate never got to vote on a fine man
named Miguel Estrada, a man who came to this country as an immigrant
from Honduras, graduated from Harvard Law School, and served as a clerk
at the Supreme Court, and worked in the U.S. Justice Department.
Senators Kerry and Edwards are keeping fine people like Miguel Estrada
off the bench, and it is time for this travesty to end. (Applause.)
That's also another reason why it's absolutely essential to send a man
like Chuck Grassley back to the United States Senate. (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.
The President and I are honored by your confidence in us, by your
commitment to the cause we all share. We're grateful to our many
friends across the great state of Iowa. Thanks for this tremendous
welcome today. We're proud to have you on the team. And together, on
November 2nd, we're going to see our cause forward to victory.
(Applause.)
END 4:44 P.M. CDT
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