SPEECHES
FROM THE 2004 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN
George W. Bush
Campaign Remarks
in Albuquerque
August 26, 2004 • Albuquerque, NM
Thank you all. (Applause.) Thanks for
coming. (Applause.) Thank you all. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more
years!
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all for coming. Gosh, I appreciate
so many coming out to say hello to Rudy. (Laughter.) We
were in Las Cruces, and Farmington, and here we end up
in the great city of Albuquerque. (Applause.) It's been
a fantastic day in the Land of Enchantment. (Applause.)
I want to thank you all for coming out. I told Rudy, you're
going to like it here. I said, you're going to see more
cowboy hats than you see ties. (Applause.) No, we're right
here in the heart and soul of America -- Albuquerque, New
Mexico. (Applause.)
I'm proud to be traveling with this good man. He's a great
leader, a great friend, and a wonderful American. He showed
the world great courage during traumatic times, and I'm
proud to be standing by him. I'm proud he's out working
for me. (Applause.) And I'm proud you all are here, too.
I'm here asking for your vote, and I'm here asking for
your help. (Applause.) I have no doubt in my mind with
your help, we'll carry New Mexico and win a great victory
in November. (Applause.)
I am sorry that Laura is not here. I kissed her good-bye
in Crawford this morning. I said, I'm heading west. (Applause.)
I said I got to go work. I'm anxious for people to hear
my story. I want people to know I've got more to do to
lead this nation for four more years. (Applause.) I'm really
proud of Laura. I'm proud of her. She's a great mom and
a wonderful wife. And she's a wonderful First Lady, as
well. Today, I'm going to give you -- (applause) -- today,
I'm going to give you some reasons why I think you ought
put me back in there, but perhaps the most important one
of all is so that Laura will be First Lady for four more
years. (Applause.)
I'm proud of my running mate, Dick Cheney. He might be
short on hair, but he's long on experience. He can get
the job done. (Applause.)
I appreciate -- listen, I enjoy working with Pete Domenici.
What a good man Pete is. He's a -- (Applause.) I'm proud
to work with him. I know you're proud to call him Senator.
I'm also really pleased to be here with Congresswoman Heather
Wilson. (Applause.) She is as good as they come in the
United States Congress.
I want to thank all of my friends who are the grass roots
activists -- John Sanchez and Manny Lujan. I want to thank
them for their work. I appreciate the fact that Brooks
and Dunn are here. What a great -- (Applause.) What great
Americans they are, and not only that, they can sing. (Applause.)
Really proud to have them here. I want to thank Tony Lynn
for announcing the program. (Applause.)
Most of all, I want to thank you for being here. I just
want you to know I believe all of us in America have a
duty to vote. (Applause.) And I would like for you to encourage
your neighbors to register to vote. (Applause.) We have
an obligation to do that, to vote in our society, and one
way you can help in this campaign is to become a part of
this massive registration campaign that we've got going.
And vote -- register Republicans and independents and discerning
Democrats. (Applause.) Remind them we've got more work
to do. Remind them that with four more years, America will
be a safer, stronger and better country. (Applause.)
We've been through a lot together, and we've accomplished
a great deal, but the only reason to look backward is to
best determine who to lead us forward, and that's what
I'm here to talk about. We've done a lot but there is more
to do to move America forward. We've got more to do to
create jobs, more to do to improve our schools. We've got
more to do to fight terror. We have got more to do to spread
liberty and peace. (Applause.)
We've made much progress. I'm here to tell you I'm ready
to lead the country for four more years to do more for
the people. (Applause.)
We have more to do to make our public schools the centers
of excellence we know they all can be so that no child
is left behind in America. (Applause.) We came to office
three-and-a-half years ago, too many children were being
shuffled from grade to grade, year after year, without
learning the basics. So we decided to try something different.
We said we'll send more money back to the states, but in
return, we expect results. We're challenging the soft bigotry
of low expectations. We're raising the bar. We're empowering
parents. We believe in local control of schools, and we're
making progress. (Applause.)
There is more work to be done. We've got to make sure
we've got more science and math courses for our high school
kids. We've got to bring the Internet in to bring the latest
to our classrooms. We must have intervention programs to
make sure children do not slip behind. We want to make
sure a high school diploma means something. After four
more years, a rising generation will have the skills and
the confidence necessary to realize the American dream.
(Applause.)
We have more to do to make quality health care available
and affordable. You might remember the old Medicare debates
of the past. Politician after politician, give us a chance
to strengthen Medicare, and nothing got done. We got the
job done. (Applause.) We now have a Medicare system --
(applause) -- Medicare system that will allow seniors to
make their own choices, to meet their own needs, and starting
in 2006, a Medicare system that will provide prescription
drugs for our seniors. (Applause.)
We've done more. We've expanded community health centers
for low-income Americans. We want people getting primary
care in these centers, not in emergency rooms. We've created
health savings accounts so families can save tax-free for
their own health care needs. There is more work to be done.
Most people get their health care through jobs, their jobs,
and most new jobs are created by small businesses. (Applause.)
But many small businesses are having trouble affording
health care. In order to allow small businesses to afford
health care so American families get the help they need,
we must allow small employers to join together to be able
to purchase health care at the discounts that big companies
get. (Applause.)
We will harness technology to reduce costs and reduce
errors. We will continue to expand research and find new
cures. And in order to make sure health care is available,
affordable, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, we must do something
about the frivolous lawsuits that are running up the cost
of your medicine. (Applause.)
See, I don't think you can be pro-doctor and pro-patient
and pro-plaintiff attorney at the same time. I think you
have to choose. My opponent made his choice, and he put
him on the ticket. (Laughter.) I made my choice. I have
made my choice. I'm standing with the patients and the
doctors, the nurses and the hospitals. I am for medical
liability reform -- now. (Applause.)
We've got more to do to make sure this economy is strong.
Remember what we've been through in a short period of time.
We've been through a recession, we've been through corporate
scandals, we've been through the terror attacks. But we've
overcome those obstacles. (Applause.) We've overcome the
obstacles because the American worker is great. We've overcome
the obstacles because the entrepreneurial spirit is strong
in America. We've overcome the obstacles because small
business owners are dreaming about expanding and creating
new jobs. We've overcome the obstacles because our farmers
and ranchers know what they're doing. (Applause.) We have
overcome those obstacles because of two well-timed tax
cuts. (Applause.) We didn't try to pick winners or losers
when it came to cutting taxes. We said if you pay taxes,
you ought to get relief. (Applause.) We also helped our
families. Remember, we raised the child credit. (Applause.)
We reduced the marriage penalty. (Applause.) The tax code
ought to encourage marriage, not penalize marriage. (Applause.)
We helped our small businesses. Because we acted, our
economy since last summer has grown at a rate as fast as
nearly -- as any rate in nearly 20 years. (Applause.) Over
the last 12 months, we've added nearly 1.5 million new
jobs. The unemployment rate across our country is 5.5 percent.
That is well below the national average of the '70s, the
'80s and the '90s. (Applause.) The unemployment rate in
the great state of New Mexico is 5.3 percent. (Applause.)
We are moving forward. We're not going to go backward.
There is more work to be done. In order to keep jobs here
in America, we must make sure our regulations are reasonable
and fair. In order to keep jobs here in America, we need
an energy policy that makes us less dependent on foreign
sources of energy. In order to keep jobs here, we've got
to do something about these junk lawsuits that are threatening
the small business job creators of America.
In order to make sure jobs stay here, we want other countries
to treat us the way we treat them. (Applause.) Listen,
we can compete with anybody, anytime, anywhere, so long
as the playing field is level. (Applause.) In order to
make sure jobs are here, we've got to have an education
system that provides a lifetime of learning for America's
workers. Listen, the job base is changing. And some of
these new jobs that pay more require new skills. That's
why I strongly support helping people go back to the community
colleges all across America to gain the skills necessary
to fill the jobs of the 21st century. (Applause.)
In order to make sure jobs stay here and this economy
continues to grow, we've got to be wise about how we spend
your money. (Applause.) In order to keep jobs here and
to keep the economy growing, we need to keep your taxes
low. (Applause.) I think taxes are an issue in this campaign.
My opponent has already promised over $2 trillion of new
spending.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: And we've still got the stretch run. (Laughter.)
We still got September and October to go. And so they said,
how are you going to pay for it. And he used that old,
tired class warfare line, we're just going to tax the rich.
But you know how that works, don't you?
AUDIENCE: Yes!
THE PRESIDENT: You've heard them say tax the rich. First
of all, you can't tax the rich enough to pay for all the
promises. And secondly, the rich are pretty good about
hiring accountants and lawyers. Generally, when you hear
that, be careful because he's aiming his tax increase at
you. But we're not going to let him have it. We're going
to win in November. (Applause.)
We're doing some smart things. I passed an important law
to protect the residents of this state and the forests
from catastrophic wild fire.
AUDIENCE: Yes!
THE PRESIDENT: Our Healthy Forest Restoration Act is good
law for New Mexico. It's important law to help us preserve
these national treasures. The Cibolo National Forest will
benefit from this important legislation. We had a difference
of opinion on this subject. My opponent said that the Healthy
Forest Act was -- really means we're taking a chain saw
to public forests. Then when he came out here to campaign,
he turned his position around, he says he likes part of
the law. (Laughter.) I guess it's not only the wild fires
that shift in the wind. (Laughter.)
I'm running again because I understand we have more to
do to wage and win the war against terrorism. (Applause.)
Our future, America's future depends on our willingness
to lead in this world. (Applause.) 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 changed the world. Before September
the 11th, Afghanistan served at the home base of al Qaeda,
which trained and deployed thousands of killers to set
up cells around the world, including America. Today, because
we acted, Afghanistan is a rising democracy. (Applause.)
Over ten million people in that country have registered
to vote in the upcoming election. (Applause.) Because we
acted, Afghanistan is an ally in the war on terror. Because
we acted, many young girls go to school for the first time
in Afghanistan. (Applause.) Because we acted, America and
the world are safer. (Applause.)
Before September the 11th, Libya was spending millions
to acquire weapons of mass destruction. Today, because
America and our allies have sent a strong and clear message,
a message that's easy to understand, 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 and firing weapons
at American pilots who were enforcing the world's sanctions.
He had used weapons of mass destruction. He harbored terrorists,
he invaded his neighbors, he subsidized the families of
suiciders. He had murdered tens of thousands of his own
people. He was a source of great instability in a volatile
part of the world. He was a threat. (Applause.) One of
the lessons of September the 11th that we must never forget
is that we must deal with threats before they fully materialize.
(Applause.)
I went to the United States Congress. I said, this administration
sees a threat. They looked at the intelligence I looked
at, they remembered the history of Saddam Hussein, and
they came to the same conclusion I did, including my opponent,
who came to the same conclusion I did. (Applause.) Because
I believe we ought to try diplomacy before we ever commit
troops, I went to the United Nations. I said to the world,
we see a threat. They looked at the same intelligence and
concluded, with a 15-0 vote in the Security Council that
Saddam Hussein must disclose, disarm or face serious consequences.
(Applause.) And as he had for over a decade, Saddam Hussein
refused to comply with the demands of the free world. As
a matter of fact, we sent in inspectors, he systematically
deceived the inspectors. So I had a choice to make: either
trust the word of a madman and forget the lessons of September
the 11th, or take action to defend our country. Given that
choice, I will defend America. (Applause.)
Even though we didn't find the stockpiles we expected
to find, Saddam had the capability to make weapons of mass
destruction and he could have passed that capability on
to the terrorist enemy. That's a risk we could not have
afforded to take after September the 11th. (Applause.)
Knowing what we know today, I would have taken the same
action in Iraq. (Applause.)
America and the world are safer with Saddam Hussein sitting
in a prison cell. (Applause.) Now, almost two years after
he voted for the war in Iraq, and about seven months after
switching positions to declare himself the anti-war candidate,
my opponent has found another nuance. (Laughter.) See,
he now agrees it was the right decision to go into Iraq.
After months of questioning my motives and even my credibility,
he now agrees with me that even though we have not found
the stockpiles we all thought he had, knowing everything
we know today, he would have voted to go into Iraq and
remove Saddam from power. And I want to thank him for clearing
that up. (Applause.) There's still a little over 60 days
in this campaign 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 Iraq
and Afghanistan and elsewhere. See, you cannot talk sense
into these people. You cannot try to negotiate with them.
AUDIENCE: No!
THE PRESIDENT: You cannot hope for the best.
AUDIENCE: No!
THE PRESIDENT: We must engage these enemies overseas so
we do not have to face them here at home. (Applause.)
America will continue to lead the world with confidence
and moral clarity. See, we put together a strong coalition
to help us. There's nearly 40 nations involved in Afghanistan,
some 30 nations involved in Iraq. Over the next four years,
we'll continue to build on our alliances and work with
our friends. But I'll never turn over America's national
security decisions to leaders of other countries. (Applause.)
We'll keep our commitments to help the people of Afghanistan
and Iraq. We'll do so because when America says something,
it better mean what it says in order to make the world
a more peaceful place. (Applause.) We'll do so because
it's in our interest they become democracies and peaceful
societies. These nations are now governed by two strong
leaders who believe in the hopes and aspirations of the
people that live in those countries. We set a clear goal.
We're for peaceful, democratic countries who can self-govern
and who are allies in the war against these terrorists.
And so our military forces are there to provide security
as they head to elections, and we're there to help train
Afghan and Iraqi forces so they can defeat the terrorists
who are trying to stop and prevent the hopes of many from
emerging. Our military will complete this mission as quickly
as possible so our troops do not stay a day longer than
necessary. (Applause.)
Our nation's commitments are kept by the men and women
of our military. At bases around the country, I have had
the high privilege of meeting with those who defend our
country and spread the peace. I've seen their great decency
and their unselfish courage. I assure you, ladies and gentlemen,
the cause of freedom is in really good hands. (Applause.)
I appreciate the veterans who are here today who have
set such a great example for those who wear the uniform.
(Applause.) Our troops must have the resources they need
to fight and win the war on terror. They must have the
full support of our government. That's why last September,
while our troops were in combat in Afghanistan and in Iraq,
I proposed supplemental funding to support them in their
missions. The legislation provided money for body armor
and vital equipment, hazard pay, health benefits, ammunition,
fuel and spare parts. (Applause.) It was an important piece
of legislation, and it received great bipartisan support.
As a matter of fact, the support was so strong that only
12 members of the United States Senate voted against it.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: Two of those 12 senators are my opponent
and his running mate.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: When they asked him about that vote, he
said, "I actually did vote for the $87 billion before
I voted against it." (Laughter.) Doesn't sound like
the way people in Albuquerque, New Mexico, talk to me,
but -- (applause.) They pressed him further and he said
he was proud of his vote. And they kept pressing him, he
said, well, it was 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 had hopelessness and resentment.
See, a free and peaceful Iraq and a free and peaceful Afghanistan
will be powerful examples -- they'll be powerful examples
to their neighbors, they'll be powerful examples in the
part of the world that's desperate for liberty and freedom.
(Applause.)
Free countries do not export terror. Free countries do
not stifle the dreams of their 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 the peace that we all want. And by serving
the ideal of liberty, we're serving the deepest ideals
of our nation. We understand 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.)
Now, we've got more to do to protect our country. There's
an enemy out there that still hates us. We have a difference
of opinion on this. The other day, he said that going to
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 enemy we face. See, during the
1990's, the terrorists were recruiting and they were training
for war with us long before we went to war with them. They
don't need an excuse for their hatred. Staying on the offense
is necessary to protect this country. See, you don't create
terrorists by fighting back; you defeat the terrorists
by fighting back. (Applause.)
There's a lot of good people working on your behalf's,
a lot of good people at the federal level and the state
level and the local level responding to threats. We've
got work to do and we'll continue to do it to make sure
that we get the best intelligence possible so we can react
to the threats. We need the Patriot Act renewed. Listen,
the Patriot Act is a vital tool for those who are working
to disrupt the terrorist networks. (Applause.) We created
the Department of Homeland Security. We're continuing to
work to better safeguard our borders and our ports. We're
working better between levels of government, but I got
to tell you, reform isn't easy, particularly in Washington,
D.C. (Laughter.) There's a lot of entrenched interest there.
There's a lot of people who are willing to hold on to the
status quo. It's not enough to advocate reform, you've
got to be able to get the job done. So when you're out
there campaigning, I want you to remind people that when
it comes to reforming our schools to provide an excellent
education for every child, we're getting the job done.
When it comes to health care reforms for our seniors and
for our families, we're getting the job done. (Applause.)
When it comes to improving our economy and creating jobs,
we're getting the job done. (Applause.) When it comes to
better securing our homeland and fighting the forces of
terror and spreading freedom and peace, we're getting the
job done. (Applause.) And remind your friends and neighbors,
when it comes time to choose a President, put somebody
back in there who can get the job done. (Applause.)
We're living in a time of change, and I understand change
can be unsettling. It's an exciting time, but it's a time
that government needs to change its ways of thinking. Government
needs to not be giving dictates to people, government needs
to be helping people. One way to do so is to understand
that a lot of moms are working these days, and therefore,
people need flex-time and comp-time so they can adjust
their work schedules to meet the demands of family. One
way to help people with changing times is to encourage
an ownership society. That's why we want people owning
their own health care accounts, so they can manage their
own accounts and take them from job to job if they need
to. (Applause.)
These are changing times and they're exciting times. I
see a lot of younger folks out here today. I thank you
for coming, but -- (applause) -- when it comes time to
think about Social Security, baby boomers like me are in
good shape. (Laughter.) But some younger workers are going
to have a problem because there's a lot of baby boomers,
and the Social Security system needs to be made fiscally
sound for you. I believe the best way to do so is to let
younger workers take some of their own money in personal
savings accounts so they can carry it from one generation
to the next. (Applause.)
We want more people owning their own business in America.
You know, there's some fantastic success stories right
here in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where people had a dream
and they built their own companies that they can call their
own. In changing times, if you own your own home, it can
help provide stability. The home ownership rate is at an
all-time high in America. We'll continue to pursue policies
to encourage people to own their own home. There's nothing
better than somebody opening that front door and saying,
welcome to my house. Thank you for coming to my home. We
understand in America that if you own something, you have
a vital stake in the future of our country.
In changing times, there are some things that won't change:
our belief in liberty, our belief in opportunity, and our
belief in the non-negotiable demands of human dignity.
(Applause.) The individual values we try to live by shouldn't
change: courage and compassion, reverence and integrity.
We will continue to support the institutions that give
us direction and purpose -- our families, our schools,
and our religious congregations. (Applause.)
We stand for institutions like marriage and family, which
are the foundations of our 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 this country. Listen, the culture is changing from one
that has said, if it feels good, just go ahead and 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.)
If you're fortunate enough to be a mom or a dad, 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.
(Applause.) If you're a CEO in corporate America, you are
responsible for telling the truth to your shareholders
and your employees. (Applause.) And in a 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.
Listen, the great strength of America is the hearts and
souls of the American citizens. People are volunteering
all over our country to help improve somebody's life. I
met with Bernice Young. She volunteered more than 11,000
hours at the Children's Hospital of New Mexico. She's taking
time out of her life to help make somebody else's life
better. See, I believe societies will change. I believe
our country will change, one heart, one soul, one conscience
at a time, if we rally the great army of compassion, which
is willing to love a neighbor. (Applause.)
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 where we need firm resolve,
clear vision, and strong belief 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. Rudy and I were in the ruins of the
Twin Towers on September the 14th, 2001. It's a day I will
never forget. It is a day Rudy will never forget. I remember
the workers in hard-hats yelling at me, "Whatever
it takes, President, whatever it takes!" I remember
shaking the hand of a man who had just gotten out of the
rubble. He had bloodshot eyes. He said, "Do not let
me down." It was a -- (Applause.) I wake up every
morning thinking about how to better protect this country.
I will never relent in defending America, whatever it takes.
(Applause.)
We have come through much together, and we've done a lot
of hard work, but there's more to be done. During the next
four years, we will spread ownership and opportunity to
every corner of this country. We will pass the enduring
values of our country to another generation. We will continue
to lead the cause of freedom and peace, and we will prevail.
(Applause.)
With your support and prayers, I will be a leader America
can count on in a time of change. Four years ago, I traveled
this great country and your wonderful state asking for
the vote. I said if you honored me with this great responsibility,
I would uphold the dignity and the honor of the office
to which I had been elected. With your help, I will do
so for the next four years. God bless. Thank you for coming.
Thank you all. (Applause.)
<<Go back
|