For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
October 25, 2004
President's Remarks in Council Bluffs, Iowa
Mid-America Center
Council Bluffs, Iowa
2:51 P.M. CDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all for coming. Thank you all. Thanks
for coming; I appreciate you being here. Laura and I are so honored so
many came out to say hello -- you're lifting our spirits. (Applause.)
I want to thank all the Iowans who are here; thank you for coming.
(Applause.) I want to thank those of you from the great state of
Nebraska who took the -- (applause.) We're here -- we are here to not
only ask for the vote in this part of the world, we're here to ask for
your help. We're here to say that we need your help coming down the
stretch: we need you to make the phone calls, find your friends and
neighbors and encourage them to go to the polls. With your help, we
will carry Iowa and win a great victory on November the 2nd.
(Applause.)
So when I asked Laura to marry me, she was a public school
librarian, and she said -- (applause) -- she said -- and some of you
will probably be able to relate to this -- she said, fine, I will marry
you, but make me a promise. I said, what is it? She said, promise me
I'll never have to give a political speech. (Laughter.) I said,
you've got a deal. Fortunately, she didn't hold me to that promise.
She's giving a lot of speeches, and when she speaks the American people
see a warm, strong, great First Lady. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: Laura! Laura! Laura!
THE PRESIDENT: I'm proud of my running mate, Dick Cheney.
(Applause.) Now, look, I fully admit he does not have the waviest hair
in this race. (Laughter.) But I want to assure you, I didn't pick him
because of his hairdo. (Laughter.) I picked him because of his
experience, I picked him because of his judgment. (Applause.)
We had breakfast with Rudy at our ranch in Crawford. We've just
come from Greeley, Colorado. We're headed to Davenport, Iowa. I tell
you, it's a great joy to travel with Rudy Giuliani. I'm proud to have
his support, and I'm honored to call him, friend. (Applause.) And by
the way, his wife, Judith, is traveling with us, too. (Applause.)
So -- so the last time I saw Senator Grassley, I turned to Laura
and said, Laura, you know the South Lawn has got a lot of grass on it.
And we're looking for somebody to come and mow it. (Laughter.) Let me
tell you something about your Senator. When it came time to cut the
taxes on the working people of this country, Senator Grassley led the
charge in the United States Senate. (Applause.) When it came time to
strengthen Medicare to make sure our seniors got prescription drug
coverage and rural hospitals were treated fairly, Senator Grassley led
the United States Senate. (Applause.) I know the people of Iowa are
proud to call him, Senator. I'm proud to call him, Mr. Chairman.
(Applause.)
I want to thank Congressman Steve King, from Iowa, for joining us
today. Congressman, you're doing a fine job. I appreciate you being
here. (Applause.)
I want to thank all the grassroots activists who are here. I want
to thank those of you who are putting up the signs. I want to thank
those of you who are making the phone calls. I want to thank you for
what you're going to do, which is turn out a big vote on November the
2nd. (Applause.)
I want to thank -- I want to thank my friend, Michael W. Smith, for
singing for you this evening. (Applause.) I want to thank all of you
who are here who wear our nation's uniform. Thank you for your
service. (Applause.) I want to thank the veterans who are here for
having set such a great example for our military. (Applause.) And I
want to thank our military families for the sacrifices you have made.
(Applause.)
In the last week of this campaign, I will continue to talk about my
vision for a more hopeful America. I'm committed to low taxes and
spending discipline. (Applause.) We'll talk about how to make sure
the entrepreneurial spirit is strong in America. (Applause.) I'll
talk about how to make sure our farm economy remains strong in
America. In the next four years, we'll stay on the path of reform and
results in our schools, so no child is left behind in America.
(Applause.) I'll remind people we have a plan to make sure health care
is more affordable and accessible, and that in all we do to reform
health care, we'll make sure the decisions are made between doctors and
patients, not by officials in Washington, D.C. (Applause.)
I will remind the people that over the next four years, we'll keep
the promise of Social Security for our seniors, and we'll strengthen
the system for our children and our grandchildren. (Applause.) I will
tell the people we'll continue to promote a culture of life in which
every person matters and every being counts. (Applause.) I will
remind them that we'll protect family and marriage, which are the
foundations of our society. (Applause.) And I will tell the people
that I'll name federal judges who know the difference between personal
opinion and the strict interpretation of the law. (Applause.)
Yet, all progress we hope to make depends on the security of our
nation. We face enemies who hate our country and would do anything to
harm us. We will fight these enemies with every asset of our national
power. We will do our duty and protect the American people.
(Applause.)
And that's what I want to talk to you and the good people of Iowa
and Nebraska about today, our national security. In the last four
years we've been through a lot of history. We saw a ruthless, sneak
attack on the United States. We learned of heroism on doomed
airplanes. We saw the bravery of rescuers rushing toward danger.
(Applause.) We have seen our military bring freedom to the oppressed
and justice to our enemy. (Applause.) Our nation has shown its
character to the world. We are proud to be Americans. (Applause.)
We are now -- we are now nearing the first presidential election
since September the 11th, 2001. People of the United States will
choose the leader of the free world in the middle of a global war. The
choice is not only between two candidates, it's between two directions
in the conduct of the war on terror. The American voters -- the
American voters must answer these questions: Will America return to
the defensive, reactive mind-set that sought to manage the dangers to
our country?
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: Or will we fight a real war, with the goal of
victory? (Applause.) In every critical aspect, my opponent and I see
the war on terror differently, and Americans need to consider those
differences as they make a vital choice.
First, I believe that America wins wars by fighting on the
offensive. (Applause.) When I saw all those images of fire and death
on September the 11th, I made a decision: Our country will not sit
back and wait for future attacks; we will prevent those attacks by
going after the enemy. (Applause.)
And so since that day we are waging a global campaign, from the
mountains of Central Asia to the deserts of the Middle East, from the
Horn of Africa to the Philippines. And those efforts are succeeding.
Since September the 11th, 2001, more than three-quarters of al Qaeda's
key members and associates have been brought to justice, and the rest
of them know we're on their trail. (Applause.)
After September the 11th, we set a new direction for American
policy and endorsed a doctrine that is clear to all: If you support or
harbor terrorists, you're equally guilty of terrorist murder.
(Applause.)
We destroyed the terror camps that trained thousands of killers in
Afghanistan. We removed the Taliban from power. We persuaded the
governments in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia to recognize the enemy and to
join the fight. (Applause.) We ended the regime of Saddam Hussein,
which sponsored terror. (Applause.) And we know that America and the
world are safer with Saddam Hussein sitting in a prison cell.
(Applause.)
AUDIENCE: USA! USA! USA!
THE PRESIDENT: We sent a message to Libya -- we sent a clear
message to Libya, which has now given up its weapons of mass
destruction programs. (Applause.) We have acted, through diplomacy
and force, to shrink the area where the terrorists can freely operate,
and our strategy has the terrorists on the run. (Applause.)
My opponent has a different point of view.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: He says that by fighting terrorists in the Middle
East, America has "created terrorists where they did not exist."
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: This is his argument, that terrorists are somehow
less dangerous, or fewer in number if America avoids provoking them.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: But this represents a fundamental misunderstanding
of the enemy. We're dealing with killers who have made the death of
Americans the calling of their lives. If America were not fighting
these killers west of Baghdad and in the mountains of Afghanistan and
elsewhere, what does Senator Kerry think they would do? Would they --
would they begin leading productive lives of service and charity?
AUDIENCE: No!
THE PRESIDENT: Would the terrorists who behead innocent people on
camera just be quiet and peaceful citizens if we had not liberated
Iraq?
AUDIENCE: No!
THE PRESIDENT: We are fighting the terrorists with our military in
Afghanistan and Iraq and beyond so we do not have to face them in the
streets of our cities. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
THE PRESIDENT: America -- America is not to blame for terrorist
hatred, and no retreat by America would appease them. We don't create
terrorists by fighting them -- we defeat the terrorists by fighting
them. (Applause.)
Our second difference -- our second difference concerns Iraq. I
believe victory in Iraq is essential to victory in the war on terror.
And we have had a strategy to achieve that victory. The stakes in that
country are high. If a terror regime were allowed to re-emerge in
Iraq, terrorists would again find a home, a source of funding, and
vital support. They would correctly conclude that free nations do not
have the will to defend themselves. As Iraq succeeds as a free society
at the heart of the Middle East, an ally in the war on terror and a
model for hopeful reform in a troubled region, the terrorists will
suffer a crushing defeat, and every free nation will be more secure.
(Applause.)
We are still -- we are still confronting serious violence from
determined enemies. Yet, the Iraqi Interim Government, with American
and coalition support, is making progress, week by week. Along with
Iraqi forces, we're on the offensive in Fallujah and north Babil.
We've restored government control in Samarra and Tala Far and Najaf.
More than 100,000 Iraqi soldiers, police and border guards are already
trained and equipped and bravely serving their country. And more than
200,000 will be in place at the end of next year. An Iraqi independent
electoral commission is up and running. Politics parties are planning
campaigns. And free and fair Iraqi elections will be held on schedule
this coming January. (Applause.)
The despicable executions of unarmed Iraqi security forces show the
evil nature of the terrorists we fight, and prove those terrorists are
enemies of the Iraqi people and the American people and the civilized
world. The terrorists and insurgents hate our progress and fight our
progress, but they will not stop our progress. (Applause.)
We will stay on the offense and we will prevail. We will help
Iraqis get on the path to stability and democracy as quickly as
possible, and then our troops will return home with the honor they have
earned. (Applause.)
My opponent has a different view.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: The Senator calls America's mission in Iraq a
mistake, a diversion, a colossal error.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: And then says he's the right man to win the war.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: You cannot win a war you do not believe in
fighting. (Applause.)
On Iraq, my opponent has a strategy of pessimism and retreat. He
has talked about artificial timetables to pull our troops out. He has
sent the signal that America's overriding goal in Iraq would be to
leave, even if the job is not done.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: That sends the wrong message. It sends the wrong
message to Iraqis who need to know that America will never cut and
run. (Applause.) That sends the wrong message to our troops and the
troops of our coalition, who need to know that we will honor their
sacrifice by completing the mission. (Applause.) My opponent has the
wrong strategy for the wrong country at the wrong time. (Applause.)
On this vital front of the war on terror, protest is not a policy,
retreat is not a strategy, and failure is not an option. (Applause.)
As long as I am the Commander-in-Chief, America will never retreat in
the face of terrorism. (Applause.)
Third -- third, I believe that American leadership is indispensable
to winning the war on terror. Ever since September the 11th, 2001,
America has sounded a certain trumpet. We have stated clearly the
challenge to civilization, and we have rallied many nations to oppose
it. More than 90 nations are actively engaged in the war on terror.
(Applause.) All 26 NATO nations have personnel in either Iraq,
Afghanistan, or both. (Applause.) NATO has taken leadership of an
international force in Afghanistan, the first out-of-area deployment in
the history of our alliance. (Applause.) Japan has deployed forces to
Iraq, the first overseas mission in the history of their democracy.
(Applause.) Forces from South Korea are in Iraq, as well. America has
led, many have joined, and America and the world are safer.
(Applause.)
My opponent takes a different approach. He believes that instead
of leading with confidence, America must submit to what he calls a
global test.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: I'm not making that up. (Laughter.) He was
standing right about just there when I heard him say it. (Applause.)
As far as I can tell -- as far as I can tell, that means our country
must get permission from foreign capitals before we act in our own
self-defense.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: As President, I will always work with other
countries and seek their advice. But there is a world of difference
between working with good allies and giving a few reluctant nations
veto power over our role in the world. (Applause.) I will never
submit our national security decisions to the veto of a foreign
government. (Applause.)
In addition to a global test, my opponent promises what he calls, a
golden age of diplomacy, to charm critical governments all over the
world.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: I don't see much diplomatic skill in Senator
Kerry's habit of insulting America's closest friends. (Applause.) He
has called the countries serving alongside us in Iraq, "a trumped-up
coalition of the bribed, the coerced, the bought and the extorted."
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: Even last week, my opponent said that we have,
"hardly anyone with us in Iraq."
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: That is a deeply offensive way to treat some 30
nations that are in Iraq, especially the 14 nations that have lost
forces in our cause. (Applause.) How can Senator Kerry denigrate the
contributions of countries led by the likes of Tony Blair of Great
Britain -- (applause) -- John Howard of Australia -- (applause) -- or
Silvio Berlusconi of Italy -- (applause) -- or Aleksander Kwasniewski
of Poland -- (applause) -- and then expect other leaders to stand with
America in the future? You cannot expand an alliance by showing
contempt for those already in it. (Applause.) In this time of
challenge to civilization, America has found strong and responsible
allies. They deserve the respect of all Americans, not the scorn of a
politician. (Applause.)
Fourth, I believe that America will gain long-term security by
promoting freedom and hope and democracy in the broader Middle East.
(Applause.) The job of a leader is to look ahead, and our country must
look ahead. In 20 years from now, if the Middle East is dominated by
dictators and mullahs who build weapons of mass destruction and harbor
terrorists, our children and grandchildren will live in a nightmare
world of danger. (Applause.) That does not have to happen. By taking
the side of reformers and democrats in the Middle East, we will gain
allies in the war on terror, we'll isolate the ideology of murder, and
we will help defeat the despair and hopelessness that feeds terror.
(Applause.) By spreading freedom -- by spreading freedom and liberty,
the world will become a much safer place for future generations.
(Applause.)
Progress in the broader Middle East toward freedom will not come
easily. Yet, that progress is coming faster than many would have said
possible. Across a troubled region, we're seeing a movement toward
elections and greater rights for women and open discussions for
peaceful reform. (Applause.) The election in Afghanistan this month,
and the election in Iraq next January will be counted as landmark
events in the history of liberty. (Applause.)
My opponent looks at things differently. He is not only skeptical
of -- about democracy in Iraq, he's not made democracy a priority of
his foreign policy. But what is his long-term asset to the threat of
terror? Is he content to watch and wait as anger and resentment grow
for more decades in the Middle East, feeding more terrorism until
radicals without conscience gain the weapons to kill without limit?
Ignoring the root causes of terror, turning a blind eye to the
oppression and despair of millions may be easier in the short-run. But
we learned on September the 11th that if violence and fanaticism are
not opposed at their source, they will find us where we live.
(Applause.)
Instead of offering his own agenda for freedom, my opponent
complains that we're trying to, "impose democracy on people in the
broader Middle East." Is that what he sees in Afghanistan, unwilling
people having democracy forced upon them? We did remove the Taliban by
force, but democracy is rising in that country because the Afghan
people, like people everywhere, want to live in freedom. (Applause.)
No one forced them to register by the millions or to stand in long
lines to vote. For many people, that historic election was a day they
will never forget. One man in Western Kabul arrived to vote at 7:00
a.m. He said: I didn't sleep all night, I wanted to be the first in
my polling station. (Applause.) My fellow citizens, freedom is on the
march, and it's changing the world. (Applause.)
We are witnessing big and hopeful events. I believe that people
across the world, people in the Middle East, want to live in freedom.
I believe this because freedom is not America's gift to the world.
Freedom is the Almighty God's gift to each man and woman in this
world. (Applause.)
Our fifth great difference concerns the role of the presidency. A
President has to lead with consistency and strength. (Applause.) In a
war, sometimes your tactics have to change, but not your principles.
(Applause.) Americans have seen how I do my job. Even when you might
not agree with me -- even when you might not agree with me, you know
what I believe, and where I stand, and what I intend to do.
(Applause.)
AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. On good days and on bad days,
whether the polls are up or the polls are down, I am determined to win
the war on terror, and I will always support the men and women who do
the fighting. (Applause.)
My opponent has taken a different approach.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: It's fair to say that consistency has not been his
strong point.
AUDIENCE: Flip-flop! Flip-flop! Flip-flop!
THE PRESIDENT: Senator Kerry says that we're better off with
Saddam Hussein out of power, except when he declares that removing
Saddam made us less safe. He stated in our second debate that he
always believed that Saddam was a threat, except, a few questions
later, when he said Saddam Hussein was not a threat.
AUDIENCE: Flip-flop! Flip-flop! Flip-flop!
THE PRESIDENT: He says he was right when he voted to authorize the
use of force against Saddam Hussein, but that I was wrong to use force
against Saddam Hussein. (Laughter.) Now my opponent is throwing out
the wild claim that he knows where bin Laden was in the fall of 2001,
and that our military passed up the chance to get him in Tora Bora.
This is an unjustified criticism of our military commanders in the
field. (Applause.) This is the worst kind of Monday-morning
quarterbacking. (Applause.) And that's what we've come to expect from
Senator Kerry.
In fact, our Commander in Afghanistan, General Tommy Franks --
(applause) -- recently wrote this about Tora Bora, "The Senator's
understanding of events does not square with reality." The General
said that American Special Forces were actively involved in the search
for terrorists in Tora Bora and that intelligence reports at the time
placed bin Laden in any of several countries.
Before Senator Kerry got into political difficulty and revised his
views, he saw our actions in Tora Bora differently. In the fall of
2001, on national TV, Senator Kerry said this, "I think we have been
doing this pretty effectively, and we should continue to do it that
way." At the time, the Senator said about Tora Bora, "I think we've
been smart. I think the administration leadership has done it well and
we are on the right track." Well, all I can tell you is that I am
George W. Bush, and I approve of that message. (Applause.)
Yet, Senator Kerry's record on national security has a far deeper
problem than election-year flip-flopping. On the largest national
security issues of our time, he has been consistently and dangerously
wrong. When Ronald Reagan was confronting the Soviet Union at the
height of the Cold War, Senator Kerry said that President Reagan's
policy of peace through strength was making America less safe.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: He voted against many of the weapons systems
critical to our defense build-up.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: History has shown that Senator Kerry was wrong and
President Reagan was right. (Applause.)
When former President Bush led a coalition against Saddam Hussein
in 1991, Senator Kerry voted against the use of force to liberate
Kuwait.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: If his view had prevailed, Saddam Hussein today
would dominate the Middle East and possess the world's most dangerous
weapons. History has shown that Senator Kerry was wrong and former
President Bush was right. (Applause.)
In 1994, just one year after the first bombing of the World Trade
Center, Senator Kerry proposed massive cuts in America's intelligence
budget, so massive that even his Massachusetts colleague, Ted Kennedy,
opposed them.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: History has shown that Senator Kerry was wrong, and
-- we've got to be fair -- Senator Kennedy was right. (Applause.)
Just last year, American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan needed $87
billion for body armor and hazard pay, vehicles, weapons, and bullets.
First, Senator Kerry said it would irresponsible to vote against the
troops, then he voted against the troops.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: You might remember, perhaps, the most famous quote
of the 2004 campaign when he said, "I actually did vote for the $87
billion, before I voted against it." (Applause.) History has shown
that Senator Kerry was right, then wrong -- (laughter) -- then briefly
right, and wrong again. (Applause.) Since then, on the $87 billion,
my opponent has said the whole thing is a complicated matter. There's
nothing complicated about supporting our troops in combat. (Applause.)
During the last 20 years, in key moments of challenge and decision
for America, Senator Kerry has chosen the position of weakness and
inaction. With that record he stands in opposition, not just to me,
but to the great tradition of the Democratic Party. The party of
Franklin Roosevelt, and Harry Truman, and John Kennedy is rightly
remembered for confidence and resolve in times of war and hours of
crisis. Senator Kerry has turned his back on "pay any price," and
"bear any burden." He's replaced those commitments with, "wait and
see," and "cut and run."
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: Many Democrats in this country do not recognize
their party anymore. Today, I want to speak to every one of them. If
you believe that America should lead with strength and purpose and
confidence in our ideals, I would be honored to have your support, and
I'm asking for your vote. (Applause.)
All the differences I outlined today add up to one big difference,
and it's important for our fellow citizens to understand that
difference. Senator Kerry says that September the 11th did not change
him much at all.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: His policies make that clear. He says the war on
terror is primarily a law enforcement and intelligence-gathering
operation.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: His top foreign policy advisor says the war is just
like a metaphor, like the war on poverty. The Senator's goal is to go
back to the mind-set of the 1990s, when terrorism was seen as a
nuisance and was fought with subpoenas and a few cruise missiles.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: There's a major problem with that. The calm -- the
year of calm he longs for was only a shallow illusion of peace. We now
know that throughout the 1990s, the terrorists were training and
plotting against us. They saw our complacency as weakness. And so
their plans became more ambitious, and their attacks became more
deadly, until, finally, the Twin Towers became Ground Zero, and the
Pentagon was in flames.
My outlook was changed on September the 11th. A few days after the
attacks I stood with Rudy, where buildings fell. I will never forget
the evil of our enemy, and the suffering of our people. I know we are
fighting a war. And I remember the workers in the hard hats there at
Ground Zero, yelling at me at the top of their lungs, "Whatever it
takes." A fellow grabbed me by the arm and he looked me in the eye and
he said, "Do not let me down." (Applause.) From that day forward,
I've gotten up every morning thinking about how to better protect our
country. I will never relent in defending America, whatever it takes.
(Applause.)
In a new term we will finish the work we have started. We will
stand against terror, and stand for freedom and peace we all want.
(Applause.) And on November the 2nd, my fellow Americans, I ask you to
stand with me. (Applause.) God bless. On to victory. Thank you
all. (Applause.)
END 3:36 P.M. CDT
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