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Skriven 2004-11-01 23:33:24 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (041101n) for Mon, 2004 Nov 1
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Remarks by the Vice President at a Victory 2004 Rally
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Vice President
November 1, 2004

Remarks by the Vice President at a Victory 2004 Rally
Sparks High School
Sparks, Nevada



5:21 P.M. PST

AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you very much. (Applause.)
Am I going to have trouble with this crowd? (Laughter and applause.) Well,
we're delighted to be back in the Silver State, and this looks like
Bush-Cheney. (Applause.)

And I'm delighted to be here today. Of course, Lynne, talked about knowing
me since I was 14. Which is true. But she wouldn't go out with me until I
was 17. (Laughter.) I tell people we got married because Dwight Eisenhower
got elected President of the United States. In those days, I was a
youngster living with my folks in Nebraska. Dad worked for the Soil
Conservation Service. Eisenhower got elected, reorganized the government,
we got transferred to Casper, Wyoming, and that's where I met Lynne. We
grew up together, went to high school together, and recently celebrated our
40th wedding anniversary. (Applause.) I explained to a group the other
night that if it hadn't been for Eisenhower's victory in 1952, Lynne would
have married somebody else. And she said, right, and now he'd be Vice
President of the United States. (Laughter and applause.) I do like that
story.

Well, we're delighted to be here. I noticed -- I don't know whether you saw
that Senator Kerry recently went goose hunting in Ohio.

AUDIENCE: Booo!

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Of course, I noted he had a brand new camouflage jacket
he wore, which made you wonder how often he'd gone goose hunting before.
(Laughter.) My personal opinion is that his camo jacket was just an October
disguise. It's part of an effort to hide the fact that he votes against gun
owners every chance he gets.

AUDIENCE: Booo!

THE VICE PRESIDENT: But if you want my opinion on the whole thing, John
Kerry's goose is cooked. (Applause.)

AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible.)

THE VICE PRESIDENT: All right. (Laughter.) You're going to go far, young
man. (Laughter.)

We have a great feeling about Nevada. With your help, tomorrow we are going
to carry Nevada. (Applause.)

I want to thank your Congressman Jim Gibbons. He does a great job for all
of us. (Applause.) Your Governor, Kenny Guinn, wasn't able to join us
today, but I want to put in a good word for him, as well. (Applause.) And I
want to mention two other superb leaders with us today: Attorney General
Brian Sandoval and State Treasurer Brian Krolicki. (Applause.)

Let me also say a special word about somebody else who is here today I had
the privilege of serving in Congress with many years ago. I was the
congressman from Wyoming for 10 years. It was a -- Wyoming only had one
congressman. It was a small delegation. (Laughter.) But it was quality.
(Laughter and applause.) But I always -- I always felt a special affinity
for members of Congress from Nevada because we had common interests and
issues to work. But Barbara Vucanovich is here today. And she's a great
friend -- (Applause.) She was a great ally of mine when we were both in the
House, and I'm delighted to see her today. Barbara. (Applause.) Senator Jon
Ensign joined me earlier down in Henderson. And I want to put in a good
word for him. (Applause.)

And I want to thank all of you who have been involved in this grassroots
effort for making phone calls, putting up the yard signs, manning the phone
banks, and doing all the work that's going to be vital to turning out the
vote. (Applause.) This campaign has the greatest ground game in American
political history, and I want to thank you for being a part of it.
(Applause.)

With only a matter of hours remaining in the campaign, the choice facing
the America people could not be more clear. This is no ordinary time for
America. We've all seen the tape of Osama bin Laden now. It's a reminder
that we're engaged in a global war on terror. This is a conflict we did not
choose, but it is one what we will win. (Applause.)

Three years ago, America --

AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible.)

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Control yourselves. (Laughter.) Yes, good luck. Right.
(Laughter.)

Three years ago, America faced a sudden attack. And like other generations
of Americans, we found that history had unexpected duties in store for us.
9/11 made clear the challenge of our time. And since that morning, we have
seen brutal acts of terrorists around the world -? from a nightclub in
Bali, to trains in Madrid, and a school in Beslan, Russia. Against this
kind of determined, organized, ruthless enemy, America requires an
aggressive strategy -? not merely to prosecute a series of crimes, but to
fight and win a global campaign against the terror network. If the killers
of September 11th thought we had lost the will to defend our freedom, they
did not know America. And they did not know George W. Bush. (Applause.)

Under the President's leadership, we have reached around the world to
capture and kill thousands of al Qaeda. In Afghanistan, the camps where
terrorists trained to kill Americans have been shut down, the Taliban
driven from power. (Applause.) In Iraq, we dealt with a gathering threat,
and removed the regime of Saddam Hussein. (Applause.) Nineteen months ago,
he controlled the lives of 25 million people. Today, he sits in jail.
(Applause.)

AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years! (Applause.)

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Treat him gently now. He has 24 hours to change his
mind. (Laughter and applause.)

Because of President Bush's determination in the war on terror, leaders
around the world are getting the message. Just five days after Saddam
Hussein was captured, Moammar Ghadafi in Libya agreed to abandon his
nuclear weapons program and turn the 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 the global effort to end the trade and transfer of these deadly
technologies. The most important result thus far is that the black-market
network that supplied nuclear weapons technology to Libya, as well as to
Iran and North Korea, has been shut down. And the world is much safer as a
result. (Applause.)

Having liberated 50 million people, we are now supporting the efforts of
the Afghans and the Iraqis to establish representative governments. In
Afghanistan, 10 million people registered to vote, nearly half of them
women. (Applause.) Elections were held three weeks ago, the first in the
5,000-year history of that country. (Applause.) And in January, the people
of Iraq will vote, as well. And we will be safer as a result. (Applause.)
One of the lessons that history teaches is that institutions of
self-government turn the energies of people away from violence to the
peaceful work of building better lives. Freedom is the best antidote to
terrorism. (Applause.)

In all our efforts we have been aided by dozens of countries around the
world. We will always seek international support for international efforts,
but as President Bush 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.)

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 the matter was removed recently when Senator Kerry said he
wanted to lead America back to the place where we were ?- to a time when
terrorism was, in his word, a "nuisance."

AUDIENCE: Booo!

THE VICE PRESIDENT: When I read that, I thought to myself: When was
terrorism only a nuisance? Was it a nuisance four years ago, when the USS
Cole was attacked and nearly sunk and we lost 17 sailors?

AUDIENCE MEMBER: No!

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Was it a nuisance six years ago when they attacked
simultaneously two of our embassies in East Africa and killed hundreds of
people?

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 103 was blown out of the
skies over Lockerbie Scotland?

AUDIENCE: No!

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Or 21 years ago, when a suicide bomber in a truck
loaded with explosives drove into a barracks in Beirut and killed 241
American servicemen?

AUDIENCE: No!

THE VICE PRESIDENT: My friends, there never was a time when terrorism was
just a nuisance. There never can be a time when terrorism is just a
nuisance. Our goal is not to reduce terror to some acceptable level. Our
goal is to defeat terror -? and with George Bush as President, that's
exactly what we'll do. (Applause.)

AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!

THE VICE PRESIDENT: During this campaign, we've heard a lot of bold talk
from Senator Kerry, but it cannot disguise a 30-year record of coming down
on the wrong side of virtually every national security issue.

AUDIENCE: Booo!

THE VICE PRESIDENT: He first ran for Congress advocating the idea that we
should deploy American troops only under the authority of the United
Nations.

AUDIENCE: Booo!

THE VICE PRESIDENT: He then ran for the Senate on the platform that we
should dismantle most of the major weapons systems Ronald Reagan used to
keep the peace and win the Cold War.

AUDIENCE: Booo!

THE VICE PRESIDENT: In 1991, when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait and stood
poised to dominate the Persian Gulf, John Kerry voted against Operation
Desert Storm.

AUDIENCE: Booo!

THE VICE PRESIDENT: In the first debate, this year, Senator Kerry said that
America had to meet some kind of "global test" before we could take
military action.

AUDIENCE: Booo!

THE VICE PRESIDENT: The President and I know better than that. We know that
it is not our job to conduct international opinion polls. Our job is to
defend America. (Applause.)

Now, in the closing days of this campaign, John Kerry is running around
talking tough. He's trying every which way to cover up his record of
weakness on national defense. But he can't do it. It won't work. As we like
to say in Wyoming, you can put all the lipstick you want on that pig, but
at the end of the day it's still a pig. (Applause.) That's my favorite
line. (Laughter.) You want to hear it again?

AUDIENCE: Yes!

THE VICE PRESIDENT: As we like to say in Wyoming -- (laughter) -- you can
put all the lipstick you want on a pig, but at the end of the day it's
still a pig. (Laughter and applause.)

These are not times for leaders who shift with the political winds; or who
fail to understand the nature of the struggle we're 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 20 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.)

Our success in the war on terror is made possible by the men and women of
the United States Armed Forces. (Applause.) President Bush knows that our
dedicated servicemen and women represent the very best of the United States
of America. (Applause.) I want to thank all of them, the civilian personnel
who support them, their families, and the veterans with us here today for
what they have done for all of us. (Applause.)

Senator Kerry takes a different view when it comes to supporting our
military. He voted in favor of using force against Saddam Hussein, but then
during the primary season 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, Senator Kerry voted "no."

AUDIENCE: Booo!

THE VICE PRESIDENT: He offered a ridiculous explanation, which, frankly, I
think will go down in the history of American politics. He said, and I
quote, "I actually voted for the $87 billion before I voted against it."

AUDIENCE: Flip-flop! Flip-flop! Flip-flop!

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Look, the election is tomorrow. We got to get through
this speech. (Laughter.)

But the real reason he turned his back on our troops was that he saw the
polls. Howard Dean was the antiwar candidate and Dean was surging ahead in
the polls, and so John Kerry, in order to advance himself in the Democratic
primaries, turned his back on the troops.

AUDIENCE: Booo!

THE VICE PRESIDENT: He said his vote was "complicated," but, my friends,
supporting American troops in combat should never be a complicated matter.
(Applause.)

John Kerry turned to the polls again within the past couple of days. After
the bin Laden tape was released, the Kerry campaign polled to see what his
response should be.

AUDIENCE: Booo!

THE VICE PRESIDENT: He put his finger in the air to see which way the wind
was blowing. (Laughter.) George Bush does not need a poll to know where he
stands in the war on terror. (Applause.) He's a man of courage and
conviction who knows how to lead America during a time of war. And we need
him for four more years. (Applause.)

AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Our country requires strong and consistent leadership
for our actions overseas, and the same is true 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 had a basic
decision to make ?- 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 over 1.9 million new jobs during that period. Here in
Nevada, more than 110,000 jobs have been created since January of '02.
(Applause.) Mortgage rates, interest rates, and inflation are low.
Consumers are confident, businesses are investing, families are taking home
more of what they earn. (Applause.) In a second term, we'll keep our
economy moving in the right direction by making the Bush tax cuts
permanent. (Applause.)

We'll also work to end lawsuit abuse because we know it's a lot easier for
America's businesses to hire workers if they don't have to hire lawyers.
(Applause.)

We will work for medical liability reform, so that America's doctors are
able to spend their time healing patients, not fighting off frivolous
lawsuits. (Applause.)

President Bush and I will also continue to defend 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 of every American to
bear arms. (Applause.) We believe our nation is "one nation under God," and
that Americans ought to be able to say so when we pledge allegiance to the
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.

AUDIENCE: Booo!

THE VICE PRESIDENT: They're 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.)

AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!

THE VICE PRESIDENT: 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. (Applause.)

AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible.) (Applause.)

THE VICE PRESIDENT: I'm almost through, but I could give you the whole
speech again. (Laughter and applause.) That's a joke. I've got to get home
tonight. (Laughter.)

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, resolute action, and a strategy for victory. (Applause.)
Senator Kerry wants to empower government; President Bush will empower the
citizens of this great land. (Applause.) John Kerry seems to think that all
wisdom is found in Washington, D.C.; George Bush trusts the wisdom of the
American people. (Applause.)

The polls open bright and early tomorrow. And I'm asking every one of you
to vote, and to get your friends and neighbors to come along. (Applause.)
There is a great deal at stake in this election. And I want to ask for your
support just as clearly as I possibly can. We need you. (Applause.)

If you want a President who will fight the terrorists on the offensive, and
never relent in protecting our country, send George W. Bush back for four
more years. (Applause.)

AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!

THE VICE PRESIDENT: If you want a President who will keep his word, and
stand behind our military 100 percent, send George Bush back for four more
years. (Applause.)

If you want a President who will keep taxes low for families, farmers, and
entrepreneurs, send George Bush back for four more years. (Applause.)

If you want a President who will expand opportunities to start a business
or own a home ?- if you want to live the American dream, send George Bush
back for four more years. (Applause.)

If you want a President who will insist on accountability in the classroom
and keep parents and teachers in charge of the schools, send George Bush
back for four more years. (Applause.)

And if you are a Democrat, Republican or independent and you want a
President who will stand up for America's enduring values, send George W.
Bush back for four more years. (Applause.)

We're grateful to our many friends across the great state of Nevada. I want
to thank you for the tremendous welcome tonight. We're proud to have you on
the team. And together, tomorrow, we'll going to see our cause forward to
victory.

Thank you very much. (Applause.)

END 5:48 P.M. PST
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