For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
August 26, 2004
Remarks by the President at Las Cruces, New Mexico Rally
New Mexico State University
Pan American Center
Las Cruces, New Mexico
11:15 A.M. MDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thanks for coming. (Applause.) Vamos a ganar.
(Applause.) Thanks for coming. It's great to be here. I am proud to
be traveling with my friend, Rudy Giuliani. (Applause.) This is a
part of the world, Rudy, where the boots outnumber the suits.
(Applause.) Nice to be in country where the cowboy hats outnumber the
ties. (Applause.)
I appreciate so many people showing up. I'm here to ask for the
vote. (Applause.) I believe it's important to get out and ask for the
vote. I believe it's important to travel this great state and our
country talking about where I intend to lead the country. And I'm so
proud to be traveling with a man who is a strong leader, a man who
brought calm to the citizens of New York City during a tragic day, a
man who helped lift the spirit of that important part of our country,
Rudy Giuliani. (Applause.)
I told Rudy, I said, Rudy, we're in good country here in Las
Cruces. I said, I know this part of the state well. You might
remember I used to be the governor of your neighbor. (Applause.) I
told Rudy, I said, I've been to Las Cruces a lot, and here in Las
Cruces, you're going to find some really fine people. (Applause.) And
after here, we're off to Farmington, and then back down to
Albuquerque. We're taking this state seriously. With your help we'll
carry New Mexico. With your help we'll carry the country in November.
(Applause.)
I'm sorry Laura is not here.
AUDIENCE: Awww --
THE PRESIDENT: No, I understand. I kissed her good-bye in
Crawford this morning, and I said, I've got to go to work.
(Laughter.) She said, you get over to New Mexico and you remind them
her kinfolk were raised right down the road in Anthony. (Applause.)
I'm proud of Laura. She's a great mom, a wonderful wife. (Applause.)
I'll give you some reasons why I think you ought to put me back in, but
perhaps the most important one of all is so Laura is the First Lady for
four more years. (Applause.)
I'm real proud of my running mate, Dick Cheney. He is a fine man.
(Applause.) I picked him not necessarily because he's the prettiest
face in America. (Laughter.) I picked him because he can get the job
done. I picked him for his experience and his judgment. (Applause.)
And I'm proud to be running with him, proud to call him friend, and
proud to call him running mate.
I'm also proud to be working with a great United States Senator in
Pete Domenici. Pete is a -- (applause) -- he's a close friend. He's a
great New Mexican. He's a wonderful person. He is on vacation. I
wish he and Nancy a well-deserved rest. I'm proud also to be here with
the United States Congressman, Steve Pearce. (Applause.) I'm glad you
brought Cynthia. It's good to see you both, proud to work with you.
I'm glad the Mayor is here. Bill Mattiace. Mr. Mayor, thanks for
coming -- fill the potholes. (Applause.)
I appreciate Ted Scanlon and los Desperados for playing here
today. (Applause.) I appreciate Mariachi Espuelas de Plata. I'm glad
they were here, and thank you all for coming. (Applause.) Most of
all, I want to thank the grassroots activists who are with us today. I
want to thank Al Solis, who is the party chairman from Dona Ana
County. (Applause.) I want to thank the people who put up the signs
and make the phone calls. I ask you to register your friends and
neighbors to vote. (Applause.)
We have a duty in this country to vote. We have an obligation in a
free society to show up to the polls. Please do your duty and get
people to vote. (Applause.) Get them into those polls. (Applause.)
Obviously, when you're working to gather the vote, I've got a
preference. (Laughter.) In order to keep this country safer, stronger,
and better put Dick and I back into office. (Applause.)
We've been through a lot together in the last four years, and we've
accomplished a great deal, but there's only reason to look backward at
the record, and that is who best to lead us forward. That's what I
want to talk about. I want to remind you we have much at stake in this
election, and we have more to do to move America forward. We have more
to do to create jobs and improve our schools. We have more to do to
fight terror, to protect the homeland. We have more to do to spread
freedom and peace. We've made much progress. I'm here to tell you I'm
ready for the job. I'm ready to accomplish more for the American
people. (Applause.)
We have more to do to make America's public schools the centers of
excellence we know they all can be so no child is left behind.
(Applause.) You might remember when we came to office three-and-a-half
years ago, children were being shuffled from grade to grade, year after
year, without learning the basics. So we challenged the soft bigotry
of low expectations. We've raised the bar. We believe in local
control of schools. But we believe in accountability so we can
determine whether every child is learning to read and write and add and
subtract. (Applause.)
We have more to do. I understand this is a changing world we live
in and, therefore, the jobs of the future will require more knowledge.
We've got to expand math and science in our high schools. We need
early intervention programs to make sure high school kids can read,
write, add and subtract. We want to make sure the high school diploma
means something. Over the next four years, a rising generation will
have the skills and confidence necessary to realize the American
Dream. (Applause.)
We have more to do to make quality health care available and
affordable. Listen, when we came to office, too many older Americans
could not afford prescription drugs and the Medicare didn't pay for
them. You might remember those old debates about Medicare -- oh, just
elect me, something is going to get done. But year after year, those
promises were empty. We got the job done. We've strengthened Medicare
for our seniors. (Applause.)
There's more to do. We've expanded quality care through community
health centers for low-income Americans. We've created health savings
accounts so families can save tax-free for their own health care
needs. When it comes to making -- giving Americans more choices, more
control over their lives, we're making progress. We're not turning
back.
There's more to do over the next four years. Most people get their
health insurance through small businesses, and yet, small businesses
are having trouble providing health coverage. To help more Americans
get health insurance, we must allow small employers to join together to
purchase insurance at the discounts that big companies get in America.
(Applause.)
We'll use technology to reduce costs and prevent mistakes. We'll
expand research to seek new cures for deadly diseases. And to make
sure you've got affordable and available health care here in New
Mexico, we need medical liability reform. (Applause.) These frivolous
lawsuits are running up the cost of health care and they're running
good docs out of business. See, I don't think you can be -- I don't
think you can be pro-patient and pro-doctor and pro-trial lawyer at the
same time. (Applause.) I think you have to choose. My opponent made
his choice and he put him on the ticket. I made my choice: I am for
medical liability reform. (Applause.)
We have more to do to make this economy stronger. Listen, we've
been through a lot, this economy. Think about it. We went through a
recession; the stock market decline; we've been through attacks; we've
had corporate scandals. But we've overcome these obstacles. We've
overcome them because the American workers are the best in the world.
We've overcome it because our farmers and ranchers know what they're
doing. We've overcome it -- (applause.) We've overcome these
obstacles because the entrepreneurial spirit is strong and the small
business sector of our economy is vibrant. I also think we've overcome
it because of well-timed tax cuts. (Applause.)
When you're talking to your friends and neighbors, just remember to
tell them we've helped American families by raising the child credit.
We've helped America's families by reducing the marriage penalty.
(Applause.) By the way, the tax code ought to encourage marriage, not
penalize marriage. (Applause.) We helped small businesses, and this
time the check actually was in the mail. (Applause.)
Because we acted, our economy since last summer has grown at a rate
as fast as any in nearly 20 years. Because we acted, we've created
about 1.5 million new jobs over the past 12 months. (Applause.)
Because we acted, the national unemployment rate is 5.5 percent.
Because we acted, the unemployment rate in your great state is 5.3
percent. Because we acted, the people of this country are working.
(Applause.)
There's more work to be done. In order to make sure American jobs
stay here in America, we need less regulations on our employers. You
ask your small business neighbor what it's like to fill out the
paperwork, they'll say it's quite onerous. My problem is I can't
promise anybody in Washington has ever read the paperwork.
We need tort reform to keep jobs here in America. To make sure
people can find good work here at home, we need an energy policy. We
need to become less dependent on foreign sources of energy.
(Applause.) In order to keep jobs here at home, we got to make sure
other nations treat us in trade the way we treat them. (Applause.)
Our markets are open for other -- for products from other countries
because it's good for consumers. And all we're saying is, just make
sure you open up your markets. We can compete with anybody, anyplace,
anywhere with fair rules. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
THE PRESIDENT: In order to make sure -- in order to make sure jobs
stay here, we got to make sure our workers gain the skills necessary to
fill the jobs of the 21st century. That's why I believe so strongly in
our community college system, to make sure that there's money
available, that the colleges are affordable for people all across
America to be able to match their desire to work with the skills
necessary to fill the new jobs. (Applause.)
In order to make sure we keep jobs here in America, we got to keep
your taxes low. (Applause.) And we got to be wise about how we spend
your money. I'm running against a fellow who has already made over
$2.2 trillion worth of new promises. And we're just getting started.
We're coming down the stretch. You know how tempting it is to get out
in front of people and make promise after promise, but he hasn't told
us how he's going to pay for it. Well, he said he's just going to tax
the rich. You've heard that kind of language before, haven't you?
AUDIENCE: Yesss --
THE PRESIDENT: Yes. Just remember why we got all those
accountants and lawyers out there. There's not enough money to tax the
rich to pay for all his promises. If he gets elected, he's going to
tax you. But the good news is we're not going to let him get elected.
(Applause.)
We have more to do to wage and win the war against terror. We have
more to do to keep this country secure. See, our future depends on our
willingness to lead in the world. If America shows uncertainty and
weakness in this decade, the world will drift toward tragedy. This
will not happen on my watch. (Applause.)
The world changed on a terrible September morning, and since that
day, we have changed the world. Before September the 11th, Afghanistan
served as the home base of al Qaeda, which trained and deployed
thousands of killers to set up cells all around the world, including
our own country. Today, because America acted, Afghanistan is a rising
democracy. Over ten million people have registered to vote in that
country. (Applause.) Afghanistan is an ally in the war on terror.
Many young girls now go to school for the first time, because we
acted. (Applause.) And America and the world are safer. (Applause.)
Before September 11th, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia didn't take al
Qaeda seriously. Today, they are allies in the war on terror, and
America and the world are safer. (Applause.) Before September the
11th, Libya was spending millions to acquire weapons of mass
destruction. Because America and our allies sent a strong and
easy-to-understand message, the leader of Libya abandoned his pursuit
of weapons of mass destruction, and America and the world are safer.
(Applause.)
Before September the 11th, the ruler of Iraq was a sworn enemy of
America. He was defying the world. You might remember, he was firing
weapons at American pilots who were enforcing the world's sanctions.
He purchased and used weapons of mass destruction. He invaded his
neighbors. He had harbored terrorists. He subsidized the families of
suicide bombers. He murdered tens of thousands of his own citizens.
He was a source of great instability --
MEMBER OF AUDIENCE: He's not doing it anymore! (Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: He was a source of great instability. I saw a
threat. One of the lessons of September the 11th that we must always
remember is that we must take threats seriously, before they fully
materialize. (Applause.) Remembering that lesson, I went to the
United States Congress; I said, I see a threat. They looked at the
intelligence, they looked at Saddam's history, they came to the same
conclusion I did, including my opponent. I went to the United Nations
-- I went to the United Nations because this country must always try
diplomacy first. I went to the U.N. I said, we see a threat. They
looked at the same intelligence. They remembered the same history of
Saddam Hussein. And as they had for over a decade, they demanded a
full accounting, a disposal of his weapons and weapons programs, or
face serious consequences. That's what they said. The world spoke.
As he had for over a decade, Saddam Hussein defied the world. He
said, I don't care what you say. We then sent inspectors into his
country. He systematically deceived the inspectors. So I had a choice
to make. Do I forget the lessons of September the 11th, and trust the
word of a madman, or take action to defend America. Given that choice,
I will defend our country every time. (Applause.)
Even though we didn't find the stockpiles we expected to find,
Saddam had the capability of making weapons. And he had the -- and he
had the willingness to pass that capability -- or he could have had the
willingness to pass that capability on to our enemy. It's a risk we
could not afford to take after September the 11th. (Applause.)
Knowing what I know today, I would have made the same decision --
America and the world are safer. (Applause.)
Now, almost after -- two years after he voted for the war in Iraq,
and seven months after switching positions to declare himself the
anti-war candidate, my opponent has found a new nuance: He now agrees
it was the right decision to go into Iraq. After months of questioning
my motives and even my credibility, my opponent now agrees with me that
even though we've not found the stockpile of weapons we all thought
were there, knowing everything we know today, he would have voted to go
into Iraq and remove Saddam Hussein. I want to thanks the Senator for
clearing that up. (Applause.) There's still a little over 60 days for
him to change his mind again. (Laughter.)
I'm running because I understand we have more to do. We will
continue to work with our friends and allies around the world to
aggressively pursue the terrorists in Afghanistan and Iraq and
elsewhere. See, you can't talk sense to these people. You cannot
negotiate with them. You cannot hope for the best. We must engage
them around the world so we do not have to face them here at home.
(Applause.)
America will continue to lead the world with confidence and moral
clarity. We have put together a strong coalition to help us defeat
terror. There are nearly 40 nations involved in Afghanistan, some 30
nations involved in Iraq, 60 nations involved in the Proliferation
Security Initiative. I'll continue to work to build alliances and work
with our friends for the sake of freedom and peace. But I'll never
turn over America's national security decisions to leaders of other
countries. (Applause.)
We'll keep our commitments to help Afghanistan and Iraq become
peaceful, democratic societies. Those two nations are now governed by
strong leaders, people committed to the aspirations of their people.
We have a clear goal in those two countries, to help them develop a
peaceful democratic country that will be an ally in the war on terror.
It's in our national interest that they become peaceful, free
countries. And to help them meet that goal, we're training Afghan
forces and Iraqi forces so they can do the hard work of securing their
country, so they can fight the terrorists who want to stop --
(applause.)
Our military will complete this mission as quickly as possible so
our troops do not stay a day longer than necessary. (Applause.) The
thing about our troops in these crucial times, our commitments are kept
by the men and women who wear our nation's uniform. (Applause.) At
bases across our country and around the world, I've had the privilege
of meeting with those who defend our security and defend our freedom.
I've seen their great decency and their unselfish courage. I assure
you, ladies and gentlemen, the cause of liberty is in great hands.
(Applause.) I want to thank the veterans who are here today for
setting such a great example for those who -- (applause.)
I made a commitment to our troops and to the families of our
troops, that they will have the resources they need to fight and win
the war on terror. Last September, while our troops were in combat in
Afghanistan and Iraq, I proposed supplemental funding to support them
in their mission. The legislation provided funding for body armor and
vital equipment, hazard pay, health benefits, ammunition, fuel and
spare parts for our military. (Applause.) We received great
bipartisan support for that important spending. Matter of fact, the
support was so strong that only 12 members of the United States Senate
voted against it. Two of them are my opponent and his running mate.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: The Senator tried to explain his vote by saying
this: "I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against
it." Now, he's offering a different explanation. Originally, he said
he was proud of the vote. And then when pressed, he said it was just a
complicated matter. There's nothing complicated about supporting our
troops in combat. (Applause.)
In the long run, our security is not guaranteed by force alone. We
must work to change the conditions that give rise to terror -- poverty
and hopelessness and resentment. A free and peaceful Iraq, a free and
peaceful Afghanistan will be powerful examples in a neighborhood that
is desperate for liberty. Free countries do not export terror. Free
countries do not stifle the dreams of their own citizens. By serving
the ideal of liberty, we're bringing hope to others, and that makes
America more secure. By serving the ideal of liberty, we're spreading
peace. By serving the ideal of liberty, we're serving the values we
hold dear to our heart. We understand that freedom is not America's
gift to the world; freedom is the Almighty God's gift to every person
in this world. (Applause.)
We have more to do to protect America. There are enemies out there
that still are plotting to harm us. See, my opponent said something I
thought was -- showed the contrast between our visions. He said that
the war with the terrorists is actually improving their recruiting
efforts. I think the logic is upside-down. I think it shows a
misunderstanding of the nature of these people. See, during the 1990s,
the terrorists were recruiting and training for war with us, long
before we went to war with them. They don't need an excuse for their
hatred. I think it's wrong to blame the actions of this country for
the evil of the killers. (Applause.) You don't create terrorists by
fighting back; you defeat the terrorists by fighting back. (Applause.)
We have more work to do, as the 9/11 Commission report said. It
said America -- it said, America -- the actions we've take have made
America safer, but not yet safe. I agree. And that's why we're
pushing hard for reforms in Washington, D.C. -- intelligence reforms.
That's why we created the Department of Homeland Security, so agencies
talk better, so that Washington now talks better with New Mexico, and
New Mexico talks better with Las Cruces -- the great first responders
here in this part of the world. (Applause.) We passed the Patriot
Act, which is a vital tool for our law enforcement to disrupt terrorist
cells before they attack in America. (Applause.)
We got a lot of good people working on your behalf to secure the
homeland. I want to thank them -- continually thank them for their
hard work. We're working hard to achieve reform in Washington, but
it's not easy over there in Washington to achieve reform. There's a
lot of entrenched interests. There's a lot of people willing to defend
the status quo. It's not enough to advocate reform, you have to be
able to get the job done.
When you're out there campaigning on my behalf, remember, when it
comes to reforming schools to provide excellent education for every
child, we're getting the job done. (Applause.) When it comes for
health care reforms to give our families and our seniors more access
and more choices, we're getting the job done. (Applause.) When it
comes to improving our economy, we're getting the job done.
(Applause.) When it comes to better securing our homeland, fighting
the forces of terror, and spreading freedom and peace, we're getting
the job done. (Applause.) Remind your friends and neighbors that when
it comes time to elect a President, put somebody in there who can get
the job done. (Applause.)
This is a time of rapid change for our country, and it's an
exciting time to be an American. Change can sometimes create
instability. And government ought to recognize that and stand
side-by-side with workers and families. The role of government is not
to give you orders; the role of government is to help you have the
tools necessary to be able to realize your dreams. And one way to do
that is to continue to promote an ownership society in America.
(Applause.) We want workers to be able to own their own health care
accounts, so they can take them from job to job, if they change jobs.
Listen, I see a lot of younger folks here, I want to thank you all
for coming. (Applause.) You ought to be listening very carefully to
the debate on Social Security. Baby boomers like me are just fine when
it comes to Social Security. Younger workers need to be concerned
about the fiscal sanity and fiscal stability of Social Security. I
believe younger workers ought to be able to own a personal retirement
account they call their own, so they can pass it on from one generation
to the next. (Applause.)
We want to create the conditions so more people own their own
business. The entrepreneurial spirit is strong in America; I intend to
keep it that way. Listen, one of the great statistics of the modern
era is more people -- the home ownership rate in America is at an
all-time high. (Applause.) We want to encourage -- we want more
people owning their own home. There's nothing better when somebody
opens the door and says, welcome to my home. (Applause.) I believe in
encouraging ownership because I know if you own something, you have a
vital stake in the future of our country.
In this changing world, there are some things that will not
change: our belief in liberty and opportunity and the non-negotiable
demands of human dignity. I believe the individual values we try to
live by -- courage and compassion, reverence and integrity, hard work
and duty. I believe in the institutions that give us purpose and
direction: our families, our schools, and our religious
congregations. (Applause.)
We stand for institutions like marriage and family, which are the
foundations of society. (Applause.) We stand for a culture of life in
which every person matters and every person counts. (Applause.) We
stand for judges who faithfully interpret the law, instead of
legislating from the bench. (Applause.) We stand for a culture of
responsibility in America. The culture of this country is changing
from one that has 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.
If you're fortunate enough to be a mother or a father, you're
responsible for loving your child with all your heart and all your
soul. (Applause.) If you're worried about the quality of the
education in the community in which you live, you're responsible for
doing something about it. If you're a CEO in corporate America, you're
responsible for telling the truth to your shareholders and your
employees. (Applause.) And in this responsibility society, each of us
is responsible for loving our neighbor, just like we'd like to be loved
ourselves. (Applause.)
I'm running for four more years to continue to rally the armies of
compassion which exist all across our country. I'm running to --
because I understand the role of government is limited. See,
government cannot hand out money, but it cannot put hope in a person's
heart or a sense of purpose in a person's life. That's done when a
loving soul puts their arm around somebody that hurts and says, I love
you, how can I help you? See, I believe strongly American society can
change one heart, one soul, one conscience at a time, by rallying the
true strength of America, which is the hearts and souls of the American
people. (Applause.)
For all Americans, these years in our history will 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 where
we need firm resolve, strong believe in the values that make us a great
nation.
None of us will ever forget that week when one era ended and
another began. On September the 14th, with Rudy by my side, I stood in
the ruins of the Twin Towers. It's a day I will never forget. There
were workers in hard-hats yelling at me, "Whatever it takes!" A fellow
just came out of the rubble, he had bloodshot eyes -- he looked at me
right in the eye and said, "Do not let me down." He took that day
personally. Everybody -- (applause.) I wake up every morning thinking
about how to better protect our country. I will never relent in
defending America, whatever it takes. (Applause.)
We've come through much together. The last years, we have come
through a lot. We have done a lot of hard work. There's more to be
done. We will spread opportunity and ownership to every corner of
America. We will pass enduring values of our country to another
generation. We will lead the cause of peace and freedom. And we will
prevail. (Applause.)
Four years ago, I traveled your great state and our country, when I
was asking for the vote. I made a pledge to our fellow Americans that
if you honored me with this great responsibility, I would uphold the
honor and the dignity of the office to which I had been elected. With
your help -- and with your help, I will do so for four more years.
Thanks for coming, and God bless. (Applause.) Thank you all.
Thank you all.
END 9:55 A.M. MDT
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