For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
September 7, 2004
President's Remarks at a Victory 2004 Rally in Columbia, Missouri
Boone County Fairgrounds
Columbia, Missouri
3:40 P.M. CDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all for coming. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: Four-more years! Four-more years! Four-more years!
THE PRESIDENT: Thanks for coming. I appreciate it. That's what
I'm here to tell you: I'm ready to lead this nation for four-more
years. (Applause.) It is great to be back in Columbia. It is nice to
be here at the Boone County Fairgrounds. I was hoping to get a corny
dog. (Laughter.) Thanks for coming.
We're taking a bus tour across your state. It's a great way to
spend a Tuesday. I'll tell you why I'm here -- I'm here to ask for the
vote. (Applause.) I believe we've got to get out -- I'm not only here
to ask for the vote, I'm here to ask for your help. (Applause.) I
think we have a duty in this country to vote, and I'm here to ask you
to register your friends and neighbors to vote. And then after you get
them registered to vote, head them to the polls. (Applause.) And as
you get them going to the polls, remind them, if they want a safer
country, a stronger country, a better country, put me and Dick Cheney
back into office. (Applause.)
And by the way, when you're registering people, make sure you not
only register Republicans and independents, but make sure you include
discerning Democrats, too. (Applause.) You might remember Zell
Miller. (Applause.) He's a discerning Democrat. And there's a lot of
folks like him all across this country. I appreciate you coming. It
means a lot to me that you're here.
My only regret is that Laura is not here. (Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: Yes, I know it. When I asked her to marry me, she
said, fine, just so long as I never have to give a political speech.
(Laughter.) I said, okay. (Laughter.) Fortunately she didn't hold me
to the promise. As you all saw, she is a -- has got a lot of class.
She is a great First Lady, a wonderful mom. (Applause.) I lover her
dearly. Perhaps the most important reason to put me back in there is
so that she'll have four-more years as the First Lady. (Applause.)
I'm proud to be running with Dick Cheney, as well. He's a fine
Vice President. (Applause.) He doesn't have the waviest hair in the
race. I didn't pick him for his hair do. I picked him because he's a
man of enormous experience and sound judgment and he can get the job
done for the American people. (Applause.)
I'm proud to be standing up here with Kenny. Congressman Hulshof
is a fine, fine member of the United States Congress. I appreciate
it. (Applause.) I'm proud to call him friend.
I understand that Governor Blunt was here. (Applause.) I know
Lieutenant Governor Kinder is here. Good to see you, Peter. Thanks
for coming. (Applause.) Pete's a good friend of mine, been a friend
for quite a while.
I appreciate the Speaker being here, Katherine Hanaway.
(Applause.) And I appreciate the fact that Sarah Steelman was here. I
want to thank all the other state and local officials. I appreciate
your attendance.
I want to thank my uncle, Bucky Bush, from St. Louis, Missouri.
He's here with us today. (Applause.)
I want to thank Ernie Lee, State Veterans Co-Chairman, is with us
today. I appreciate you coming, Ernie. (Applause.) I want to thank
Mark Wills, the country and western singer, for entertaining you here.
(Applause.)
But most of all, thank you. I'm here to tell you, I'm looking
forward to this campaign. I'm looking forward to telling you where I
stand and what I believe and where I'll lead this country. I believe
every child can learn and every school must teach. I went to
Washington to challenge the soft bigotry of low expectations. See, I
believe you've got to raise the bar. I believe you must assess early
so you can solve problems before they're too late. I believe we've got
to end this practice of simply shuffling the kids through the schools
year after year, grade after grade, without learning the basics. I
believe in local control of schools. And I know we're closing the
achievement gap in America and we're not turning back. (Applause.)
We have a moral responsibility to honor our citizens with good
health care. Medicare is a really important program, yet it wasn't
modernizing like medicine was. For example, we were willing to pay --
or did pay $100,000 for heart surgery, but would not pay for the
prescription drugs that would have prevented the heart surgery from
happening in the first place. That didn't make any sense for our
seniors, and it didn't make any sense for our taxpayers. We've
strengthened and modernized Medicare for our seniors. Beginning in
2006, all seniors can have prescription drugs and Medicare and we're
not turning back. (Applause.)
I believe in the energy and innovation of the American workers and
farmers and ranchers and small business owners, so we unleashed that
energy with the largest tax cut in a generation. (Applause.) When
you're out gathering the vote, remind your friends and neighbors what
this economy has been through. We've been through a recession, we've
been through corporate scandals, and we've been through that attack,
which hurt our economy. But we're overcoming those obstacles. We're
overcoming them because we're a great country. We're overcoming them
because the entrepreneurial spirit is strong. We're overcoming them
because we believe in the creativity of the workforce.
Last Friday, we received a jobs report that shows we added 144,000
new jobs in the month of August -- (applause) -- 1.7 million new jobs
since August of '03. The national unemployment rate is at 5.4
percent. (Applause.) That's a full point below the peak of last
summer. It is lower than the average rate of the 1970s, and the 1980s,
and the 1990s. Our economic stimulus plan is working. (Applause.)
I believe a President must confront problems, not pass them on to
future Presidents and future generations. (Applause.) And I believe
the most solemn duty of the American President is to protect the
American people. (Applause.) If America shows uncertainty or weakness
in this decade, the world will drift toward tragedy. This isn't going
to happen on my watch. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: Four-more years! Four-more years! Four-more years!
THE PRESIDENT: I'm running for President with a clear and positive
plan to build a safer world and a more hopeful America. I'm running
with a compassionate conservative philosophy that governments should
help people improve their lives, not try to run their lives.
(Applause.) And I believe this nation wants steady, consistent,
principled leadership, and that is why, with your help, we will carry
Missouri again and win a great victory in November. (Applause.)
The world in which we live is changing. You know, our dads and
granddads generally had one job, one career, that company they worked
for provided a pension plan and health benefits. The world we're
living in is different. Women now work outside the home. They work in
the home and outside the home. Many people are changing careers
often. Yet many of the most fundamental systems -- our tax code and
health coverage and pension plans and worker training -- were created
for the world of yesterday. They were designed for the world of
yesterday, not tomorrow. And so we'll transform these systems. And we
will do so so all citizens are equipped, prepared, and thus truly free
to make your own choices, so you can live your own dreams. (Applause.)
A hopeful society is one in which the economy is growing. And I
have a plan to keep this economy moving forward. To create more jobs
in America, America must be the best place in the world to do
business. (Applause.) To create jobs in America, we must stop the
junk lawsuits that threaten our small business owners. (Applause.)
The cost to our economy of litigation is conservatively estimated to be
over $230 billion a year. We have a difference of opinion in this
race. Now, I recognize my opponent changes positions a lot, but for 20
years, he's been one of the trial lawyers' most reliable friends. He's
consistently voted against legal reform that protects our entrepreneurs
and our workers. Several lawyers have responded with millions of
dollars of donations for his campaign. I just disagree. See, I'm
taking a different view. I believe we've got to stop those junk
lawsuits. Personal injury lawyers shouldn't get richer at the expense
of hard-working Americans. (Applause.)
To create jobs here in America, Congress needs to get an energy
plan to my desk. I submitted a plan two years ago. It encourages
conservation, encourages the use of renewables like ethanol and
biodiesel. (Applause.) It encourages clean coal technology and
exploration for hydrocarbons in a sensitive way. To keep jobs here, we
must become less dependent on foreign sources of energy. (Applause.)
To create jobs here, we must reject economic isolationism, and open
up markets for U.S. goods and services. See, we open up our markets to
other countries, which is good for you. It means you have more choices
and when you have more choices in the marketplace, you're likely to get
that which you want at a better price and higher quality.
So what we're telling other countries, like China, is you treat us
the way we treat you. American workers and farmers can compete with
anybody, anytime, anywhere, so long as the playing field is level.
(Applause.)
And one reason our ag economy is so strong today is because we're
selling soybeans around the world and we're selling corn around the
world, and I intend to keep markets open so our farmers can make a good
living. (Applause.)
We have a difference in this campaign on taxes. See, I believe in
order to keep jobs here in America, we've got to be wise about how we
spend your money and keep your taxes low. (Applause.) I think running
up the taxes on the people now would be a mistake, it would hurt our
economic growth. The fellow I'm running against has proposed over $2
trillion of new federal spending so far.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: It's awfully tempting when you get out there to
tell people what they want to hear. So they asked -- they asked him.
They said, well, how are you going to pay for it? And he said, well,
don't worry. I'll pay for it by taxing the rich. Well, first of all,
you can't raise enough money by taxing the rich to pay for all his
promises. You know what that means. Secondly, you've heard that
rhetoric before, haven't you? Oh, don't worry, we'll just tax the
rich. Well, the rich hire lawyers and accountants, and you get stuck
with the bill. But we're not going to let him. We're going to win in
November. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: Four-more years! Four-more years! Four-more years!
THE PRESIDENT: Let me say something else about the tax code. The
tax code is a drag on our economy. It's a complicated mess. It's
filled with special interest loopholes. It is estimated that the tax
code burdens Americans with more than six billion hours of paperwork
every year. In a new term, I will lead a bipartisan effort to simplify
and reform the federal tax code. (Applause.)
Listen, we've got to do more to keep jobs here in America. We've
got to help people gain the skills necessary to fill the jobs of the
21st century. That's why I'm such a strong believer in the community
college system of America. And we'll help workers retrain in our
community colleges. As well, we will double the number of people
served by our principle job training programs.
Most new jobs in America, by the way, are filled with people with
at least two years of college. And yet, one in four of our students
gets there. In our high schools, we'll fund early intervention
programs to help students at risk. We'll provide new focus on math and
science. Over time, we'll require a rigorous exam before graduation by
raising performance in our high schools and by expanding Pell grants
for low and middle-income families. We will help more Americans start
their career with a college diploma. (Applause.)
In changing times, we've got to do more to make health care
available and affordable. See, most of the uninsured, one-half of the
working uninsured, are employees of small businesses. Yet, small
businesses are having trouble affording health care. And there are
some reasons why. In order to make sure our families get the help they
need, we must allow small firms to join together to purchase insurance
at the discounts available for big companies. (Applause.)
We will expand health savings accounts to help our small businesses
and families. We will ensure every poor county in America has a
community or rural health center. But to make sure that health care is
available and affordable, we need medical liability reform in America.
(Applause.) Let me tell you, these frivolous lawsuits against our docs
are making it harder for good doctors to practice medicine, and they're
running up the cost of your health care. (Applause.)
I met Mike Ditmore, sitting right there. He's a doc. He's a
neurosurgeon. He was, until his premiums went up to $108,000 a year.
These lawsuits drove him out of business. There's one less good doctor
available for help here in the state of Missouri. I met doctors all
over this country. Talk to your OB/GYNs. Ask them what it's like to
live in a world in which these junk lawsuits are making it hard for
them to practice medicine. It's not right. We need medical liability
reform now in America. (Applause.)
By the way, Dr. Ditmore is so upset about medical liability reform
and other issues, he's running for the state Senate to do something
about it. (Applause.)
In all we do to help the folks in health care, we'll make sure the
decisions are made by doctors and patients, not by bureaucrats in
Washington, D.C. (Applause.)
I'll continue to promote ownership in America. See, during
changing times, if you own something, it brings stability to your
life. We want more people owning their own home. Do you realize the
home ownership rate in America is at an all-time high now? More people
owning their home. (Applause.) We've got a plan to expand ownership.
We want more people opening their front door and saying, welcome to my
home; welcome to my piece of property. (Applause.)
Another important part of ownership is our retirement system. If
you're an older citizen, you don't have to worry about Social
Security. The promise our government made to you will be kept. If
you're a baby boomer, we're in pretty good shape when it comes to
Social Security, but we need to worry about our children and
grandchildren when it comes to Social Security. (Applause.) I hope
the youngsters listen carefully to this debate about Social Security.
See, I believe younger workers ought to be allowed to take some of
their tax money and put it in a personal savings account, to make sure
the Social Security system is available to them. (Applause.)
We have a difference when it comes to policy here at home. If you
listen carefully, my opponent plans to expand government. My plan is
to expand opportunity, because I trust the American people.
(Applause.)
In a world of change, there are some things that do not change, the
values we try to live by, courage, compassion, reverence and
integrity. In times of change, we'll support the institutions that
bring stability to our society, our families, our schools, our
religious congregations. We stand for a culture of life in which every
person matters and every person counts. (Applause.) We stand for
marriage and family, which are the foundations of our society.
(Applause.) I stand for the appointment of federal judges who know the
difference between personal opinion and the strict interpretation of
the law. (Applause.)
This election will also determine how America responds to the
continuing danger of terrorism. Since the terrible morning of
September the 11th, 2001, we fought the terrorists across the Earth,
not for pride, not for power, but because the lives of our citizens are
at stake. Our strategy is clear: We're defending the homeland, we're
transforming our military, we're strengthening our intelligence
services, we're staying on the offensive, we're striking the terrorists
abroad so we do not have to face them here at home. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: Four-more years! Four-more years! Four-more years!
THE PRESIDENT: And we will advance -- we will work to advance
liberty around the world, because we know that freedom will bring a
future of hope and peace that we all long for. And we will prevail.
(Applause.)
Our strategy is succeeding. Four years ago Afghanistan was the
home base of al Qaeda, Pakistan was a transit point for terrorist
groups, Saudi was fertile ground for terrorist fund-raising, Libya was
secretly pursuing nuclear weapons, Iraq was a gathering threat, and al
Qaeda was largely unchallenged as it planned attack.
Because we acted, the government of a free Afghanistan is fighting
terror, Pakistan is capturing terrorist leaders, Saudi Arabia is making
raids and arrests, Libya is dismantling its weapons programs --
(applause) -- the army of a free Iraq is fighting for freedom and more
than three-quarters of al Qaeda's members and associates have been
brought to justice. (Applause.) We have led, many have joined, and
America and the world are safer. (Applause.)
The progress involved careful diplomacy, clear moral purpose and
some tough decisions. And the toughest came on Iraq. We knew Saddam
Hussein's record of aggression and his support for terror. We knew his
long history of pursuing and using weapons of mass destruction. And we
know that after September the 11th we must think differently. America
must take threats seriously before they fully materialize. (Applause.)
In Saddam Hussein, we saw a threat. I went to the United States
Congress. They looked at the same intelligence I looked at, remembered
the same history I remembered, and concluded that Saddam Hussein was a
threat and authorized the use of force. My opponent looked at the same
intelligence I looked at, and he voted for the use of force.
Before the Commander-in-Chief commits our troops into combat, we
must try all means to deal with the threat. So I was hoping diplomacy
would work, and I went to the United Nations. And I said to the United
Nations, we see a threat. They looked at the same intelligence I
looked at. They remembered the same history we remembered. And they
voted by a 15-0 vote in the Security Council that said, Saddam Hussein
must disclose, disarm or face serious consequences. (Applause.) The
world spoke. But as he had for over a decade, Saddam Hussein ignored
the demands of the free world. As a matter of fact, when the United
Nations sent inspectors into Iraq, he systematically deceived them.
So I had a choice, a choice that only comes to the President, a
choice no President wants to make, but best be prepared to make it.
And that is, do I forget the lessons of September the 11th, trust a
madman or take action to defend America? Given that choice, I will
defend our country every time. (Applause.)
Because we defended to act -- because we acted to defend our
country, 50 million people now live in freedom. (Applause.) In
Afghanistan -- this is an amazing thought, at least it is for me. You
know, the Taliban was running this country and they wouldn't let young
girls go to school. And if their moms stepped out of line, they
whipped them in the public square and sometimes killed them. These
guys were brutal. They were backward. They had a dim view of the
world. Light is arising in Afghanistan. Ten million people have
registered to vote in the upcoming presidential elections. Amazing.
(Applause.)
Despite ongoing acts of violence, and despite the fact it wasn't
all that long ago that a tyrant brutally ruled a country, in Iraq, Iraq
now has a strong prime minister, a national council, and national
elections are scheduled for January. (Applause.) The world is
changing, and we will stand with the people of Afghanistan and Iraq,
because when America gives its word, America must keep its word.
(Applause.)
We are also serving a vital and historic cause that will make our
country safer. Free societies in the Middle East will be hopeful
societies, which no longer feed resentment and breed violence for
export. Free governments in the Middle East will fight terrorists
instead of harboring them, and that makes America more secure and the
world more peaceful. (Applause.)
So our mission in Afghanistan and Iraq is clear. We'll help new
leaders train their armies. We want Iraqis and Afghan citizens doing
the hard work of defending freedom. We'll help them through their
elections. We'll move -- we'll get them on the path of stability and
democracy as quickly as possible, and then our troops will return home
with the honor they have earned. (Applause.)
I am proud of our military. (Applause.) I have had the honor of
meeting our men and women who wear the uniform here at home and around
the world. I've seen their courage and their great decency. The cause
of freedom is in really good hands. And I want to thank the veterans
who are here for having set such a great example for those who wear
today's uniform. (Applause.)
I made a commitment to our troops and to their loved ones. They
will have the resources they need to complete their missions. That's
why in September of '03, a year ago, I went to the United States
Congress and requested $87 billion in funding for body armor, and spare
parts, ammunition, fuel, and supplies needed for our troops doing
battle in Afghanistan and Iraq. And we received great support for that
request. As a matter of fact, only 12 United States senators voted
against the funding -- (laughter) -- two of whom were my opponent and
his running mate.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: So they -- do you realize this? Four United States
senators -- only four -- voted to authorize the use of force and then
voted against funding our troops.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: Two of those four were my opponent and his running
mate.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: So they asked him. They said, why? He said, well,
I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it. And
then they said, you know -- he said, well, he's proud of it, and
finally said, it's just a complicated matter. (Laughter.) That's what
he said. There's nothing complicated about supporting our troops in
combat. (Applause.)
A Commander-in-Chief must be steady, must have a clear vision, must
speak clearly. My opponent has now voted for the war and against
supplying our troops. When he got on in the Democrat primary, he
declared himself the anti-war candidate. Most recently, he switched
again, saying he would have voted for the war, even knowing everything
we know today. And then in the last two days, he woke up with yet
another new position, and this one isn't even his own. (Laughter.)
It's the one of Howard Dean. He even used the same words Howard Dean
did, back when he supposedly disagreed with him. (Laughter.)
Look, no matter how many times my opponent flip-flops, we were right to
make America safer by removing Saddam Hussein from power. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: Four-more years! Four-more years! Four-more years!
THE PRESIDENT: I appreciate the contributions our friends and
allies are making. It is wrong for my opponent to denigrate the
contributions of our allies, people who are standing side-by-side with
our men and women in uniform, risking their lives for freedom and
peace. Over the next four years, I'll continue to build alliances.
We'll work together. But I will never turn over America's national
security decisions to leaders of other countries. (Applause.)
I believe in the transformational power of liberty. I believe the
wisest use of American strength is to advance freedom. You know, I
spent a lot of time with Prime Minister Koizumi of Japan. It wasn't
all that long ago in the march of history that our dads and granddads
were fighting the Japanese. They were a sworn enemy of America. And
yet, because Harry Truman of Missouri and other folks during that
period of time believed liberty could transform societies, Japan is
free today.
See, there was a lot of skeptics during those days, I'm certain,
that said, how could an enemy ever be an ally? We just fought them.
But people believed in power of liberty to change enemies to friends.
And so today, I sit down with the head of a former enemy talking about
the peace, talking about how to make the world more peaceful. Someday,
a duly elected leader of Iraq is going to sit down with an American
leader, and they'll be talking about the peace. And our children and
grandchildren will be better off for it. (Applause.)
I believe millions in the Middle East plead for liberty. I believe
women want to be free. I believe that given the chance, the people of
the Middle East will embrace the most honorable form of government ever
devised by man. I believe these -- because freedom is not America's
gift to the world. Freedom is the almighty God's gift to each man and
woman in this world. (Applause.)
This young century will be liberty's century. By promoting freedom
at home and abroad, we'll build a safer world and a more hopeful
America. By reforming our systems of government, the American people
will be better able to realize their dreams. We'll spread ownership
and opportunity to every corner of this country. We'll pass the
enduring values of our country to a new generation. We will continue
to lead the world in freedom and peace.
For all Americans, these years in our history will always stand
part. There are quiet times in the life of a nation when little is
expected of its leaders. This isn't one of those times. This is a
time when we need firm resolve, clear vision, and a deep faith in the
values that make us a great nation. (Applause.)
None of us will ever forget that week when one era ended and
another began. September the 14th, I stood in the ruins of the Twin
Towers. It's a day I'll never forget. There were workers there
yelling at me at the top of their lungs, "Whatever it takes!" I was
doing my best to thank people and comfort them, and a guy grabbed me by
the arm, he looked me in the eye, and he said, "Do not let me down."
As we did that day, he took it personally, I took it personally,
you all took it personally. I have a duty that goes on. I wake up
every morning thinking about how to better protect our country. I will
never relent in defending America, whatever it takes. (Applause.)
Four years ago, I traveled your great state asking for the vote. I
said if you gave me the chance to serve, I would uphold the dignity and
the honor of the office to which I had been elected. With your help
and hard work, I will do so for the next four years. (Applause.)
May God bless you. Thank you for coming. I appreciate it. Thank
you all. Thank you all very much. (Applause.)
END 4:16 P.M. CDT
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