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Skriven 2006-06-16 23:34:00 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0606165) for Fri, 2006 Jun 16
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Remarks by the President at Heather Wilson for Congress Reception
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
June 16, 2006

Remarks by the President at Heather Wilson for Congress Reception



REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT

AT HEATHER WILSON FOR CONGRESS RECEPTION

Hyatt Regency Albuquerque

Albuquerque, New Mexico

4:40 P.M. MDT

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. Thanks for coming. It's great to be
back in New Mexico again. It just seemed like I was here the other day.
(Laughter.) This time I've come because I cannot tell you how important it
is to reelect Heather Wilson to the United States Congress. (Applause.)

I have spent enough time in Washington, D.C. to be able to distinguish
between the real, genuine person and those who are just up there to mark
time. Heather Wilson is honest, she is capable. She has gone to Washington,
D.C. to do a job on behalf of the citizens of New Mexico, and she deserves
to be reelected to the United States Congress. (Applause.)

And I thank you for helping her. This has been a successful event. So I
want to thank the organizers and the phone callers and the people that
encourage you to come, and then I want to thank you for being here. When
you find somebody who is a decent soul willing to sacrifice time with her
family, willing to travel the long distances between New Mexico and
Washington, D.C., willing to do the hard work on behalf of the citizens of
Albuquerque and the surrounding area, you need to support her. And I want
to thank you for supporting her. (Applause.)

When Heather tells you something, she means it. And you don't have to worry
about her disgracing the office of the United States Congress. (Applause.)
You know, I like strong women. (Laughter.) I was raised by one, I married
one, and I hope we're raising two. (Laughter and applause.) And sometimes a
strong woman -- sometimes they -- they all listen, and sometimes they do
what you ask them to do, and sometimes they don't. (Laughter.) See, Heather
Wilson is an independent soul. That's what you want from a person from this
district. You want somebody who is strong in her beliefs, strong in her
convictions, but strong, first and foremost, to the people of this
district. (Applause.) The way I like to describe her is she's
compassionate, she's smart, she's independent-minded, and she can get the
job done. And that's why she needs to go back to the United States
Congress. (Applause.)

Laura sends her best. In the photo line, the guy said, where's Laura? It
didn't hurt my feelings, you know. (Laughter.) Kind of like, you know, how
come you're here and she's not? (Laughter.) But Laura knows talent and
strength of character when she sees it -- Heather Wilson is one of her
favorite people in Washington, D.C. And she sends her love to Heather, and
sends her thanks to you all for helping this fine lady get reelected to the
United States Congress.

By the way, I lucked out when she said, yes. (Laughter.) We were raised, as
you know, right across the border, so I have a pretty good feeling about
the values and the thinking of the people of New Mexico. And so does Laura.
And there's no doubt in her mind, and my mind, that Heather Wilson is the
right person to represent you in the United States Congress. And, again, I
want to thank you. I forgot to ask you to do one thing, though, and that is
thanks for giving of your hard-earned money; make sure that you turn out
the vote coming down the stretch. (Applause.)

She's going to win. No doubt in my mind, she's going to win. (Applause.) I
want to thank her family, Jay, Joshua, and Caitlin. I was telling Joshua
and Caitlin coming over -- I spent some quality time with Heather on Air
Force One; it's amazing what people do to get on Air Force One, by the way.
(Laughter.) I said to Joshua and Caitlin, "I know a lot about you." They
kind of looked at me like, you know, huh? (Laughter.) I said, "That's all
your mother talked about for half the leg." (Laughter.) I love a person who
values her family, who places her family at the center of her life. We need
people in the United States Congress who understand the importance of
family in our society. Heather Wilson not only talks about family, she acts
on her love of her family.

And I want to thank Jay and Josh and Caitlin for being here today. And
thank you for supporting your mom and your wife for her hard work doing the
job.

I want to thank Allen Weh -- (applause) -- yes, he's a good fellow.
(Applause.) I want to thank the grassroots activists who are here. I want
to thank those of you who a lot of time don't get credit for making phone
calls -- there's one right there -- (laughter) -- and people who put up the
signs and go to the rallies and stuff the envelopes, the people who really
turn out to be the wind at the candidate's back. And you're going to make
the difference coming down the stretch for Heather. So thank you in advance
for what you're fixing to do.

We're dealing with some big issues. We really are. These are historic
times. And one of the reasons I feel so strongly that Heather needs to be
reelected is she understands the stakes of the world in which we live. See,
we need people who see the world the way it is, not the way we would hope
it would be. And the world we live in is a dangerous world because there's
still enemies that would like to strike the United States of America.

We need clear-eyed realists in Washington, D.C. Heather Wilson is a
clear-eyed realist. She brings a lot of experience to the job. By the way,
she's on the Intelligence Committee -- I'm probably not supposed to talk
about it. (Laughter.) The reason she's on it is because she's a clear-eyed
realist. It's a very, very important job. She helps make sure this country
has the best intelligence possible. And the reason that's important is
because our most important job, the most important priority of the
President and the Congress is to protect the American people. And the best
way to protect the American people is to stay on the offense and bring the
killers to justice so they don't hurt the American people again.
(Applause.)

And in order to stay on the offense, we've got to have good intelligence,
and we've got to have smart, capable people helping this government find
these terrorists. In order to protect the American people, I need people in
the United States Congress who understand the importance of supporting the
men and women who wear the uniform of the United States of America, and
Heather Wilson understands that. (Applause.)

We're fighting a global war on terror. Now, I know most of the attention is
focused on Iraq, but I want to remind you, that is just a battlefield in
the global war on terror. It's a part of the war on terror. I need people
in the United States Congress like Heather who understands that the war on
terror is not just Iraq, but it's Afghanistan, and it's places where people
plan and plot their attacks on the United States of America.

I just came back from Baghdad. It's a -- (applause) -- it's a remarkable
experience to, first and foremost, meet the leaders of a new government,
people that are in office because 12 million people are able to vote
because we threw out a tyrant that was so brutal and so ruthless that not
only to kill his own people by the thousands, that he invaded his
neighbors, that he threatened the United States of America, that he
harbored terrorists. And now they have a chance to vote, and they did, and
now there's a government formed under one of the most modern constitutions
ever written in the Middle East. And it was refreshing to see these people
that are anxious to fulfill the will of the people of Iraq.

And it's hard work. But I went to take the measure of the person. I went to
say this to him: It's up to you, here's your chance, here's your chance to
succeed, here's your chance to liberate people, here's your chance to make
history, here's your chance to spread the peace, here's your chance to help
us fight those who want to destroy your hopes and aspirations. And I also
told him this, that when the United States of America gives a commitment,
we will keep our word. We will not cut and run. It's important to have
people in the United States Congress who understand the stakes of the fight
in Iraq and complete the mission. And Heather Wilson is such a person.
(Applause.)

We're going to succeed in Iraq. We will succeed. And when we do, they will
be an ally in the war on terror and they'll be an example for others to
see. You see, I base a lot of my decisions upon this belief: There is an
Almighty, and one of the great gifts of the Almighty to men and women from
all faiths and all walks of life is freedom. Freedom is universal. Freedom
is not owned just by people in the United States of America, it's universal
-- all people desire to be free. And free societies turn out to be peaceful
societies. Free societies figure out ways to keep the peace. And so, in our
fight against the terrorists, not only will we bring them to justice and
stay on the hunt to protect the American people, but at the same time, we
will act on the universal principle of freedom, and help others become
free.

People say, what do you mean by that, Mr. President? Well, I'll give you an
example. Two weeks from today I'll be meeting with the Prime Minister of
Japan, Prime Minister Koizumi. He's coming. We'll have a visit in
Washington, D.C. It turns out he's an Elvis fan, so he and I are then going
to go to Graceland. (Laughter.) Think about that, though. Think about the
American President traveling to Graceland -- (laughter) -- with the Prime
Minister of Japan. Let me ask you something -- 60 years ago, would you have
thought that would be possible? (Laughter.) Think about it.

See, my dad, and I bet your relatives, too -- some of you had relatives who
fought the Japanese. They were the sworn enemy of the United States of
America in a bloody, bloody conflict. And 60 years later I'll be sitting
down at the table with the Prime Minister talking about North Korea, how to
keep the peace there; I'll be talking about the fact that their country has
contributed a thousand troops to help this young democracy in the heart of
the Middle East. He understands that freedom can help change a neighborhood
that's been full of hatred.

What happened? What happened was Japan adopted a Japanese-style democracy.
They had a different form of government. They became -- they adopted a
different style of governing themselves. Democracies have the capacity to
convert enemies into allies. And what's happening today is we're after the
terrorists not only by staying on the hunt, but we're after them with an
ideology of hope, an ideology of life, an ideology that recognizes human
rights and human dignity. And one of these days, somebody is going to be
sitting down -- a duly-elected leader from Iraq sitting down at the table
with a future U.S. President talking about how to keep the peace. We're
laying the foundation of peace for generations to come, and Heather Wilson
understands the stakes. (Applause.)

Our economy is strong. And one of the reasons it's strong is because we put
policies in place that recognize that if you have more money in your pocket
to save, invest or spend, this economy is going to grow. See, there's a
philosophical debate in Washington, D.C., who best can spend your money.
(Laughter.) We like -- Heather and I like for you to spend your own money.
We believe if you have more money in your pocket, the economy -- (applause)
-- we believe if you're a small business owner, and you got more money in
your treasury, your more likely to hire somebody. That's what we believe.

The other crowd believes they need to run up your taxes, because they think
they can spend your money better than you can. You might remember, we've
had some tough economic times in this country. We had a recession, a stock
market correction, corporate scandals, an attack on the United States of
America, two wars to defend ourselves, major natural disasters, and high
energy prices -- and yet this economy is going strong. And we intend to
keep it -- (applause.)

And the reason it's strong is because we cut the taxes. We let you keep
more of your own money. Now, you'll hear them in Washington say, well, what
we need to do is balance the budget by raising the taxes. That's not the
way Washington works. It's just not the way -- it may sound attractive to
some here in Albuquerque, oh, we'll just tax a certain number of people and
we'll balance the budget that way. No, the way Washington works is they
will raise your taxes and they will figure out new ways to spend your
money. The best way to balance the budget is to set priorities when it
comes to spending the people's money, to be strong on those priorities, and
to keep pro-growth economic policies in place so we get more tax revenues
coming into the treasury because this economy is growing. That's how you
balance the budget. (Applause.)

Make no mistake about it, if the other bunch gets in control of the
Congress, you'll be paying higher taxes. And that's why we're going to win
this November. (Applause.) People understand they're taxed enough. What
they want is fiscal sanity in Washington, D.C. That's what they want.

You know something? One of the things that we're going to run on as a
party, and Heather can really run on is, she's delivered. Take Medicare,
for example. That's a program -- it's an important program. It was signed
by Lyndon Baines Johnson in 1965. It's really an important deal. The
federal government has made a commitment to help our elderly when it comes
to health care. And our attitude is, if you make a commitment, you want to
make sure you have a modern health care system. There's no need to make a
commitment and have a lousy health care system. And Medicare had done a lot
of good work, but it was getting old and it needed to be reformed. Medicine
was changing, but Medicare wasn't.

And so we got together and decided we're going to do something on behalf of
the seniors. We're going to fulfill our promise to the seniors of the
United States of America. The other bunch had been talking about it, year
after year. We did -- we got something done. What we've done is provided
prescription drugs as an integral part of Medicare.

People say, why was that important? Well, I'll give you one reason.
Medicare would pay for heart surgery, but would not pay one dime for the
prescription drugs that could prevent the heart surgery from being needed
in the first place. Medicine had been modernizing, Medicare had not. And
thanks to the leadership of Heather Wilson, I was able to sign a modern
Medicare bill and -- (applause) -- and if you're a poor senior in
Albuquerque, New Mexico, this government is going to help you with your
prescription drugs. And the days of you having to choose between medicine
and food are over, thanks to Heather Wilson. (Applause.)

I could keep talking all day long about her -- (laughter)

-- but I might miss my dinner with Laura. (Laughter.) But I do want to talk
about her love of the young people. You might remember, she served in the
Cabinet here as the Secretary of Children, Youth, and Family. She was --
she said, look, I want to serve my state by helping young people, helping
the disadvantaged. In other words, she's got a good heart.

And she took that heart to Washington and helped us pass the No Child Left
Behind Act. Let me tell you something about the No Child Left Behind Act.
It said we're going to increase money, particularly for poor students. I
think that's a good use of money. I really do. But instead of just
accepting mediocrity in our schools, we said we're going to challenge the
soft bigotry of low expectations. Here's the truth. In some schools, it's
just as easy to pass somebody who looks hard to educate along. If you're
such-and-such an age, you're supposed to be here; we'll just move you
there.

See, Heather and I believe every child can learn, no matter if you're --
how you were raised, no matter your heritage. We believe you can learn to
read. You know, if your mom and dad don't speak English as a primary
language, we still believe you can learn. And not only we believe you can
learn, we expect the school to teach you to learn. That's what we want.
(Applause.) We expect the schools to teach you how to read and write and
add and subtract.

And so we worked to raise the standards, and said to states, you measure,
because we want to know. We want to know early before it's too late. The No
Child Left Behind Act, that Heather was a strong supporter of, has helped
change America for the better. It says, if we find a child struggling with
reading early, we're going to make sure there's extra money to help that
child, because we don't want one child left behind in America.

There is an achievement gap in America. There really is. When you look at
the 4th grade results, there's a -- the Anglo students are here, and Latino
students are here, and the African American -- that's not right. That's not
what this country is all about. This country is about equal opportunity.
This country is about making sure every child, no matter her -- his or her
background is, gets a great education. And the No Child Left Behind Act is
challenging mediocrity and it's challenging failure, and that achievement
gap is closing. And Heather Wilson gets credit for being a strong supporter
of good schools in New Mexico. (Applause.)

You know, there's a lot of problems that rise -- rise up for a state like
New Mexico. You've got very important labs, and these labs make a
difference for the United States of America. But it's not a given the labs
will be there. You need people in the Congress that understand how to get
things done.

It seems like to me the people of this district would want somebody to be
able to pick up the phone and call the President of the United States and
have the President of the United States answer the phone. I'm close to
Heather, you know. She a -- as I told you, she's independent. But that
doesn't mean I don't hold her in the highest -- highest regard and deep
respect, which I do. I love her integrity. And when she calls me on the
phone, I answer. And guess what -- guess what she's generally talking
about? The people of this congressional district. She loves of the people
of this district. She's serving the people of this district. And I urge the
people of this district, for their own sake, for their own good, and for
the good of the United States of America, to send Heather Wilson back to
the United States Congress.

Thanks for coming. God bless. (Applause.)

END 5:02 P.M. MDT
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