For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
September 22, 2004
President's Remarks at Victory 2004 Rally in Latrobe, Pennsylvania
Arnold Palmer Regional Airport
Latrobe, Pennsylvania
5:15 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all very much for coming. (Applause.)
I'm proud you all are here. (Applause.) Thanks for coming out to say
hello. How good does it get to be introduced by Arnold Palmer.
(Applause.) What a fantastic citizen of our country. I'm proud to be
here in his home town. He said, have you ever heard of Rolling Rock?
(Applause.) I said, I quit drinking. (Laughter.)
But thank you all for coming out today. I'm asking for the vote,
is what I'm doing here today in Pennsylvania. (Applause.) I like
getting out amongst the people and letting them know I've got a reason
for running -- to serve you for four more years. I'm here to tell you
what my plans are for the future of our country. I'm also here to ask
for your help. (Applause.) I'd like for you to register your friends
and neighbors to vote. We have a duty in this country to vote. Call
upon your friends and neighbors to exercise their responsibility. And
when you're out registering people to vote, don't overlook discerning
Democrats like Zell Miller. (Applause.)
And when you get them headed toward the polls, tell them that if
they want this to be a safer, stronger, better America, to put me and
Dick Cheney back in office. (Applause.)
I'm sorry Laura is not with me today.
AUDIENCE: Awwww --
THE PRESIDENT: I know it. I don't blame you. When I asked her to
marry me, she said, fine, just so long as I never have to give a
speech. I said, okay, fine, you'll never have to give a speech.
Fortunately, she didn't hold me to my word. (Laughter.) The people of
this country got to see her in New York City giving a speech. They saw
how compassionate, strong and decent she is. (Applause.) She's a
great mom, a great wife, a wonderful First Lady. I'm going to give you
some reasons to put me back in, but perhaps the most important one of
all is so Laura is First Lady for four more years. (Applause.)
I'm proud to be running with Dick Cheney. He's a good man. Now,
look, I admit it, I admit it, he doesn't have the waviest hair in the
race. (Laughter.) I didn't pick him for his hair. I picked him
because he's a man of great judgment, sound experience, and he can get
the job done on behalf of the American people. (Applause.)
Listen, you did a good job of training Tom Ridge. (Applause.) And
I did a smart thing by picking him to run the new Department of
Homeland Security. (Applause.) I want to thank the United States
Senators who are with me today. I'm here to ask you to put Arlen
Specter back in the United States Senate for six more years.
(Applause.) I'm proud to be traveling with the other Senator, Rick
Santorum. (Applause.) I want to thank Congressman Tim Murphy, the
Congressman from this district. (Applause.) I call him Murph. I want
to thank Congresswoman Melissa Hart from the great state of
Pennsylvania for joining us. (Applause.) I want to thank all the
candidates who are here, and local and state officials. Thanks for
serving Pennsylvania and your communities.
I want to thank my friend, Lynn Swann. (Applause.) He and I
worked together to try to promote physical fitness. You need to walk.
(Laughter.) You want to stay healthy, get some exercise. (Applause.)
And I appreciate my friend, Lynn Swann, for supporting my candidacy. I
want to thank John Michael Montgomery for singing here today.
(Applause.)
I just came from Millvale, where I saw the devastation caused by
the floods of Ivan. I assure you that we're helping as much as we
possibly can to help people restore their lives, and that the prayers
of the people of this country are with those who suffer.
I'm looking forward to this campaign. I like to campaign, because
I like to be with people. (Applause.) I'm looking forward to telling
people where I stand, what I believe, and where I'm going to lead this
nation for the next four years. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
THE PRESIDENT: I went to Washington to solve problems, not to pass
them on to future Presidents and future generations. (Applause.) I
saw a problem with Medicare. See, Medicare was -- is a very important
program, but it wasn't changing with medicine. There was a problem.
For example, Medicare would pay $100,000 to -- for heart surgery for a
senior, but wouldn't pay for the prescription drugs to prevent the
heart surgery from being needed in the first place. That's a problem.
It's a problem for our seniors who deserve modern medicine in
Medicare. It's a problem for the taxpayers. So I brought Republicans
and the Democrats together to strengthen Medicare. In 2006, our
seniors will get prescription drug coverage. We're not turning back to
the old days. (Applause.)
When we came into office, the economy was turning south. The stock
market had been in decline prior to our arrival. The first three
quarters of my presidency were a recession. We started to recover a
little bit, and then we found out some of our citizens didn't tell the
truth. Some CEOs forgot what it meant to be a responsible citizen in
this country. By the way, we passed tough laws that now make it
abundantly clear we're not going to tolerate dishonesty in the
boardrooms of our country. (Applause.)
Then we got hit with an attack, and that hurt us. It cost us about
a million jobs in the three months after September the 11th. There was
a problem. We're overcoming those problems, we're overcoming those
obstacles, because our workers are great, our farmers know what they're
doing, the entrepreneurial spirit is strong. We're overcoming those
problems because of well-timed tax cuts. (Applause.)
Our economy has been growing at rates as fast as any in nearly 20
years. The national unemployment rate is at 5.4 percent, which is
lower than the average of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. (Applause.)
Inflation is low, mortgage rates are low, you're adding jobs here in
the state of Pennsylvania. This economy is growing, and we're not
going to go backwards. We're not turning back to the old days.
(Applause.)
I believe the most solemn duty of the American President is to
protect the American people. If America shows uncertainty and weakness
in this decade, the world will drift toward tragedy. This will not
happen on my watch. (Applause.) 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
government should help people improve their lives, not try to run their
lives. (Applause.) And I believe this nation wants steady, principled
leadership. And that's why, with your help, we're going to carry
Pennsylvania and win a great victory in November. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
THE PRESIDENT: I believe -- I believe every child can learn and
every school must teach. I went to Washington to challenge the soft
bigotry of low expectations. We passed a new law called the No Child
Left Behind Act. It raises standards. It uses accountability to solve
problems early, before a child simply gets shuffled through the
schools. It trusts the local people to make the right decision for the
schools and the community in which you live. This law is making a
difference. Here in the state of Pennsylvania, 81 percent of the
Pennsylvania schools are meeting higher standards. That's up from 62
percent in just one year. (Applause.)
Across this nation, test scores are rising. African American and
Hispanic students are closing the achievement gap here in America.
We're making progress in this country, and we're not turning back to
the old days of low expectations. (Applause.)
We'll do more to improve education and prepare our children for the
future. Listen, we've got a changing job force. Most new jobs are
filled by people with at least two years of college. Yet one in four
of our students gets there. That's why at our high schools we'll fund
early intervention programs to help at-risk students. We'll emphasize
math and science so our kids can fill the jobs of the 21st century.
We'll reward teachers who gets results for their students. We'll give
our best teachers incentives to teach in the neediest schools. Over
time, we'll require a rigorous exam before graduation. By raising
performance in our high schools and expanding Pell grants for low and
middle-income Americans, we will help more of our citizens start their
career with a college diploma. (Applause.)
Listen, I understand the world in which we live is changing. Think
about what happened over the course of the last couple of decades. It
used to be a person would work for one company, have one career, they'd
have one pension plan, one health care plan. That person was a man.
Today our workers change jobs and careers, and women are working not
only inside the house, but outside the house. This work force has
changed, yet the systems of government have not changed with the
times. The pension plans, health coverage, the tax code and worker
training were created in a world of yesterday, not tomorrow. I'm
running for President to transform these systems so that all citizens
are equipped, prepared and thus truly free to make your own choices and
to realize the great promise of our country. (Applause.)
Listen, I understand a hopeful society is one in which the economy
is growing. If we want to keep jobs here in America, America must be
the best place in the world to do business. If we want people to find
work here, we've got to do something about these regulations and
lawsuits that are making it hard on the employers in the state of
Pennsylvania. (Applause.)
If we want to keep jobs here, Congress needs to pass my energy
plan. Listen, in order to make sure this economy grows, we've got to
encourage conservation, the use of renewables, such as ethanol and
biodiesel. We've got to use -- modernize the electricity grid. We've
got to use technologies to make sure we can use our coal. I'm for
clean coal technology. We've got to use our technology so we can
explore for natural gas in environmentally friendly ways. In order to
keep jobs here in America, we must be less dependent on foreign sources
of energy. (Applause.)
In order to keep jobs, we've got to reject economic isolationism.
See, we open up our markets for a -- for goods from overseas, and
that's good for you. If you've got more -- more to choose from, you're
likely going to get the good you want at a better price and higher
quality. What I'm saying to places like China is you treat us the way
we're treating you. And I'm saying that because I know we can compete
with anybody, anytime, anywhere so long as the rules are fair.
(Applause.)
In order to make sure we've got jobs here, to make sure this
recovery we have is a sustained -- is sustained economic growth, we've
got to be wise about how we spend your money and keep your taxes low.
Taxes are an issue in this campaign. I'm running against a fellow who
has promised $2.2 trillion of new federal spending so far.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: That $2.2 trillion is a lot even for a Senator from
Massachusetts. (Laughter.) So they said, how are you going to pay for
it? How are you going to pay for this new spending? He said, we're
going to tax the rich. Now, you've heard that before, haven't you?
Here's the problem with that. You can't raise enough money by taxing
the rich to pay for $2.2 trillion. There's a tax gap. And guess who
always gets stuck with the bill? I'll tell you something else about
that language, tax the rich. The rich hire lawyers and accountants for
a reason, so you get stuck with the bill. We're not going to let John
Kerry tax you, because we're going to carry Pennsylvania and win in
November. (Applause.)
Say something else about the tax code -- something else about the
tax code. That tax code needs to be changed. (Applause.) It's a
complicated mess. It's full of special interest loopholes. In a new
term, I'm going to bring Republicans and Democrats together to simplify
the tax code and make it more fair for the American people.
(Applause.)
In a changing world, the economy changes, the nature of the jobs
change, and oftentimes, there's a skills gap. That's why I'm such a
big believer in the community college system. We're going to expand
access to our community colleges so our workers are going to be able
gain the skills necessary to fill the jobs of the 21st century.
(Applause.)
In a changing world, we've got to think about -- we've got to think
about how to provide stability in people's lives. One way to provide
stability in a person's life is to encourage ownership. We want more
people owning their own home. Do you realize, under my administration,
the home ownership rate in America is at an all-time high? Over the
next four years, we'll continue to expand ownership, so more and more
people are able to open up the door where they live and say, welcome to
my home, welcome to my piece of property. (Applause.)
In changing times, we need to reform our health care system. The
costs are rising rapidly. I've got a common-sense, practical plan to
make sure health care is available and affordable. When it comes to
health care, my opponent wants the government to dictate.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: He wants the government to decide. When it comes
to health care, I want you to decide. (Applause.) More than half of
the Americans who are currently uninsured are small business employees
and their families. We've got to change law, to allow small firms to
pool together so they can purchase insurance at the same discounts that
big businesses get. (Applause.)
My opponent opposes association health plans. Those are the plans
that will give small businesses the opportunity to afford insurance so
their workers can have insurance. I believe that we need to continue
to expand tax-free health savings accounts. We'll give small
businesses credits that encourage them to put money in health savings
accounts. We want more workers to have their own health savings
accounts so they can base medical decision on advice from their doctor,
not because of people at HMOs. (Applause.)
I believe we have an obligation to help the poor in this country.
That's why I want to expand community health centers, places where the
poor and the indigent can get good preventative care and good primary
care. I want a community health center in every poor county in
America. (Applause.)
I'm going to tell you what else you've got a problem with in this
state, and many others do, as well, in other states -- one reason your
costs of health care are going up, and one reason it's harder to find a
doc these days, like OB/GYNs, is because of the frivolous lawsuits.
(Applause.) You cannot be pro-doctor, pro-patient and pro-trial lawyer
at the same time. (Applause.) You have to choose. My opponent made
his choice, and he put a trial lawyer on the ticket. I made my
choice: I'm standing with the docs and the patients and the
hospitals. I am for medical liability reform -- now. (Applause.) In
all we do to make sure health care works in America, we'll make sure
the decisions are made by doctors and patients, not by bureaucrats in
our nation's capital.
I see we've got some young workers here. I want to talk about
Social Security right quick. I told you systems have changed -- or
systems haven't changed, and they're stuck in the past. Listen, if
you're a senior, you will get your Social Security check. You should
not listen to the political nonsense that happens in the course of a
campaign. The Social Security trust has got enough money to fulfill
its promise to those who are receiving Social Security today.
If you're a baby boomer, like me -- (laughter) -- leading edge of
the baby boomers, I might add -- (laughter) -- we're going to be in
pretty good shape when it comes to Social Security. We need to worry
about our children and our grandchildren when it comes to Social
Security. I believe younger workers ought to be able to take some of
their own money and set up a personal savings account that earns better
interest than the Social Security trust -- a personal savings account
they can call their own and a personal savings account government
cannot take away. (Applause.)
Listen, in a world of change, some things don't change: the values
we try to live by -- courage and compassion, reverence and integrity.
In times of change, we will support the institutions that give our
lives direction and purpose -- our families, our schools, our religious
congregations. We stand for a culture of life in which every person
matters and every being counts. (Applause.) We stand for marriage and
family, which are the foundations of our society. (Applause.) We
stand for the Second Amendment, which gives every American the
individual right to bear arms. (Applause.) And 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 also determines how America responds to the
continuing danger of terrorism. Since the terrible morning of
September the 11th, 2001, we have fought the terrorists around the
world, 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.)
We'll work to advance liberty in the broader Middle East and around
the world. And by being steadfast and resolved, we'll prevail. Our
strategy is succeeding. Four years ago, Afghanistan was the home base
of al Qaeda. Pakistan was the transit point for terrorist groups.
Saudi Arabia was fertile ground for terrorist fundraising. Libya was
secretly pursuing nuclear weapons. Iraq was a gathering threat. Al
Qaeda was largely unchallenged as it planned attacks.
Because we led, Afghanistan is fighting terror, Pakistan is
capturing terrorist leaders, Saudi Arabia is making raids and arrests,
Libya is dismantling its weapons programs, the army of a free Iraq is
fighting for freedom, and more than three-quarters of al Qaeda's key
members and associates have been brought to justice. (Applause.)
We've led, many have joined, and America and the world are safer.
(Applause.) And this progress involved careful diplomacy, clear moral
purpose, and some hard decisions.
Our hardest came on Iraq. We knew Saddam Hussein's record of
aggression and support for terror. We know he had harbored Abu Nidal,
the leader of a terrorist organization that carried out attacks in
Europe and Asia. We knew Saddam harbored Abu Abas, who found refuge in
Baghdad after he killed American Leon Klinghoffer. We knew he paid the
families of suicide bombers. We knew Saddam Hussein harbored Zarqawi,
the terrorist we have seen who has beheaded some of our citizens. We
knew they were there. We knew that Saddam Hussein was a sworn enemy of
the United States of America. We knew that he had pursued and used
weapons of mass destruction. We knew we had been at war with him once
before. We knew he was a threat. And after September the 11th, this
nation must think differently about threats. We must take threats
seriously before they fully materialize. (Applause.)
I went to the United States Congress. Members of both political
parties, including my opponent, looked at the same intelligence I was
looking at, remembered the same history I remembered, and voted to
authorize the use of force.
Before the United States President ever commits people into harm's
way, he must try all options to deal with the threat. I was hoping
that diplomacy would work. I was hoping we could deal with the threat
in Iraq by the use of diplomacy. That's why I went to the United
Nations. At the United Nations I made my case. They looked at the
same intelligence I looked at, they remembered the history of Saddam
Hussein and passed yet another resolution, 15 to nothing, that said,
disclose, disarm, or face serious consequences. I believe when
international bodies speak, they better mean what they say.
(Applause.)
Saddam Hussein once again did not listen to the demands of the free
world. He ignored this resolution, just like he ignored resolution
after resolution after resolution for nearly a decade. He just didn't
believe serious consequences. He was hoping we'd look the other way.
He was hoping that we would continue with the failed policy. As a
matter of fact, when we sent inspectors in -- or the U.N. sent
inspectors into Iraq, he systematically deceived the inspectors.
That's what he did. So I had a choice to make at this time. Diplomacy
has failed. Do I trust Saddam Hussein? Do I forget the lessons of
September the 11th, or take action to defend this country? Given that
choice, I will defend America every time. (Applause.)
Because we acted in our self-interest, 50 million people in
Afghanistan and Iraq now live in freedom. (Applause.) Do you realize
a little more than three years ago, young girls couldn't go to school
in Afghanistan because that country was run by some barbarians whose
dim vision of the world is the exact opposite of ours. Their moms
could be pulled out in the public square and whipped, or sports stadium
and killed because they wouldn't toe the line of this ideology of
hate. Today 10 million citizens, 41 percent of whom are women, have
registered to vote in the upcoming October presidential election.
(Applause.) Amazing, isn't it? (Applause.)
How powerful a statistic is that? Three years to go from darkness
to light because of a free society. It's in our interests that
Afghanistan no longer is a safe haven for al Qaeda. It's in our
interests that Afghanistan has now joined us in fighting the
terrorists. It's in our interests to spread freedom, because free
societies are peaceful societies. (Applause.)
Despite ongoing acts of violence, Iraq has a strong Prime Minister,
with whom I met yesterday and will meet tomorrow and hold a press
conference with. I can't wait for the American people to hear this
man. He's strong, he's tough. He was lying in a bed one night in
London, and he wakes up -- late at night, he was asleep -- wakes up
late at night; two henchmen from Saddam Hussein are by his bed with an
axe trying to axe this man to death. He, fortunately, was able to get
out of the situation. Today he's the Prime Minister of Iraq. You talk
about a guy who understands the stakes. (Applause.) Somebody who
understands what it means to live under the thumb of a thug.
(Applause.) Prime Minister Allawi believes in the future of the
people. They're going to have elections in January in Iraq. When
America gives its word, America will keep its word. We'll stand with
the people of Afghanistan and Iraq. (Applause.)
Our mission in Afghanistan and Iraq is clear. We'll help the new
leaders train their armies so the citizens of Afghanistan and Iraq can
do the hard work of defeating the few who want to stop the ambitions of
the many. We will help them get on the path of stability and democracy
as quickly as possible, and then our troops will come home with the
honor they have earned. (Applause.)
We have a great United States military, and I'm proud to be their
Commander-in-Chief. (Applause.) I've had the privilege of meeting
with the servicemen and women who defend our country and sacrifice for
our security. I know 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 today for having set such a great example for
those who wear the uniform today. (Applause.)
Our government must support the men and women of our uniform. We
owe it to them, and we owe it to their loved ones. That's why I went
to the United States Congress a year ago and asked for $87 billion in
supplemental funding that was crucial money needed for our troops who
were in harm's way in both Afghanistan and Iraq. That money was for
ammunition and fuel and spare parts and body armor and hazard pay and
health benefits. It was vital request. We received great support,
bipartisan support. Republicans and Democrats said, this is vital
funding. As a matter of fact, it was so strong that only 12 members of
the Senate voted against funding the troops.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: Only 12 members, two of whom were my opponent and
his running mate.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: Only four members of the Senate, only four out of
100, voted to authorize the use of force and then voted against funding
the troops. Two of those four are my opponent and his running mate.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: So they asked him -- they said, how could you have
made that vote? He said, I actually did vote for the $87 billion right
before I voted against it. Not a lot of people talk like that in
Latrobe, Pennsylvania. (Applause.) And they pressed him further. He
finally just said the whole thing is a complicated matter. There's
nothing complicated about supporting our troops in combat. (Applause.)
Prime Minister Allawi said yesterday that we're making progress in
Iraq. Yet as we're seeing on our TV screens, it's tough, it's hard.
It's incredibly hard work, because the terrorists are desperate.
They're trying to affect the elections in Iraq. They can't stand the
thought of the people of that country voting to decide who their
leaders are. They want to impose their dim vision on the people of
that country. That's what they're trying to do. And that's why you're
seeing on your TV screens awful brutality. Those terrorists will not
defeat our military. (Applause.) They cannot defeat our military.
The only thing they can do is behead people and try to shake our will.
They're trying to shake the will of the Iraqis. They're trying to
convince the Iraqis freedom is not worth it. They're trying to
convince the American people that we will not succeed. That's the only
weapon they have. They don't understand our country. We abhor the
violence. We can't stand the beheadings. But we're not going to let
thugs keep us from doing our duty. (Applause.)
We have a strategy to help this country get to elections. We have
a strategy to bring security to that country. Our military commanders
have got flexibility to do their job. They're adjusting to conditions
on the ground. We're helping the Iraqis rebuild their country. But
one thing we will do -- we will show our troops, the Iraqi people, the
world and our enemies that America will stand firm, and we will
prevail. (Applause.)
And the way to prevail, the way toward the successful conclusion we
all want, the way to secure Iraq and bring our troops home is not to
wilt or waver or send mixed signals. (Applause.) Incredibly this
week, my opponent said he would prefer the dictatorship of Saddam
Hussein to the situation in Iraq today.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: That's not the first time he's changed positions.
You cannot lead the war on terror if you wilt or waver when the times
are tough. You cannot expect the Iraqi people to stand up and do the
hard work for democracy if you are pessimistic about their ability to
govern themselves. You can't expect the Iraqi people to have faith
when you believe they were better off with Saddam Hussein in power.
You can't expect these people to trust America if we think mass graves
are the wave of the future of these people and the torture rooms of
Saddam Hussein.
What kind of message does this send our troops, who are risking
their lives and see first hand the mission is hard, when they hear
people who grow -- when they wilt in the face of pressure? No, this
mission is crucial to our success and it's crucial to our future and
it's crucial to freedom. Mixed signals are the wrong signals. I will
continue to lead with clarity, and when I say something, I mean it.
(Applause.) I appreciate --
AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
THE PRESIDENT: I had a chance to visit with some of our friends
and allies who are making contributions to our coalition in Afghanistan
and Iraq. I had a chance to thank them on behalf of the American
people for the sacrifices they're making, for the sacrifices their moms
and dads of those troops -- their troops, and the husbands and wives of
their troops are making. I'm proud of the coalition we've put
together. We've got some 40 nations involved in Afghanistan, some 30
in Iraq. And I'm going to continue to lead, to build these alliances
over the next four years. But I will never turn over America's
national security decisions to leaders of other countries. (Applause.)
I believe -- I believe in the transformational power of liberty.
You know, I sat down with Prime Minister Koizumi yesterday. I said,
I'm using your name quite a bit when I'm traveling around the country.
I said, I hope it's all right. (Laughter.) Sometimes, I'm telling the
people you like Elvis, too. (Laughter.) I like to tell my -- about my
relationship with Prime Minister Koizumi because it wasn't all that
long ago in the march of history that we were at war with the
Japanese. They were the sworn enemy of the United States of America.
As a matter of fact, I bet you a lot of your relatives fought against
the Japanese. I know my dad did, and many others did, as well.
And after we won in World War II, Harry S. Truman, President of the
United States, wanted to work for democracy in Japan because he
believed liberty could transform nations. And you can bet there were
some skeptics. There were skeptics then, just like there are some
skeptics today. A lot of people in America said, why do we want to
work with an enemy? This enemy can't change it's ways. We just fought
them. But a lot of citizens didn't agree with that. Japan did become
the democracy. And today, I sit down at the table with a former enemy,
talking about achieving the peace we all want. Liberty is powerful.
One day, an American President is going to be sitting down with a duly
elected official from Iraq, talking about how to keep the peace. And
our children and grandchildren will be better off for it. (Applause.)
It's hard work to spread liberty, particularly in societies that
have only known tyranny. But I believe the women of the greater Middle
East desire to be free. I believe they want to be able to realize
their dreams. I believe if they're the mother of a young girl, they
want that young girl to be able to grow up and be anything she can be
in life. I believe if given a chance, the people in that part of the
world will embrace the most honorable form of government every devised
by man. I believe these things because freedom is not America's gift
to the world. Freedom is the Almighty God's to each man and woman in
this world. (Applause.)
I said in my convention speech, we've done the hard work. We've
climbed the mountain and now we can see the valley below. And that
valley
is a peaceful valley. That valley is a hopeful valley. That
valley is a better day for every single citizen who lives in this
country. 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, we'll help
more Americans realize their dreams. We'll pass the enduring values of
our country to a new generation. We'll continue to work to spread
freedom and peace.
You know, for all Americans, these years in our history will always
stand apart. 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 that requires 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. On September the 14th, 2001, I stood in the ruins of
the Twin Towers. It's a day I will never forget. There were workers
there in hard hats yelling at me at the top of their lungs, "Whatever
it takes." I remember working the rope line, doing my best to console
those folks who had just been doing everything they could to find a
buddy out of the rubble, save people from harm's way. A guy grabbed me
by the arm, and he said, "Don't let me down." Those were impressions
I'll never forget. I wake up every morning trying to figure out how
best to defend our country. I will defend the security of America,
whatever it takes. (Applause.)
When I campaigned -- four years ago, when I campaigned in your
great state, asking for the vote, I made a pledge to my fellow
Americans -- I said, if you gave me a chance to serve, I would uphold
the honor and the dignity of the office to which I had been elected.
With your help, with your hard work, I will do so for four more years.
(Applause.)
May God bless you. Thank you all for coming. Thank you all.
(Applause.)
END 5:58 P.M. EDT
|