Text 3408, 408 rader
Skriven 2006-10-12 23:31:10 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (061012c) for Thu, 2006 Oct 12
====================================================

===========================================================================
Remarks by the President at Roskam for Congress, David Mcsweeney for
Congress 2006, and Illinois Congressional Victory Committee 2006 Reception
===========================================================================

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
October 12, 2006

Remarks by the President at Roskam for Congress, David Mcsweeney for
Congress 2006, and Illinois Congressional Victory Committee 2006 Reception
Hilton Chicago
Chicago, Illinois



5:25 P.M. CDT

THE PRESIDENT: Thanks for coming. I'm proud you're here. Before I liberate
the Speaker, so he doesn't have to stand up here for this long speech --
(laughter) -- I want to say this to you: I am proud to be standing with the
current Speaker of the House who is going to be the future Speaker.
(Applause.)

Speaker Denny Hastert has a long record of accomplishment. You know, he's
not one of these Washington politicians who spews a lot of hot air. He just
gets the job done. (Applause.) I have worked with him up close. I know
what's it like to work with a Speaker who is determined to protect the
United States of America, and a Speaker who wants to make sure that
everybody who wants a job in America can find one. He has delivered results
for the people; this country is better off with Denny Hastert as the
Speaker, and it will be better off when he's the Speaker in the next
legislative session. (Applause.)

The Speaker has heard me give a lot of talks, so he wants to make sure if
there's a chair nearby -- (laughter) -- but I want to thank you all for
coming. Your support means a lot.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: We will win.

THE PRESIDENT: Yes, sir. (Applause.) I am also proud to be with two fine
candidates, Peter Roskam -- (applause) -- David McSweeney. (Applause.) And
I want to thank you for helping them. I have a sense of what it's like to
run for office. (Laughter.) I've done it before, and I know how important
it is for two candidates who are out day in and day out campaigning to be
able to look at an audience this size and realize they're getting fine
support. Your support means a lot not only the their campaigns, in the
sense that you're helping to fill the hat, but it means a lot to their
spirits to realize there's a lot of people pulling for them.

And there's nobody better to pull for a candidate than his family -- in
this case, Peter's family, Elizabeth and his children, and in David's case,
his wife Margaret. And it's been my honor to be able to see both those
families, and I want to thank the families for supporting these good men
for running for office, as well. (Applause.)

Speaking about wives -- (laughter) -- I was -- I happened to have my
picture taken a while ago with a group of citizens that came through, and
one fellow -- I guess I would define him as blunt, said, "You know, I was
hoping to have my picture taken with Laura." (Laughter.) I said, "It's not
hurting my feelings, man, you got good taste." (Laughter.) She sends her
best to the Speaker and to the candidates; she sends her best to you all. I
am a lucky man to have Laura Bush as my wife. (Applause.) And our country
-- in my non-objective opinion -- is lucky to have her as the First Lady.
(Applause.)

I wish Kevin White all the very best in his run for the 5th Congressional
Delegation. (Applause.) Thanks for coming, Kevin. Give Geraldine a hug for
me.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: Right in front of you, right here. (Laughter.)

AUDIENCE MEMBER: I'll do it for you.

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. (Laughter.)

AUDIENCE MEMBER: Give her a hug for me. (Laughter.)

THE PRESIDENT: That's your responsibility. (Laughter.)

I am proud to be here with Congressman Don Manzullo from the great state of
Illinois. (Applause.) My thanks to state Representative Tom Cross, who is
the minority leader of the Illinois House. I want to thank all the state
and local officials who've joined us. But most of all, thank you all for
being here.

I thank my friend Pat Ryan. It's not easy to raise this much money, and I
know how much organization it takes, and therefore it takes a strong leader
up top, and that's exactly what Pat Ryan is. He's a strong leader and a
great American, and I'm proud to be with you, Pat.

I want to thank my friend Andy McKenna, who is the chairman of the Illinois
Republican Party. The reason I mention grassroots activists is that you win
campaigns by having candidates who can carry a strong message, and we have
those candidates. You win a campaign because people are generous with their
hard-earned money, and you have been so tonight. And you win campaigns when
people get out, and put up the signs, and make the phone calls, go to the
community centers and houses of worship and say, support these candidates.
So I want to thank you for what you have done, and I encourage you to
continue to work to turn out the vote come this November. (Applause.)

We got a lot to do to make sure this country is prosperous and safe. I'm
looking forward to working with these two new congressmen as we work to
diversify our energy supply. I'm going to tell you why we need to. I'm a
little concerned at the price -- the drop in gasoline prices, which I
welcome, and I know you do, too. (Laughter.) However -- masks the fact that
it is not in our national interest to be dependent on foreign sources of
oil. And so I look forward to working with these congressmen to promote
alternative energy sources, such as ethanol, and new research and
development into new battery technologies that will enable you to drive the
first 40 miles on electricity and your car won't have to look like a golf
cart. (Laughter and applause.)

We've got an aggressive agenda -- aggressive agenda to diversify our energy
sources so that we're not dependent on Middle Eastern oil. It's in our
national security interests. (Applause.)

I'm looking forward to working with these members to make sure health care
is available and affordable. We don't need the federal government telling
doctors how to practice and telling patients who they got to go see.
(Applause.)

But we do need the federal government to do something about these junk and
frivolous lawsuits that are running good doctors out of practice.
(Applause.)

A big issue always facing the Congress is how to make sure that the
entrepreneurial spirit remains strong in the United States. And we got a
strong record. This administration has got a strong record on the economy,
and so does Speaker Denny Hastert.

You might remember the facts. This country has been through a recession, a
stock market correction. We've been through a terrorist attack on our
nation. We've been at war to defend this country. We've had major
hurricanes. For a while we had high energy prices, and yet America is the
envy of the industrialized world when it comes to economic growth.
(Applause.)

Our national unemployment rate is 4.6 percent. People are working. We've
added 6.6 million new jobs since August of 2003. Our farm economy is
strong. Productivity is up. Small businesses are on the rise. This economy
is in good shape, and we need to keep Denny Hastert and the Republicans in
charge of the United States Congress to keep it that way. (Applause.)

And we're in good shape because we cut the taxes on everybody who paid
income taxes. (Applause.) We have a philosophy of government that says, if
you have more of your own money in your pocket to save, spend or invest,
this economy will do well. That stands in stark contrast to our opponents,
who believe that they can spend your money better than you can spend your
money. And so we cut the taxes -- not once, but twice. We cut the taxes on
families with children; we cut the taxes on people who were married; we put
the death tax on the road to extinction; we cut the taxes on small business
people. As a result of good fiscal policy in Washington, D.C., this economy
is strong. And the best way to keep it there is to make the tax cuts we
passed permanent. (Applause.)

That's the opposite view of the Democrats. You might remember the debate
about the deficit -- they go around the country saying, well, we got to
solve the deficit and we need to raise taxes. That's not the way Washington
works. If they were to get in charge of the House of Representatives, they
would raise your taxes and figure out new ways to spend your money. The
best way to balance this budget -- by the way, a couple years ago I stood
up and said we can cut the deficit in half by 2009. It's amazing what
happens when you cut taxes; the economy grows, you end up with more tax
revenues. When you couple that with fiscal discipline in Washington, D.C.,
which we have exhibited, the deficit gets cut. As a matter of fact, we cut
the deficit in half not by 2009, but by three years prior to that.

The best way to keep this economy growing, the best way to make sure we've
got a fiscal situation that makes sure the economic growth continues, is to
keep taxes low and prioritize how we spend your money. And the number one
priority has got to be to protect America and make sure those who wear the
uniform have all the support they need to do their job. (Applause.)

Our record on taxes is clear. The Democrats in Washington have a clear
record of their own. The trouble is they don't want you to know about it.
Recently, the top Democrat leader in the House made an interesting
declaration. Here's what she said: "We love tax cuts." Given her record,
she must be a secret admirer. (Laughter.)

It's not just the so-called tax cuts for the rich she opposes, when we cut
taxes for everybody who pays income taxes, she voted against it. When we
reduced the marriage penalty, she voted against it. When we cut taxes on
small businesses, she voted against it. When we lowered the taxes for
families with children, she voted against it. When we cut the taxes on
dividends and capital gains to stimulate investment, she voted against it.
When we put the death tax on the road to extinction, she voted against it.
Time and again, when she had an opportunity to show her love for tax cuts,
she voted, no. If this is the Democrats' idea of love -- (laughter) -- I
don't want to see what hate looks like. (Laughter.)

A big issue in this campaign across the United States and here in Illinois
with these two congressmen is, who is going to keep your taxes low. When we
win, we will keep your taxes low. And make no mistake about it, the
Democrats will raise your taxes. It's a fundamental difference in this
campaign. And I'm looking forward to leading us to victory to make sure the
taxes on the people of the United States remain low and reasonable.
(Applause.)

No, there's a lot of big domestic issues. And I'm sure our candidates are
out there telling people what's on their mind. But the biggest issue facing
this country is who best to protect you. We are a nation at war. You know,
I wish I didn't have to say that. I wish I could say everything is fine.
But that's not the reality of the world in which we live. The most
fundamental job of those of us in government is to protect you, and to do
everything in our power to protect the American people. There's an enemy
that lurks and plots and plans because they cannot stand -- they can't
stand our values and what we believe. They don't believe in the freedoms
that we believe in.

They're bound by an ideology. And they're willing to use murder as a tool
to achieve that ideology. It's a different kind of war, but it's real -- as
we learned on that fateful day of September the 11th, 2001.

On that day, I vowed that I would use all of my powers and national assets
to protect the American people -- and so did the Speaker. These are folks
you can't negotiate with. These are ideologues who have stated clearly
their objective is to drive the United States out of the Middle East so
they can establish a caliphate based upon their ideology of hate. They have
made their plans clear, and it's essential that the President and the
United States Congress listen carefully to the words of the enemy.

My view is, is that the best way to defeat this enemy is to stay on the
offense and defeat them overseas so we do not have to face them here at
home. (Applause.) And so we're keeping steady pressure on a group of people
who would want to do America harm.

It's hard to plan and plot when you're on the run. It's hard to plan and
plot when you're in a cave. You just got to know there's some incredibly
brave Americans working with allies that are keeping the pressure on this
enemy to keep you safe.

One of the terrible lessons of September the 11th is that oceans can no
longer protect us, and therefore, it is essential that the United States
treat threats seriously before they come home to hurt us, before they fully
materialize. I saw a threat. Members of both parties in the United States
Congress saw a threat. The United Nations saw a threat in Iraq. Removing
Saddam Hussein from power was the right decision, and the world is better
off for it. (Applause.)

Iraq is a central front in this war on terror. Oh, I know the Democrats say
it's a diversion from the war on terror -- some of them say that. But I
would ask them to listen to the words of Osama bin Laden or Zawahiri, who
is the number two of al Qaeda, who have said clearly their ambitions are to
drive us out of Iraq so they can establish a safe haven from which to
launch further attacks; to drive us out of Iraq so they can have resources
to use to fund their ambitions; to drive us out of Iraq so they can topple
moderate governments.

Imagine a world in which there are violent forms of extremists who've
crushed the hopes of moderate, decent people because they have this
ideology that is so foreign to us. Imagine a world in which they could use
oil to blackmail the free world. Imagine that world, as well, with a group
of people that don't care for America, with a nuclear weapon. If that were
to happen, a generation of Americans would look and say, what happened;
what happened to the leaders, how come they couldn't see the threat?

I see the threat. The Speaker sees the threat. We've got a plan for victory
in this war on terror, and that includes helping those 12 million people
who are desperate for freedom to achieve their dreams of democracy. We've
got a goal, a clear goal, which is an Iraq that can defend itself and
sustain itself, an Iraq that will be an ally in the war on terror.

We're constantly changing our tactics to meet those of the enemy. We're
constantly adjusting. But make no mistake about it, our plan is victory. We
will stay in Iraq, we will fight in Iraq, and we will win in Iraq for the
security of the United States. (Applause.)

We have to be right a hundred percent of the time to protect the country.
The enemy has to be right one time. And therefore it is incumbent upon
those of us in government to make sure the professionals on the front lines
protecting America have all the tools necessary to protect you. The Speaker
understands that. These candidates running for office understand that.

And that is why I worked with the Congress to pass what's called the
Patriot Act. It was an act that tore down walls that prevented the
intelligence community and the criminal justice community from talking. I
know that probably sounds strange that that happened, but it's the reality.
You can't defend America unless all elements of government are capable of
sharing information so that we can prevent the attack from happening in the
first place.

I also believe it was essential -- and by the way, the Speaker led the
charge in making sure the House passed the Patriot Act the first time, and
then re-authorized it. (Applause.)

Secondly, I believe strongly that if an al Qaeda or al Qaeda affiliate was
making a phone call into the United States from outside the country, we
need to know why. If the most important job of government is to protect
you, we need to understand what the enemy is thinking and what they're
planning. I thank the Congress for getting the House of Representatives to
endorse the Terrorist Surveillance Program. I thought it was very important
that when we captured a leader of the enemy on the battlefield that we
detain and question that enemy. I thought it was essential to protect you
that we gain information from the leadership of those who would do us harm.

One of the people we captured was Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who our
intelligence officers believe was the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks. I
thought it was important for this country to gain information from this
mastermind in order to be able to say we're doing everything we can to
protect you. And we learned a lot of information from those who we have
captured, information that our intelligence service believes strongly has
prevented attacks on the homeland. And yet we've had a debate on this
issue, and the Speaker of the House led the House of Representatives to
endorse this vision.

In other words, we've been giving people the tools necessary to protect the
homeland, and our Democrat colleagues back in Washington have taken a very
different approach to the war on terror. There is a difference of opinion.
I'm not questioning anybody's patriotism or love for America. But I am
questioning their view of how best to protect you. And this is an issue in
this campaign. If the security of the United States is the most important
issue, then part of this issue is which party has been willing to step up
and give those charged with protecting you the tools necessary to do so.

In each vote a clear pattern has emerged on which party can best protect
the American people. More than 75 percent of the House Democrats voted to
block the renewal of the Patriot Act. Almost 80 percent of the House
Democrats voted against allowing the CIA to continue the interrogation
program. Almost 90 percent of the House Democrats voted against continuing
to monitor terrorist communications through the Terrorist Surveillance
Program. Rarely has a single series of votes summed up the difference
between the two political parties so clearly. If the Democrats' Congress
had their way, we wouldn't have had the Patriot Act or the interrogation
program, or the Terrorist Surveillance Program. They can run from this
record, but we're not going to let them hide. (Applause.)

You know, I was -- recently read where the Democrat leader said this. She
said, "The midterm elections should not be about national security." I
strongly disagree. I want those discerning Democrats and independents and
Republicans to hear loud and clear that the person who wants to be Speaker
of the House has said that the midterm elections shouldn't be about
national security.

I know this election ought to be about national security. I'm briefed every
day on the threats this country faces. The United States of America cannot
afford to wait and respond to an attack. The United States of America must
be on the offense to make sure the attacks don't happen in the first place.
(Applause.)

We've got one great asset at our disposal as well, and it's called liberty.
I believe in the universality of liberty. I believe there is an Almighty
and I believe one of the great gifts of that Almighty is the desire for
people to be free. I believe that. I believe that Muslim moms want to be
free. (Applause.) I believe that people all across the globe have this
great desire and yearning to live in freedom. And I believe that freedom
will help us yield the peace we want for our children and grandchildren.

The way to defeat -- the way I like to put it is, we're in an ideological
struggle. It's a struggle between extremists, radicals, and reasonable
people who simply want to have a better life. And I believe it's incumbent
upon the United States of America to stand with those who are reasonable
and moderate against the extremists and radicals.

I believe it's our call to do so, and I have great faith in the power of
liberty to transform regions of hate to regions of hope and to transform
enemies to allies. And the reason I say that to you -- I've had some
amazing experience as your President, and perhaps one of the most unusual
is my relationship with the Prime Minister of Japan. I must have told this
story hundreds of times because it is so ironic that my relationship is so
close, and yet my dad, when he was a young man, volunteered to fight the
Japanese as a sworn enemy.

You know, recently I invited my friend, the former Prime Minister, he just
left office -- to go to Elvis' place. (Laughter.) I'd never been there.
(Laughter.) He wanted to go there. See, he's an Elvis fan. But I also
wanted to tell a story to the American people about ideological struggles
and the faith we should have in liberty -- because on Air Force One, going
down to Memphis, Tennessee, the Prime Minister and I talked about keeping
the peace. Isn't that interesting? My dad fought the enemy, fought the
Japanese as the enemy, and now his son is talking about the peace.

We're talking about North Korea and how it's important for there to be more
than one voice at the table when it comes to convincing the leader of North
Korea. By the way, it's much better to have China at the table with the
United States. It's much better to have Japan and South Korea --
(applause.)

We talked about the fact that Japan had deployed a thousand troops in Iraq,
because he understands what I know, the advent of democracy is a huge
defeat to the extremists. That's why they're fighting so hard. That's why
this is such a brutal battle. And I understand it affects the American
people, because the enemy has got a weapon, and they use it, and that's the
murder of innocent people. And it gets on our TV screens, and we're a
nation of compassionate, decent people who care about human life in all its
forms. And yet Prime Minister Koizumi knows what I know, that we will
succeed as liberty progresses, and we will succeed by helping people who
yearn for a better life, and we will succeed by marginalizing those
extremists and radicals and, if need be, bring them to justice before they
hurt us again.

Something happened between World War II and when I became the President,
talking with this Japanese Prime Minister. And what happened was Japan
adopted a Japanese-style democracy. Liberty has got the capacity to
transform an enemy into an ally. And some day an American President will be
sitting down with elected leaders in the Middle East talking about how to
keep the peace, and a generation of Americans will be better off for it.

God bless. (Applause.)

END 5:51 P.M. CDT

===========================================================================
Return to this article at:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/10/20061012-12.html

 * Origin: (1:3634/12)