For Immediate Release Office of the
Press Secretary September 28, 2002
President Bush Pushes for Homeland Security Bill
Remarks by the President at Matt Salmon for Governor
and Rick Renzi for Congress Dinner Phoenix Civic
Plaza Phoenix, Arizona
4:38 P.M. MST
THE PRESIDENT: Thanks for that kind introduction, Governor.
(Applause.) First I want to thank the host of the dinner for
organizing an early dinner. (Laughter.) It's good for Canangelo's
ballpark. (Laughter.) I guess tonight's the night for the D-backs.
(Applause.) I know this for certain, that this will be the only
candidate I ever campaigned for who rides a Harley, speaks fluent
Mandarin Chinese, and fronts an Elvis cover band. (Laughter.) He's
the candidate I'm campaigning for who's going to win. (Applause.)
Matt's a breath of fresh air. See, he told the voters of his
congressional district he'd only serve three terms. And when the
third term finished, he didn't run again. He's the kind of person
who does in office what he says he is going to do, which is vital
for the statehouse and Arizona. (Applause.)
The state faces real challenges, but with him you're going to get
a straightforward fellow, somebody who will tell you the truth,
somebody who will give it his all to make Arizona the best state for
everybody who lives here. It's my honor to be here. I'm proud to
support him, and I thank you all for coming, as well. (Applause.)
I had the privilege of meeting Nancy. Both of us married above
ourselves. (Laughter.) Nancy and Matt are the proud parents of four
kids. And they place their family above all else. And it gives me
great comfort to know I'm working for somebody who has got his
priorities straight. (Applause.)
And I appreciate you mentioning Laura, Matt. She sends her best.
She sends her best to our friends who are here, she sends her best
to you and Nancy. She's over there in Crawford, waiting for me. One
of the good things about coming out West is, I get to spend the
night in Crawford, and remember there are values other than
Washington values that count in the nation. (Applause.) It's good to
come out West where the spirit of individualism still remains
strong; to come out West, where you can see a long way; to come out
West where people understand helping neighbor is an important part
of building a good state.
So thanks for having me. I'm sorry Laura's not here. She's doing
great. And by the way, I'm really, really proud of the job she's
doing as our First Lady. (Applause.)
We went up to Flagstaff where we were working on the drought
relief program. It was raining. (Laughter.) But I was up there to
help a fellow named Rick Renzi who is going to be the next
congressman from Northern Arizona. (Applause.) I want to thank Rick
for putting his hat in the ring, and I want to thank you all for
helping him.
I'm also honored to be with two great United States senators -- a
great patriot, a man who is speaking clearly about the need to
defend America and defend our freedoms, and that's John McCain.
(Applause.) And by the way, he married above himself, too.
(Laughter.) And today I was traveling with John Kyl. One of the jobs
of the President is to pick good judges, who can put people of sound
judgment and great talent on our federal benches. And the United
States Senate has been, in some cases, not treating my nominees
fairly.
I named a great lady named Pricilla Owen to the bench. She'd run
statewide in our state, had overwhelming votes, one of the top
graduates of her law school. The lawyer group rated her one of the
best, the highest ratings they could give. And yet the Senate
distorted her record because she wouldn't be willing to legislate
from the bench. John Kyl has remained strong on the Judiciary
Committee to make sure my nominees get a fair hearing. We need to
change the United States Senate so we can change the United States
course. (Applause.)
I want to thank Congressman Hayworth -- who's not here, but I'm
going to thank him anyway -- and Shadegg and Flake and Kolbe for
their support. Arizona has got a fine congressional delegation, and
I'm proud to be able to work with these members. I want to thank
your Governor for coming today, my friend, Jane Dee Hull. I want to
thank the Mayor of Phoenix for being here, Mayor Rimsza. And I also
want to appreciate those of you who helped organize this dinner. I
want to thank Chairman Fannon.
But most of all, I want to thank the grassroot activists who are
here, the people who put the signs in the yards, the people who do
the phone-calling, the people who do the mailers. Those tireless
souls who never get thanked. I want to thank you for what you have
done, and as importantly, I thank you for what you're going to do,
which is to turn out a big vote come November the 5th. (Applause.)
I appreciate your next governor's agenda. It starts with making
sure that the state doesn't raise the taxes on the working people. I
appreciate that promise. He's a man who keeps his word. It's one of
these issues that will distinguish him from his opponent. If he says
he's not going to raise your taxes, he means he's not going to raise
your taxes. And that will be good for the economy of Arizona.
(Applause.)
He's focused on jobs. He briefed me on his WorkFair 2010 program.
See, he and I understand the role of government is not to create
wealth, but to create an environment in which the entrepreneur can
flourish, in which small businesses can grow to be big businesses. I
appreciate his vision for job creation.
I also appreciate his brand of compassionate conservatism, which
says, we're going to help people help themselves; that when it comes
to welfare, that job training is essential to help people find work.
We understand that in work you find dignity; in work you find the
chance to put food on the table; in work, you have a chance to
realize your own self-worth. And so when it comes to helping people,
your next governor will make sure that work is an essential part of
your welfare system here in the state of Arizona.
I also appreciate his common sense views on our forests. You've
got a lot of vital land here. We're mismanaging our forests. We're
doing a lousy job of protecting an important treasure for the
country. We ought to be thinning our forests. We ought to be taking
the burnt timber and making use of it. We ought to be clearing the
timber out from underneath our trees. We ought to be saving our
forests with common sense forest policy. And I want to work with a
governor who understands that. (Applause.)
No, I appreciate Matt. I appreciate him working hard to make this
state a safer and stronger and better place. And that's what we've
got to do for our country, as well. A strong America is a country
that works to make sure people can find work. I'm worried about the
fact that some of our fellow Americans who want to work can't find a
job. And we've got to do everything we can to increase our job base,
to do everything we can to make sure our economy continues to grow.
That's why it's absolutely essential, in my judgment, that we
make the tax cuts we passed permanent, that we don't let them be
temporary; that we get rid of that Senate rule that says, we're
going to give -- on the one hand we giveth, on the other hand we
taketh away. See, we give you tax cuts, but because of a -- kind of
a weird rule in the Senate, those go away after 10 years. For the
sake of planning, for the sake of job creation, for the sake of
growth, for the sake of small businesses, the tax cuts need to be
permanent. (Applause.) And that includes getting rid of the death
tax forever. (Applause.)
We need an energy bill out of Washington, D.C. For the sake of
job security and for the sake of national security, we need an
energy bill. They've been talking too long up there. We need a bill
which encourages conservation, promotes new technologies, promotes
renewables, but a bill which will encourage increase of supply here
in America. Listen, we're too dependent on foreign sources of crude
oil. And, unfortunately, some of those people don't like us. For the
sake of job security and national security, I need an energy bill
and I need it soon. (Applause.)
There are some big projects that have been put on hold because
construction folks can't get terrorism insurance. They estimate over
300,000 of our fellow citizens aren't working, 300,000 hard-hats
aren't working because people can't get insured because of the
terrorist attacks. Congress needs to act. They need to get a
terrorism insurance bill to my desk. For the sake of job creation,
for the sake of helping people find work, for the sake of the
300,000 hard-hats who would be working, I need a terrorism insurance
bill; a bill that does not reward the trial lawyers, but a bill that
encourages construction workers to get back to work. (Applause.)
There's a lot of things Congress can do to help, and I look
forward to working with them to create the jobs. And I know the two
senators here and the members of Congress are anxious to help to
expand our economy. But one thing Congress must not do is overspend.
See, one thing Congress has got to do is hold the line on spending
if we want our economy to grow. Interest rates are low, inflation is
low, productivity is some of the best in the world. The foundation
for growth is there.
But to make sure people can find work, it's important for
Congress not to overspend. And there's a danger. See, every program
in Washington sounds good. Everybody's idea is a brilliant idea. The
problem is, is those brilliant ideas cost in the billions. Plus, the
Senate doesn't have a budget. Senator McCain wants it to have a
budget. Senator Kyl wants it to have a budget. It doesn't have a
budget. The other side hasn't been able to get a budget. And when
you don't have a budget, guess what the danger is -- that there's no
fiscal responsibility with your money. There's no fiscal restraint.
For the sake of job creation, the Congress must fund our priorities
and hold the line on additional spending. (Applause.)
We'll work together, and we'll work hard together to make sure
this country is a stronger country, to make sure people can find
work. We've also got to make sure it's a safer country. I think our
biggest job is to protect the homeland, and the reason we need to do
so, there is still an enemy out there which hates America. They hate
us because of what we love. We love freedom. We love the fact that
people can worship an almighty God any way they see fit here in
America. We love the fact that people can have honest discourse and
political debate. We love a free press. We love everything about
freedom, and we refuse to relinquish that love. And so long as we
love freedom, there are people that want to hurt us. See, that's the
problem we face.
And the other difference is, we value life in America. Every life
matters, everybody counts. Everybody is precious. Not to the enemy.
They have hijacked a great religion, and murdered -- murdered
innocent people, and could care less. And that's who we're fighting,
and they're out there. So we've got to do everything we can to
protect the homeland.
You've got to know, there's a lot of good people working hard to
protect you. Conversations taking place that never took place before
in Washington. A lot of information-sharing, a lot of folks running
down every hint, every lead, every idea that somebody might be
thinking about doing something to America. We're moving on it,
within the confines of the United States Constitution, I might add.
We're pursuing leads. We're disrupting. We're making sure, as best
as we possibly can, that the enemy doesn't hit us again.
And that's why I went to the United States Congress and asked the
Congress to join me in the creation of a homeland security
department. I did so because there's over 100 agencies in
Washington, D.C. that have something to do with securing the
homeland. They're everywhere, and it seems like to me that if the
number one priority of the government is to defend the homeland,
they ought to be under one agency, so we can change the culture of
these agencies, so we can insist on priority.
And the House moved and the Senate is stuck. And the Senate is
stuck because they want to micromanage the process. Not all
senators, but some senators. They want to have a thick book of rules
that will tell the executive branch and this administration and
future administrations how to deal with the -- securing our
homeland. I appreciate these two senators here, standing strong for
doing what's right, for leaving a legacy behind so future Presidents
can more likely deal with an enemy who could care less about rules
and regulations, an enemy which is willing to move fast.
Now, let me just tell you what I'm talking about, so you'll
understand. After September the 11th, the Customs Service wanted to
require its inspectors at our nation's 301 ports of entry to wear
radiation detection devices so they could -- these guys would have
them on their belts, and if there was -- somebody was trying to
smuggle a weapon of mass destruction into our country, we'd know
about it. Somebody was trying to bring something in illegally,
across the border, we would know about it, through the radiation
detection device. The union that represents the Customs workers
objected to this common sense action. They didn't like it. They
sought to invoke collective bargaining, which would have taken a
year to resolve.
See, it's those kind of rules which bind the capacity of the
executive branch to do the job you want us to do. In order to locate
employees in cases of emergency, the Customs Service sought to have
employees provide their home addresses and their telephone numbers
to the Customs Service. That makes sense. If you've got somebody you
think may be getting ready to hit us and you need to move one of
your Custom employees into a spot of action, you need his phone
number. The union objected to listing the phone numbers, and said
such a request would violate the privacy rights of workers. The
union actually filed a grievance and sought to negotiate something
as sensible as this request.
We do not need rules and bureaucracy to entangle us in the job
you want us to do. Protection of the homeland is more important than
special interests in Washington, D.C. (Applause.)
In this state, you don't need to write your senators. In this
state they've been strong in leaving a legacy behind, an important
legacy. Because this enemy isn't going away. And the best way,
however, to secure the homeland, short-term and long-term, is to
hunt the killers down, one person at a time, one at a time, and
bring them to justice, which is what the United States of America is
going to do. (Applause.)
And we're making progress. We're making progress against the
killers. That's all they are, by the way. Nothing but a bunch of
cold-blooded killers. And that's the way we're treating them.
Sometimes it's hard to tell the progress; this is a different kind
of war, as you all know. I mean, in the old days you count the
number of tanks you destroy, or the number of airplanes you destroy,
and say we're making progress. These folks don't have tanks. They
don't have airplanes. They hide in caves. They send youngsters to
their suicidal death. That's the kind of people fighting. They're
resourceful and they're determined, but they're not as resourceful
and determined as the United States of America.
I put out a doctrine that said either you're with us or you're
with the enemy. That doctrine still stands today. And a lot of
nations have joined us in rounding up these killers. We captured
over a couple thousand of them. We got one the other day in Karachi.
He popped his head up, and he's no longer a threat to the United
States or our friends. (Applause.)
That's the kind of war we fight. It's not a glamorous war
according to the TV shows and stuff. It's just one person at a time.
And we're relentless. And we're absolutely determined because we
love freedom, and we owe it to our children to be relentless and
determined. And that's why I asked the Congress to pass a defense
bill that's the largest increase in defense spending since Ronald
Reagan was the President. It sends two signals as far as I'm
concerned. One, any time our youngsters are sent into harm's way,
they deserve the best pay, the best training, and the best possible
equipment. (Applause.) We owe that to them, and we owe it to their
loved ones. For those of you in the audience who have got a loved
one in the military, I'm proud of them, I've got great confidence in
them, and I want to thank you for your sacrifice, as well.
Secondly, the reason I requested the defense bill that I did is
because I wanted to send a message to friend and foe alike that
we're not quitting. There is no calendar on my desk that says by
such and such a date we're leaving, that we're going to quit when --
by an artificial time. That's not the way we think in America. No
matter how long it takes, we will defend our freedom. That's the
message we sent.
Now, the House passed the bill, and the Senate passed the bill,
and it hasn't gotten to my desk yet. We're at war, and the defense
bill hasn't made it. I'm calling upon the leaders of the Senate and
the leaders of the House to reconcile any differences they have
quickly, and get the defense bill to my desk before you go home.
Quit playing politics with the defense bill. (Applause.)
In order to defend our freedoms, there's going to be some steep
hills to climb, and we're going to have to climb them, and climb
them together. We've still got work to do against al Qaeda in
Afghanistan. I want you to tell your children, if they ask you about
all this war rhetoric, that your great country went into Afghanistan
not to conquer anybody, but to free people. We went in and freed
people from the clutches -- (applause.) It's really important for
you to tell them that we value each life, no matter where that life
lives.
And we cried when we heard the stories about the Taliban not
letting young girls go to school. It broke our heart, but it also
made us joyous when we realized upholding the doctrine that said, if
you harbor a terrorists, you're just as guilty as the terrorists,
not only allowed the United States to keep its word, but we freed
people. We freed people from the clutches of the barbaric Taliban
regime. (Applause.)
We've got work to do in Afghanistan, and we will continue to do
the work in Afghanistan. No, they're kind of sliding around the
border regions, and we've got people looking for them. Sometimes
they try to get into Pakistan, and we're teamed up with the Pakistan
government to find them. Sometimes we get them on the run, and then
they think they can light in other countries. And so we're
pressuring them in other countries. It doesn't matter where they
think they can light, we're after them.
We've also got a big chore to make sure the world's worst leaders
never threaten, blackmail or harm America with the world's worst
weapons. I went to the United Nations the other day. I did so
because I wanted to make the case against a mad man, a case against
a man who has lied to the world, the case in front of this august
body that for 11 long years he has stood in defiance of resolution
after resolution, and at the same time built up his cache of
chemical and biological weapons.
This is a man who continues to murder his own people; a man who
has gassed -- used gas on his own citizens; a man who has used
chemical weapons on his neighbors; a man who has invaded two
countries; a man which hates -- who hates America; a man who loves
to link up with al Qaeda; a man who is a true threat to America, to
Israel, to anybody in the neighborhood.
And so I went to the United Nations, and I said to the United
Nations, you need to deal with him. You, the collective body of
freedom-loving countries, need to deal with him. For 11 years he's
made fun of you. You can either be the United Nations and be
effective, or you can be the League of Nations -- your choice. I
hope they're the United Nations. I hope they're a robust United
Nations. I hope they're capable of helping to keep the peace. That's
their choice.
Saddam Hussein has got a choice, and that is, he can disarm.
There's no negotiations, by the way. There's nothing to negotiate
with him. He told the world he would disarm 11 years ago, and he's
lied to the world. (Applause.) It's their choice to make. He must
disarm, just like he said he would do. And the United Nations, in
order to be effective, must disarm him. But for the sake of our
freedom, for the sake of our future, if nothing happens, the United
States will lead a coalition to hold him to account and to disarm
Saddam Hussein. We owe it to the world to do so. (Applause.)
I want to thank members of both political parties in the Congress
for working on a strong statement of resolve that the world will
see. Members of both political parties have worked together with the
-- with members of my staff, to develop a statement that shows our
determination and our desire to keep the peace, to make the world a
more peaceful place. I think you're going to see that our government
will be, shortly, speaking with one voice, and the world will take
notice.
History has called us into action, my fellow Americans; it just
has. We have a chance to blink, or we have a chance to lead. I
intend to lead. (Applause.)
As we make sure that we're a safer and stronger place, we've also
got to work to make America a better place for all of us. I mean all
of us. It starts with making sure the education systems work. I
appreciate the idea of having a governor who is willing to work to
challenge the soft bigotry of low expectations; somebody who is
willing to raise the standards; somebody who believes, like I
believe, every child can learn; and somebody who is willing to
measure to determine if every child is learning.
You see, it's really important to measure. If you believe
children can learn, then you want to know. And if you find children
trapped in schools which won't teach and won't change, you'd better
have you a governor who won't stand for the status quo. There's no
second-rate children in Arizona. There's no second-rate children in
America. (Applause.)
But a better America also understands that the true strength of
our country is not our government, but the true strength of the
country is the people, the hearts and souls of the American people.
See, that's what I think the strength of the country is. And we can
change this country. You've got to understand that amongst the
plenty, there are pockets of despair and hopelessness in this
country. There just are. There are people who are addicted. There
are people who are lonely. There are people who are lost. When you
say American Dream to some of our fellow Americans, they go blank.
And that's not right. And we need to deal with that. We need to
address that part of our -- because when one of us hurts, all of us
should hurt.
And we can change that part of the American scene. And we've got
to understand, as we do, the limitations of government. Listen,
government can hand out money, and we do a pretty good job of it
sometimes. But what government can never do is put love in
somebody's life; can't put hope in a person's heart. That's going to
happen because our fellow Americans decide to fight evil by doing
some good. That will happen when our fellow Americans understand
being a patriot is more than just putting your hand over your heart.
Being a patriot is serving something greater than yourself. Being a
patriot is somebody who mentors a child. Being a patriot is somebody
who feeds the hungry. Being a patriot is somebody who starts a Boy
or -- Boys or Girls Club. Being a patriot -- who does everything he
or she can do to make the quality of life in your neighborhood as
good it can be.
I don't know what's going through the mind of the enemy when they
hit us. Oh, they probably thought after September he 11th, we might
file a lawsuit or two. (Laughter.) But they learned differently.
They learned that this great country is plenty tough, and we'll
defend our freedoms. They also learned that we're plenty
compassionate, and that we'll respond to their evil with decency.
One person can't do everything in America, but one person can do
something. And as you do that something, I want you to remember that
you can change this country, one heart, one soul, one conscience at
a time.
I believe that we're in the midst of a cultural change in
America; I believe it. I believe we're shifting our culture from one
which had said, if it feels good, just go ahead and do it, and, if
you've got a problem, blame somebody else. I believe that since the
terrible attack on America took place, that we're ushering in a
period of personal responsibility, where each of us must understand
if you're lucky enough to be a mom or a dad, your most important job
is to love your child with all your heart and all your soul.
The culture of responsibility says, if you live in Phoenix,
Arizona, you must do everything you can to support the quality of
life in that community, don't hope for some distant government to do
it. The culture of responsibility says, if you run a corporation in
America, you're responsible to be honest with the books and treat
your employees and shareholders with respect. (Applause.)
I believe it's happening. And perhaps the most vivid example
about what I'm talking about, about serving something greater than
yourself took place on Flight 93. America must remember that tragic
story, because it speaks volumes about the great spirit of the
country. People flying across the plane, 40 passengers and I think
four crew members, I believe it was. They learned from their loved
ones that something was taking place on the ground that no one could
possibly imagine in America. They realized the plane they were on
was going to be used as a weapon. They talked to their loved ones.
They said the word "love" a lot. They said a prayer, they prayed for
strength. One guy said, "Let's roll." They took the plane into the
ground. They served something greater than themselves. That's a
powerful story, because to me it speaks to the soul of our country,
our worth.
There is no question in my mind that if we remain strong and
focused and tough, we can achieve peace. We can achieve peace for
our country. We can achieve peace in the Middle East, peace in South
Asia. There's no doubt we can do that, if we're tough and strong and
determined to speak clearly and always defend freedom. And at home,
we can eliminate those pockets of despair. We can help people with
love.
And the reason I'm optimistic, is because I know America. America
is full of the finest people on the face of the Earth. America is
the greatest nation on the face of the Earth. Thank you for coming.
May God bless, and God bless America. (Applause.)
END 5:15 P.M. MST
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