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[I know, I know. This isn't really Politech material. But the White
House sends me these things and I read them and sometimes I feel
compelled to send them along. This one is unintentionally hilarious. The
understated eloquence of the audience and the wide array of sentiments
expressed ("boo!" "no!" "four more years"!) is perfect. --Declan]
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Vice President
______________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release October 12, 2004
REMARKS OF THE VICE PRESIDENT
AT A VICTORY 2004 RALLY
Olmsted County Fairgrounds
Rochester, Minnesota
3:55 P.M. CDT
TH VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you. (Applause.)
Thank you, good to see everybody. (Applause.) Well, thank you very much
for that warm welcome. It's great to be back in Minnesota. And I see from
the crowd here and the enthusiasm today, this must be Bush-Cheney country.
(Applause.)
AUDIENCE: Bush-Cheney rules! Bush-Cheney rules! Bush-Cheney rules!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. (Laughter.) But it's
true, Lynne has known me since I was 14, but she wouldn't go out with me
until I was 17. (Laughter.) And I tell everybody we got married because
Dwight Eisenhower got elected President of the United States. (Laughter.)
In 1952, when he ran for President I was a youngster living in Lincoln,
Nebraska with my folks. Dad worked for the Soil Conservation Service.
Eisenhower got elected, reorganized the federal government, Dad got
transferred to Casper, Wyoming, and that's where I met Lynne. And we grew
up together, went to high school together, and a few weeks ago celebrated
our 40th wedding anniversary. (Applause.) And I explained to a group the
other night that if it hadn't been for Eisenhower's victory, Lynne would
have married somebody else. (Laughter.) And she said, right, and now he'd
be Vice President of the United States. (Laughter and applause.) They all
understand, but it's absolutely true.
But we're delighted to be here today. And we had the opportunity
like I think all of you did to watch the debate last Friday, and thought
the President did a fantastic job. (Applause.) We're looking forward to
the debate tomorrow night and the final three weeks of campaigning until
November 2nd. And the choices in this election could not be more clear --
the stakes are very high, both at home and abroad. And I believe three
weeks from today, the American people are going to make George W. Bush
President for four more years. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: It's a real pleasure to be in Rochester,
especially during the city's 150th anniversary -- I'm told. (Applause.) I
had the privilege briefly of serving on the board of the Mayo Clinic, and
then had to give it up when I became Vice President. It's a superb
institution, something you all can be enormously proud of.
And the President and I have been in Minnesota many times over the
past several years. We appreciate the strong support we've gotten in this
state, and throughout the state -? from the cities, and farms, and the
suburbs, and the Iron Range, all the way north to the Canadian border.
This state is filled with hard-working, patriotic, independent-minded
people. You've also got a great leadership tradition, and I want to thank
the voters of Minnesota for sending Norm Coleman to the United States
Senate. (Applause.) It's a privilege today to share the stage not only
with Norm, but also with your outstanding Congressman, Gil Gutknecht. He
does a superb job. (Applause.)
I served in the House of Representatives for 10 years, and Wyoming
only had one congressman. It was a small delegation. (Laughter.) But it
was quality. (Laughter and applause.) But I've got a feel for the House,
and I've got to tell you, Gil does do a superb job of representing all of
you. (Applause.)
And I've also gotten to know your fine governor, Tim Pawlenty. He
does a superb job for the state. (Applause.)
As the election draws near, Minnesota is drawing attention as one of
the crucial states this year. The state is trending strongly in the
President's favor. That's because Minnesota voters understand the
importance of steady, principled leadership in the White House. This is no
ordinary time for America, and the last three-and-a-half years have brought
some serious challenges to our country. We're meeting those with strength
and resolve. And today, people in Minnesota and across the land can be
confident of a better future; a stronger economy; and a nation more secure
thanks to the character and the leadership of our President, George W.
Bush. (Applause.)
Of course, as Vice President, I have an opponent of my own.
(Laughter.) I got to debate him a week ago today. People tell me Senator
Edwards got picked for his charm, his good looks, his sex appeal, his great
hair. (Laughter.) And I said, "How do you think I got the job?"
(Applause.)
But in all seriousness, this is a very serious election this year,
serious business we're about. And the election could not come at more
crucial time in our history. Today we face an enemy every bit as intent to
destroy us as were the Axis powers in World War II. This is not an enemy
we can reason with or negotiate with or appease. This is, to put it
simply, an enemy that we must destroy. And with President George Bush as
our Commander-in-Chief, that is exactly what we are doing. (Applause.)
Under the President's leadership, we have reached around the world to
capture and kill hundreds of al Qaeda. In Afghanistan, the camps where
terrorists trained to kill Americans have been shut down, the Taliban
driven from power. In Iraq, we dealt with a gathering threat, and removed
the regime of Saddam Hussein. Tonight, he sits in jail. (Applause.)
We're also helping the people of Iraq and Afghanistan to build
representative governments. In Afghanistan, 10 million people registered
to vote, nearly half of them women. Elections were held just two days ago
on Saturday. (Applause.) This was the first time there's been a free
election in Afghanistan in the 5,000-year history of that country.
(Applause.)
In January, there will be elections in Iraq, as well. The world is
better off as these countries move towards self-government -? and we are
safer because freedom is the best antidote I know to terror. (Applause.)
The President's determination in the war on terror and what we did in
Afghanistan and Iraq sent a very clear message around the world. Just five
days after Saddam Hussein was captured, the government of Libya agreed to
abandon its nuclear weapons program and turn all those materials over to
the United States. (Applause.)
The biggest danger we face today is having nuclear weapons technology
fall into the hands of terrorists. The President is working with many
countries in a global effort to end the trade and transfer of these deadly
technologies. The most important result thus far -? and a very important
one -? is that the black-market network that supplied nuclear weapons
technology to Libya, to North Korea, and to Iran has been shut down.
(Applause.) The world's worst source of nuclear proliferation is out of
business, and we are safer as a result. (Applause.)
We could not have succeeded in these efforts without the help of
dozens of countries around the world. We will always seek international
support for international efforts, but as the President has made very
clear, there is a difference between leading a coalition of many nations
and submitting to the objections of a few. We will never seek a permission
slip to defend the United States of America. (Applause.)
America faces a choice on November 2nd between a strong, steadfast
President and his opponent, who seems to adopt a new position every day.
In the second presidential debate, Senator Kerry managed to adopt two
positions within a matter of minutes, saying first that Iraq under Saddam
was a threat and then declaring that it wasn't. In the first presidential
debate, Senator Kerry said that before America acts we must pass a "global
test," but the President and I know better. Our job is not to conduct
international opinion polls, but to defend the American people.
(Applause.)
When John Kerry suggests a global test, he goes right back to his
beginnings in politics, when he ran for Congress the first time and said we
should only deploy U.S. troops under the authority of the United Nations.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: During the 1980s, he opposed Ronald Reagan's
major defense initiatives that brought victory in the Cold War. And in
1991, when Saddam Hussein occupied Kuwait and stood poised to dominate the
Persian Gulf, Senator Kerry voted against Operation Desert Storm.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: You guys want to travel with me this week?
(Laughter and applause.)
Now, we've occasionally heard some bold talk from the Senator but
tough talk during a 90-minute debate cannot disguise a 30-year record of
coming down on the wrong side of every issue. (Applause.) He's
consistently taken the wrong side of virtually every major national
security issue, and it's absolutely essential we remind him of that, and
the American people of that during the course of this election.
The position Senator Kerry adopted most recently seems to be that he
would not have supported the use of force to remove Saddam Hussein's regime
-? even though he voted for it originally -- and that removing Saddam has
somehow weakened our national security. But nine months ago when Howard
Dean took a similar position during the Democratic primaries, Senator Kerry
jumped all over him and said, and I quote: "Those who doubted whether Iraq
or the world would be better off without Saddam Hussein, and those who
believe today that we are not safer with his capture, don't have the
judgment to be President or the credibility to be elected President."
(Applause.) The only thing I have to say to that is, I'm Dick Cheney and I
approve this message. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: All the shifts Senator Kerry has made are
troubling, but there is one that really stands out. It starts with Senator
Kerry and his running mate, Senator Edwards, voting in favor of using force
against Saddam Hussein. But then, when it came time to vote for funds that
would provide our fighting men and women with body armor, ammunition, jet
fuel, and spare parts, Senators Kerry and Edwards voted no. Only 12
members of the United States Senate opposed the funding that would provide
vital resources for our troops. Only four senators voted for the use of
force and against the resources our men and women needed once they were in
combat. Only four. Senators Kerry and Edwards were two of those four.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: At first Senator Kerry said he didn't really
oppose the funding. He both supported and opposed it. And of course, he
said, and I quote, "I actually voted for the $87 billion before I voted
against it." Well that certainly clears things up. (Laughter.) Lately
he's been saying he's proud that he and John Edwards voted no, and he
explains that his decision was "complicated." But funding American troops
in combat should never be a complicated question. (Applause.) We need a
President who will back our troops 100 percent, and that's exactly what
we've got in George W. Bush. (Applause.)
The clearest, most important difference in this campaign is simple to
state. President Bush understands the war on terror and has a strategy for
winning it. Senator Kerry does not. (Applause.)
All doubt on this matter was removed this past weekend by comments
Senator Kerry made to The New York Times. The Senator said he wanted to
lead America back to the place where we were -- and this is a direct quote:
"Back to the place we were, to a time when terrorism was" -- in his words
-- "a nuisance" -- like illegal gambling and prostitution.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: That's the comparison he made. When I read
that, I thought to myself, when was terrorism only a nuisance? Was it a
nuisance over four years ago today, October 12, 2000, when the USS Cole was
attacked and we lost 17 of our sailors?
AUDIENCE: No!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Was terrorism just a nuisance 11 years ago when
the World Trade Center was first bombed?
AUDIENCE: No!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Or 16 years ago when Pan Am Flight 103 was blown
out of the skies over Scotland?
AUDIENCE: No!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Or 21 years ago when a truck bomb hit a barracks
in Beirut and killed 241 American Marines?
AUDIENCE: No!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Ladies and gentlemen, there never was a time
when terrorism was just a nuisance. There never can be a time when
terrorism is a nuisance. Our goal is not to reduce terror to some
acceptable level -- our goal is to defeat terror, and with George W. Bush
as President, America will stay in the fight until the fight is won.
(Applause.)
These are not times for leaders who shift with the political winds,
or who fail to understand the nature of the struggle we are in. Our
troops, our allies, and our enemies must know where America stands. The
President of the United States must be clear and consistent. In his years
in Washington, John Kerry has been one of a hundred votes in the United
States Senate -? and fortunately on matters of national security, his views
rarely prevailed. But the presidency is an entirely different proposition.
A senator can be wrong for 20 years, without consequence to the nation.
But a President ?- a President -? always casts the deciding vote. And in
this time of challenge, America needs -? and America has -? a President we
can count on to get it right. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: President Bush knows that our dedicated
servicemen and women and their families represent the very best of the
United States of America. And I want to thank them and all the veterans
with us here today for what you have done for all of us. (Applause.)
On Iraq, Senator Kerry has disagreed with many of his fellow
Democrats. But Senator Kerry's liveliest disagreement is with himself.
(Laughter.) His back-and-forth reflects a habit of indecision, and sends a
message of confusion. But it's all part of a pattern. He has, in the last
several years, been for the No Child Left Behind Act ?- and against it. He
has spoken in favor of the North American Free Trade Agreement -? and
against it. He is for the Patriot Act -? and against it. Senator Kerry
says he sees two Americas. It makes the whole thing mutual -? America sees
two John Kerrys. (Applause.)
Our country requires strong and consistent leadership for our actions
overseas, as well as for our policies here at home. When President Bush
and I stood on the inaugural platform on the west front of the Capitol and
took the oath of office, our economy was sliding into recession. Then
terrorists struck on 9/11 and shook our economy once again. We faced a
basic decision ?- to leave more money with families and businesses, or to
take more of the American people's hard-earned money for the federal
government. President Bush made his choice. He proposed and he delivered
tax cuts for the American people not once, not twice, but four times in
four years. (Applause.)
Every American who pays federal income taxes benefited from the Bush
tax cuts -? and so has our economy. We've created jobs for 13 consecutive
months -? a total of 1.9 million new jobs during that period -? including
almost 100,000 new jobs in the last month alone. Here in Minnesota, more
than 28,000 jobs have been created since a year ago June. Mortgage rates,
and interest rates, and inflation are all low. Consumers are confident,
businesses are investing, and families are taking home more of what they
earn.
We're seeing record exports for farm products. Farm income is up.
Our farm economy is strong and that's good for the entire nation.
(Applause.)
We know there are still challenges, especially in our manufacturing
communities. The President and I will not be satisfied until every
American who wants to work can find a job. But this is a strong, growing
economy. The Bush tax cuts are working. (Applause.)
Our accomplishments these last four years have made America safer,
stronger, and better. They also demonstrate something about the character
of our President. He didn't go to the White House to mark time, or to
waste energy on small goals. He went to take on the big issues, and to
make serious reforms. He has led with confidence, with clear vision, and
with unwavering purpose. He's made hard choices; he's kept his word; and
that's exactly how he will continue to lead the nation for the next four
years. (Applause.)
In our second term, we'll keep moving forward with a pro-growth,
pro-jobs agenda. We will work to make the Bush tax cuts permanent. And to
help families and small businesses, we will lead a bipartisan effort to
reform and simplify the federal tax code. (Applause.)
We will work to end lawsuit abuse. We know it's a lot easier for
America's businesses to hire workers if they don't have to keep hiring
lawyers. (Applause.) And we will work for medical liability reform
because we know the cost of malpractice insurance is creating a crisis, not
only in Minnesota, but across the nation. (Applause.)
Our opponents have a very different vision for our country. In the
Senate, John Kerry voted to increase taxes 98 times. He opposed the
President's middle class tax relief, and voted to squeeze another $2,000
per year from the average family. He is opposed to reform of our legal
system, and he is against medical liability reform. And now Senator Kerry
is proposing massive increases in federal spending. His big idea for the
economy: raise our taxes.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: President Bush and I will also continue to
defend our society's fundamental rights and values. We stand for a culture
of life, and reject the brutal practice of partial birth abortion.
(Applause.) We stand strongly for the Second Amendment and will defend the
individual right every American to bear arms. (Applause.) We believe that
our nation is "one nation under God." (Applause.) And we believe
Americans ought to be able to say so when we pledge allegiance to our flag.
(Applause.)
There shouldn't be any question about this ?- and there wouldn't be
if we had more reasonable judges on the federal bench. (Applause.) The
Democrats in the Senate have been doing everything they can ?- including
using the filibuster -? to keep the President's sensible, mainstream
nominees off the bench. They are hoping to wait the President out. But
I've got news for them. That's not going to happen because we're going to
win this election. (Applause.)
My friends, the differences between the President and his opponent
are as sharp as they can possibly be, and the consequences for the country
are enormous. On vital matters of national security, Senator Kerry offers
a record of weakness and a strategy of retreat. President Bush offers a
record of steady purpose and resolute action, and a strategy for victory.
Senator Kerry is a tax-and-spend liberal; President Bush is a compassionate
conservative. Senator Kerry wants to empower government; President Bush
will use government to empower people. (Applause.) John Kerry seems to
think that all the wisdom is found in Washington, D.C.; George Bush trusts
the wisdom of the American people. (Applause.)
On issue after issue, President Bush has a clear vision for the
future of our nation. America has come to know him, and I have come to
admire him very much. I watch him at work every day. He's a person of
loyalty and kindness, a man who speaks plainly and means what he says. I
have seen him face some of the hardest decisions that can come to the
occupant of the Oval Office -? and make those decisions with the wisdom and
the humility Americans expect in their President.
Under President Bush's leadership, we will use America's great power
to serve great purposes, to protect our homeland by turning back and
defeating the forces of terror, and to spread hope and freedom around the
world. (Applause.) Here at home, we will continue building a prosperity
that reaches every corner of the land so that every child in America has a
chance to learn, to succeed, and to rise in the world. (Applause.)
The President and I are honored by your commitment to the cause we
all share. President Bush and I will wage this effort with complete
confidence in the judgment of the American people. The signs are good ?-
here in Minnesota, and even in Massachusetts. (Applause.) According to a
news account, people leaving the Democratic National Convention in July
asked a Boston policeman for directions. He replied, Leave here ?- and go
vote Republican. (Laughter and applause.)
President Bush and I are honored to have the support of that police
officer, and of Democrats, Republicans, and independents from every calling
in American life. We're grateful to our many friends across the great
state of Minnesota. I want to thank you for the welcome. We're proud to
have you on the team. And together, on November 2nd, we'll see our cause
forward to victory.
Thank you very much. (Applause.)
END 4:23 P.M. CDT
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