For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
September 27, 2004
President's Remarks at Victory 2004 Rally in West Chester, Ohio
Voice of America Park
West Chester, Ohio
4:39 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thanks for coming. Thank you all. Thanks for
coming. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all for coming. That's what I'm here to
tell you: I'm ready to lead this nation for four more years.
(Applause.) And I'm here to ask for your vote. (Applause.)
I think you've got to get out among the people and give them a
reason. That's what I'm here to do today, I'm here to give you a
reason why you ought to put me back in office for four more years. I
not only want your vote, I want your help. I'd like for you to
register your friends and neighbors, tell them we have a duty in this
country to participate in democracy. Register your Republican friends,
register your independent friends, register your discerning Democrat
friends, people like Zell Miller. (Applause.) And then -- and then
when it's voting time, head them to the polls and tell them if they
want a safer America, a stronger America and a better America, to put
me and Dick Cheney back in office. (Applause.)
Thanks for coming. It's a good sign when this many people come
here for a rally. Let me tell you what I think: I think we're going
to carry Ohio again and I think we're going to win a great victory in
November. (Applause.)
I wish -- I wish Laura were here today to see this crowd.
(Applause.) I'm going to have dinner with her tonight, and I cannot
wait to tell her what I saw. (Applause.) As you might remember, she
was a public school librarian. I asked her to marry me; she said,
fine, just so long as I don't ever have to give a speech. (Laughter.)
I said, okay. (Laughter.) Fortunately, she didn't hold me to that
promise. The American people got to see her in New York City a while
ago, saw what a strong, compassionate, great lady she is. (Applause.)
I love her dearly. Perhaps the most important reason to put me back
into office is so that Laura is First Lady for four more years.
(Applause.)
I'm proud of my running mate. Dick Cheney is a fine man. Listen,
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 of his
experience, his sound judgment; I picked him because he can get the job
done for the American people. (Applause.)
I'm proud to be on this stage with John Boehner. What a fine man
he is, and a great United States senator. (Applause.) I'm proud to
have worked with him on important legislation, and I'm proud to call
him friend. I'm honored that Mike DeWine is with me today, the fine
United States senator from the state of Ohio. I appreciate you coming,
Mike. (Applause.) Speaking about senators, I hope you put George
Voinovich back in office. He's a fine leader, good man. (Applause.)
I appreciate Congressman Rob Portman. (Applause.) Dave Hobson is
with us; Mike Turner; Steve Chabot. I want to thank you all for
coming. I'm proud -- proud you're serving the people of the great
state of Ohio so well.
I want to thank all the state and local officials who are here. I
know the Lieutenant Governor and the state auditor. My friend, Joe
Deters, is here. Write him in. (Applause.) Make sure you write him
in. He's a good one.
I want to thank all the grassroots activists. I see my friend,
Anthony Muoz, is here. I appreciate you. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: Muoz! (Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: Yes. He can still play, I agree. (Laughter.)
Fortunately, he's -- fortunately, he's on my team. (Applause.) I need
him. And I appreciate his hard work.
I want to thank Darryl Worley. I'm honored you're here, Darryl. I
hope you like his music as much as I do. (Applause.) Lakota East High
School and Lakota West High School, thank you all for being here.
(Applause.)
Most of all, thank you all for coming. It lifts my spirits to see
so many people. I'm honored you're here, and I appreciate your
interest in this campaign. You know, I'm looking forward to
campaigning. I like it. I like to tell people what I believe, where I
stand, and where I intend to lead this nation for the next four years.
(Applause.)
I believe every child can learn and every school must teach.
(Applause.) I went to -- I went to Washington to challenge the soft
bigotry of low expectations. I didn't like a system that had low
expectations and just shuffled kids through school year after year,
grade after grade without teaching the basics. That's not right.
That's not the America we know. So I worked with John Boehner to
change the laws. We've raised the standards. We now measure so we can
solve problems early, before they're too late. We trust the local
people to run their schools. We're making progress in America. An
achievement gap is closing, and we're not going to turn back.
(Applause.)
I believe we have a moral responsibility to honor our seniors with
good health care. I went to Washington to solve problems, not to pass
them on to future Presidents. I felt like we had a problem in
Medicare. Medicine was modernizing, but Medicare wasn't. Take, for
example, the fact that Medicare would pay some hundred thousand dollars
for heart surgery but not one dime for the prescription drugs that
would prevent the heart surgery from being needed in the first place.
That wasn't fair to our seniors. It's not fair to the taxpayers. We
brought people together. We've strengthened and modernized medicine.
Our seniors will be getting prescription drugs in Medicare in 2006, and
we're not going to turn back. (Applause.)
I believe in the energy and innovative spirit of America's workers,
and small business owners, and farmers and ranchers. And that's why we
unleashed that energy with the largest tax relief in a generation.
(Applause.)
Listen, our economy has been through a lot. You might remember the
stock market had been declining for about five months prior to our
arrival in Washington, D.C. And then when the recession came and hit
us, and then some of our citizens forgot what it meant to be a
responsible American -- they didn't tell the truth to their
shareholders and their employees. We passed tough laws in the face of
those corporate sandals. We made it abundantly clear: We will not
tolerate dishonesty in the boardrooms of America. (Applause.)
And then we got hit on September the 11th, and that hurt our
economy, as well. When you're out there rounding up the vote, you
remind people what this economy has been through. But our economy is
strong and it is getting stronger. Our economy has been growing at
rates as fast as any in nearly 20 years. The national unemployment
rate is 5.4 percent, which is lower than the unemployment rate --
average unemployment rate in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. (Applause.)
Still, parts of our country are lagging behind. You've got some people
who are hurting here in Ohio. I know that. I'm not going to rest
until every American who wants to work can find a job. We'll continue
to promote pro-growth, pro-small business, pro-farmer economic policy
so everybody has a chance to be able to make a living. (Applause.)
I believe the most solemn duty of the American President is to
protect the American people. (Applause.) If America shows uncertainty
and weakness in this decade, the world will drift toward tragedy. This
is not going to 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.) I believe this nation wants
steady, consistent, principled leadership, and that is why, with your
help, we'll carry Ohio and win a great victory in November.
(Applause.)
I understand the world we live in is changing. In the generation
of our dads and granddads, a man generally had one job, one career,
worked for one company that provided a pension plan and health care.
This is a different world we're living in. Many people change jobs and
careers during the course of a lifetime. Women work inside the house
and now, outside the house, as well. Yet, the fundamental systems of
our government haven't changed. In a changing world -- think about
this -- the fundamental systems, the tax code and health coverage and
pension plans and worker training, were created for the world of
yesterday, not tomorrow. I'm running for four more years to help
transform these systems so that all citizens are equipped and prepared
and, thus, truly free to make your own choices and pursue your own
dreams. (Applause.)
A hopeful society is one that helps people realize their dreams. A
hopeful society is one in which people can find work. I have a plan to
make sure this recovery is lasting prosperity. If we want jobs to stay
here in America, America must be the best place in the world to do
business. (Applause.) If we want jobs here, we got to do something
about these needless regulations that hamper our small business
owners. If you want jobs here in America, we must do something about
the frivolous lawsuits that make it hard to expand the job base.
(Applause.)
Listen, if you want jobs here, Congress needs to pass my energy
plan. You cannot have a growing economy without a good energy plan. I
submitted a plan that encourages conservation, a plan that uses
renewables like ethanol and biodiesel, a plan that says we can use our
coal in environmentally friendly ways by using clean coal technology, a
plan that says we'll explore for natural gas in environmentally
friendly ways using new technologies, a plan that modernizes our
electricity grid, a plan that recognizes that in order to keep jobs
here, America must be less dependent on foreign sources of energy.
(Applause.)
Listen, to create jobs, we got to reject economic isolationism. We
don't want to wall ourselves off from the world. One in five jobs in
the manufacturing sector in this country depend on exports. See, we've
opened up our markets -- I didn't open up the markets. Previous
Presidents, both Republicans and Democrats, just like me, realized it's
to your advantage that you've got more products to choose from. See,
when you get more products to choose from, you're going to find what
you want at a better price and higher quality. That's how the
marketplace works. That's why I'm saying to places like China, you
treat us the way we treat you. You treat us fairly just the way we
treat you fairly. You open up your markets to our people -- and I say
that because I know we can compete with anybody, anytime, anywhere if
the rules are fair. (Applause.)
To create jobs, to make sure people can find work here, 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 proposed $2.2 trillion in new federal spending, so far.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: Imagine what's going to happen when we get to
October. (Laughter.) Two point two trillion, that's a lot of money,
even for a Senator from Massachusetts. (Laughter.) So they asked him,
how are you going to pay for it? He said, fine, we'll just tax the
rich. You've heard that, haven't you? See, you can't raise enough
money to pay -- by taxing the rich to pay off $2.2 trillion worth of
new spending. There's a tax gap. You know who fills the tax gap?
Yes, you do.
I'll tell you something else about that rhetoric, "tax the rich."
The rich hire lawyers and accountants for a reason, to stick you with
the bill. The good news is, he's not going to tax you, because we're
going to win in November. (Applause.)
I'll say something else about the tax code --
AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
THE PRESIDENT: I told you -- I told you, our systems need to
change; the tax code needs to change. It is a complicated mess. The
tax code is a million pages long. Our people spend six billion hours a
year filling out taxes. It's full of special interest loopholes. I'm
going to bring Republicans and Democrats together in a new term to
simplify this tax code, to make it more fair for the people of
America. (Applause.)
See, I've got a plan to make sure our workers have the skills
necessary to fill the jobs of the 21st century. These are changing
times, and the nature of jobs change with them. And sometimes people
need help in order to get the skills necessary to fill the jobs for the
21st century. That's why I'm such a strong backer in the community
college system. I also understand that most new jobs in a changing
world are filled by people with at least two years of college; yet,
only one in four of our students gets there. That's while we'll fund
early intervention programs to help students at risk in our high
schools. That's why we'll emphasize math and science. 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
families, we will help more Americans start their career with a college
diploma. (Applause.)
In a time of change we need to do something about our health care
system. When it comes to health care, I want you to listen to this
debate now, coming down the pike. When it comes to health care, we
have a philosophical divide. (Laughter.) My opponent wants government
to dictate to you. I want you to decide. I want you to be the
decision-maker. (Applause.)
More than half of the Americans who are currently uninsured work
for small businesses. Small businesses are having trouble affording
health care. In order to make sure these good folks have got health
care, in order to make sure health care is more available and
affordable for small business owners, we must allow small businesses to
pool together so they can buy insurance at the same discounts that big
companies can. (Applause.) Under this plan, small business owners and
employees will be the deciders. My opponent opposes this kind of
plan. He wants government to decide on behalf of people.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: We need to expand tax-free health savings
accounts. We'll give small business owners tax credits to encourage
them to put money in health savings accounts for their employees. We
want people owning a health savings account so they can make medical
decisions on the advice of a doctor, not on somebody working for an
HMO. (Applause.)
We will expand community health centers to every poor county in
America to help the indigent and the poor. We want people to have
access to health care. We'll make sure that our low-income children's
programs are fully enrolled in. We want people to -- people who can't
afford health care, we want to make sure health care is available for
them.
But I'm going to tell you what else we need to do, in order to make
sure health care is available and affordable, we got to stop these junk
lawsuits that are running good doctors out of practice and running up
the cost of your health care. (Applause.) I've talked to too many
OB/GYNs in this country who are getting sued and having trouble
practicing their medicine. And that hurts women. No, we need to -- we
need to make sure that we do something different than what we're doing
in lawsuits -- in the legal system today. See, you cannot be
pro-doctor, pro-patient, pro-hospital, and pro-trial lawyer at the same
time. (Applause.) I think you have to choose. My opponent made his
choice and he put a trial lawyer on the ticket.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: I made my choice: I'm for medical liability
reform, now. (Applause.) Now, in all we do to make sure health care
is available and affordable, we'll make sure that the decisions are
made by doctors and patients, not by bureaucrats in Washington, D.C.
(Applause.)
Listen, in changing times, it helps people to have stability if
they own something. The home ownership rate in America is at an
all-time high under my administration. (Applause.) More and more
people are owning their own home. We've got a plan over the next four
years to continue to expand home ownership to every corner of this
country. I want more people owning the -- opening up that door of the
house they live in and say: Welcome to my home; welcome to my piece of
property. (Applause.)
We've got to think differently about retirement systems, too.
Listen, if you're on Social Security, you don't have a thing to worry
about. You might remember the campaign four years ago when they said,
"If George W. gets elected, you're not going to get your check."
Remember those ads? You got your check, didn't you? (Applause.)
Don't listen to them this time, either. Baby boomers are in pretty
good shape when it comes to Social Security. But we need to worry
about our children and our grandchildren when it comes to Social
Security. We need to think differently about retirement. I think
younger workers ought to be allowed to take some of their own money and
set up a personal savings account to make sure Social Security meets
its promise, a Social Security account you call your own, a Social
Security account that government cannot take away. (Applause.)
We have a difference of philosophy in this campaign. My opponent's
programs expand government. My programs expand freedom and opportunity
for every American. Listen, in changing times, things -- some things
won't change, the values we try to live by: courage and compassion,
reverence and integrity. In changing times, we'll support the
institutions that gives 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.) I stand for the appointment
of federal judges who know the difference between personal opinion and
the strict interpretation of the law. (Applause.)
And we'll continue to work to spread the responsibility culture in
this country. The culture of our country is changing from one that
said, if it feels good do it, and, if you've got a problem, blame
somebody else, to a culture in which each of us understands we're
responsible for the decisions we make in life. (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'll defend the homeland, we will
transform our military, we'll strengthen our intelligence services, we
will stay on the offensive. We will defeat the terrorists abroad so we
do not have to face them here at home. (Applause.) We will work to
advance liberty and freedom throughout the world, 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 Arabia was fertile ground for terrorist fundraising,
Libya was secretly pursuing nuclear weapons, Iraq was a gathering
threat, and al Qaeda was largely unchallenged as it planned attacks.
Because we acted, the government of a free Afghanistan is fighting
terror, Pakistan is capturing terrorist leaders, Saudi is making raids
and arrests, Libya is dismantling its weapons programs, The army of a
free Iraq is fighting terror, and more than three-quarters of al
Qaeda's key members have been brought to justice. (Applause.)
We've led. Many have joined. And America and the world are
safer. We've still got hard work. This progress involved careful
diplomacy, clear moral purpose and some hard decisions -- the hardest
came on Iraq. We knew Saddam Hussein's record of aggression. We knew
he was a sworn enemy of America. We knew of his support for terror.
After all, he harbored Abu Nidal, the leader of a terrorist
organization that carried out attacks throughout Europe and Asia. Abu
Abbas was in his country. He's the person that killed Leon
Klinghoffer. Zarqawi, the beheader, had been in Baghdad prior to our
arrival. We knew Saddam Hussein's long history of pursuing and even
using weapons of mass destruction. We knew that. And we know that
after September the 11th, our country must think differently. We must
take threats seriously before they -- before they fully materialize.
(Applause.)
In this dangerous world, we must never forget the lessons of
September the 11th. We have a duty to protect the American people. We
must take each threat seriously. So in Saddam Hussein we saw a threat,
and I went to the Congress. The Congress looked at the intelligence I
looked at, remembered the same history I remembered, and voted
overwhelmingly to authorize the use of force. My opponent looked at
the same intelligence I looked at, and he voted "yes" when it came time
to authorize the use of force.
Before the Commander-in-Chief commits troops into harm's way, he
must try everything possible to prevent war. And so I went to the
United Nations hoping that diplomacy would finally work with Saddam
Hussein. That's why I went there. I have a duty to the moms and dads
and husbands and wives of those who wear the uniform to try everything
to protect our country without the use of the military. And so I stood
in front of the United Nations and made the case. They looked at the
same intelligence I did, they remembered the same history, and they
voted 15 to nothing to say to Saddam Hussein: disclose, disarm, or
face serious consequences. I believe when an international body
speaks, it must mean what it says. (Applause.)
Saddam Hussein didn't believe it. He didn't believe it. Last year
-- after all, for 16 years, he had ignored the United Nations -- excuse
me, 10 years, 16 resolutions. That's resolution, after resolution,
after resolution. As a matter of fact, when they sent inspectors into
his country, he systematically deceived them. Diplomacy wasn't going
to work. He wasn't about to listen to our demands. So we gave him a
last chance; he ignored the last chance. And then I had a choice to
make: take the word of a madman, forget the lessons of September the
11th, or do what's necessary to defend this country. Given that
choice, I will defend America every time. (Applause.)
Because we acted to defend our country, 50 million people in
Afghanistan and Iraq now live in freedom. (Applause.) Think about
what happened in Afghanistan. That was a country run by the Taliban.
They were barbarians. They think the exact opposite of the American
people. They do not believe in freedom. Many young girls were not
allowed to go to school in that country. Imagine a society that would
not allow young girls to go to school; and then when their moms stepped
out of line, they whipped them in the public school, sometimes killed
them in a sports stadium. But today, the free people of Afghanistan
are now able to register to vote. Ten million citizens, 41 percent of
whom are women, have registered to vote in the upcoming October
elections. (Applause.) It's a powerful statement of freedom.
(Applause.)
It's in our interests that Afghanistan be free. There's no longer
training camps there. Al Qaeda can no longer find safe haven.
Afghanistan is now an ally in the war on terror. And Afghanistan
stands as a bright light, stands in contrast to that ideology of hatred
spread by our enemies.
In Iraq, despite ongoing violence, they now have a strong Prime
Minister, a national council, and national elections will be held in
January. (Applause.) I met with Prime Minister Allawi. He's a strong
man. I wanted to make sure he was as committed to freedom as we were.
He is. I looked him in the eye; he told me, he said, Mr. President,
we'll succeed if you don't let these terrorists shake your will. I
told him, I said, when America gives its word, Mr. Prime Minister,
America will keep its word. (Applause.)
A strong man, who knows that they can achieve their objective,
which is a free society. It's in our interest they achieve a free
society. It's in our interest that Iraq be free. Iraq will be an ally
in the war on terror. Iraq will be standing with the nations of
freedom to stop these ideologues of hate from advancing their cause.
You know, when the Prime Minister was here, he received great
accolades, except there was one noticeable voice. My opponent
criticized Prime Minister Allawi here in the United States.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: He criticized a brave man who's risking his life
for the freedom of his country and for our security. You cannot lead,
you cannot lead a coalition, you cannot convince the Iraqi people that
we stand with them if, when their Prime Minister and their leader comes
to U.S. soil, someone is willing to criticize him. (Applause.) He
was wrong to question his credibility. America must stand with these
people as they make the hard choices for freedom. It's in our
interest. The world will be more peaceful when Iraq is free. And Iraq
will be free. (Applause.)
And that's our mission. We will help train Iraqi citizens and
Afghan citizens so they can do the hard work of defending their country
against these terrorists who want to stop the march of freedom. We'll
get them on the path to stability and democracy as quickly as possible,
and then our troops will come home with honor they have earned.
(Applause.)
Listen, we got a great United States military. I'm proud to be
their Commander-in-Chief. (Applause.) And I want to thank the
veterans who are here today for having set such a great example for
those who wear the uniform. Thank you, sir. (Applause.) And I want
to share with the loved ones of those who wear the uniform, they'll
have the full support of the government. (Applause.) That's why I
went -- that's why I went to Congress and asked for $87 billion to
provide vital equipment and fuel and ammunition, body armor for our
troops in harm's way in both Iraq and Afghanistan. This was an
important piece of legislation. Matter of fact, it was so important we
got great bipartisan support. Only 12 members of the United States
Senate voted against the funding request, two of whom are my opponent
and his running mate.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: When you're out rounding up the vote -- when you're
out rounding up the vote, remind people of this fact: Four members of
the United States Senate voted to authorize force and didn't vote to
fund the troops -- only four members, two of whom are my opponent and
his running mate.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: You might remember, they asked him, how could you
make that vote? He said, well, I actually did vote for the $87
billion, before I voted against it. They kept pressing him. He said
he's proud of his vote. And, finally, he said, the whole thing was a
complicated matter. (Laughter.) There's nothing complicated about
supporting our troops in combat. (Applause.)
I appreciate the contributions our friends and allies are making in
our cause. They've been helping. We've got some 40 nations involved
in Afghanistan, nearly 30 in Iraq, and I thank them. I'm not going to
denigrate their service, I'm going to continue to thank their service
in the cause of freedom. I believe they're doing useful, important
work. Over the next four years, I'll continue to work with our allies
and friends, but I will never turn over America's national security
decisions to leaders of other countries. (Applause.)
Later this week, I'm going to have an opportunity to debate my
opponent. (Applause.) It's been a little tough to prepare for the
debates because he keeps changing his positions. (Laughter and
applause.) Especially on the war. I mean, after all, he voted for the
use of force, but against funding the troops. He said that we're not
spending enough money to reconstruct Iraq, yet now says we're spending
too much. He said it was the right decision to go into Iraq, yet now
he calls it the wrong war.
AUDIENCE: Flip-flop! Flip-flop! Flip-flop!
THE PRESIDENT: I think he can spend 90 minutes debating himself.
(Laughter and applause.) You cannot lead if you don't know where you
stand. (Applause.) I'm going to continue to speak as clearly as I can
and tell the people what I believe. And I'm not going to change
positions when times get tough. (Applause.)
I believe in the transformational power of liberty. I believe the
wisest use of American strength is to advance freedom. I like to tell
the people that one of my favorite leaders is Prime Minister Koizumi of
Japan. I saw him New York. I said, do you mind if I talk about you on
the campaign trail? He said, fine. I said, all right, I'm going tell
them you like Elvis. (Laughter.) Which he does. (Laughter.)
I want you to think about this when you're explaining to people
about what I mean by the transformational power of liberty -- think
about this fact, that it wasn't all that long ago that we were fighting
Japan as a sworn enemy of America. Fifty-eight years ago, it seems
like a long -- if you're 58 years old, it seems like a long time.
(Laughter.) In the march of history, it really wasn't all that long.
My dad was in the war. I suspect many people's relatives were in that
war against a sworn enemy.
After we won World War II, Harry Truman, said, why don't we help
the Japanese become a democracy -- because he believed in the
transformational power of liberty. There were a lot of skeptics in our
country then. They said, well, you know, they were an enemy. They
can't be a democracy. Or why worry? They were an enemy. They
inflicted too much harm on us. But, fortunately, the President and
others stood their line, they believed. And today, because of that
belief, I sit down with Prime Minister Koizumi, talking about how to
keep the peace we all want. Think about that. (Applause.) And that's
what we want. We want our children and grandchildren to be able to
grow up in a peaceful world.
I believe we have that obligation to work for that peaceful world.
And when we succeed in Iraq -- you see, Zarqawi has only got one
weapon. He can't beat us militarily. The only thing he can do is
shake our conscience because we value human rights and human dignity.
We weep when we see the brutality he inflicts on TV. It breaks our --
that's the only weapon he has. We also understand that freedom will
whip the Zarqawis of the world in the long-term. (Applause.) In the
long-term, free societies will make this world a peaceful place.
Someday, an American President will be sitting down with a duly elected
leader of Iraq, and they'll be talking about the peace. And our
children and our grandchildren will be able to grow up in a better
world. (Applause.)
I believe the women in the broader Middle East yearn to be free. I
believe that moms in every society want to raise their children in a
free society. I believe that if given the chance, people in the
broader Middle East will choose the -- the finest government ever
devised by man, and
that's democracy. I believe all these things not because freedom
is America's gift to the world. I believe this because 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, we'll help more
Americans 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 cause of
freedom and peace.
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 makes 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. I'll never forget the day. I'll never forget the
sights and sounds of standing in that rubble. I remember workers in
hard hats yelling at me: Whatever it takes. I remember doing my best
to console those who had come out of the rubble, and a guy looked me
right in the eye, and he said: Don't let me down. I've waken up every
morning since that day thinking about how best to protect America. I
will never relent in defending the security of this country, whatever
it takes. (Applause.)
Four years ago, as I traveled your great state asking for the vote,
I said if you -- I made a pledge that if you gave me a chance to serve
our great country, I would uphold the honor and the dignity of the
office to which I had been elected. With your help, and with your hard
work, I will do so for four more years.
God bless. Thanks for coming. Thank you all. (Applause.) Thank
you, firefighters. (Applause.)
END 5:20 P.M. EDT
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