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Skriven 2006-10-25 23:31:42 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0610255) for Wed, 2006 Oct 25
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Mrs. Bush's Remarks at a Minnesota Victory 2006 Rally
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For Immediate Release
Office of the First Lady
October 25, 2006

Mrs. Bush's Remarks at a Minnesota Victory 2006 Rally
Mayo Civic Center
Rochester, Minnesota



12:06 P.M. CDT

MRS. BUSH: Thank you very much, Congressman. Thank you all so much. Thanks
for coming out today and giving me such a warm welcome. Thank you very
much, Congressman. And you're right, George did promise me I wouldn't have
to give a political speech. But I'll tell you, I actually really enjoy
this. I've had a great time recently, traveling around campaigning for our
candidates across the country. I was in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin
yesterday, and two stops here in Minnesota today, and then I go on to
Indiana this afternoon for another congressional candidate, a great
Republican congressional candidate.

And I'm so happy to have this opportunity. It gives me the chance to get to
be with our candidates, to get to be with our elected officials in their
own constituencies, to see what it's like where they live, and what the
issues are they face. And I can tell you, I am very encouraged. I'm
encouraged about our country. We are solid people in the United States.
(Applause.)

And one other thing I want to say before I recognize all of the people who
are here today, the people who are behind me and the people who are out in
the crowd. That is, the other night, President Bush and I hosted an Iftaar
dinner, which is the dinner at the -- where you break the fast at the end
of the day during Ramadan. And at my table, I had the ambassador from
Afghanistan and the ambassador from Iraq, and the ambassador from Morocco
and the ambassador from India and the charg from Lebanon and some others.
And we were talking about voting rates. And they were saying, well, not big
huge numbers -- percentages of Americans turn out. And I said, well, I
know, that's right, that's too bad. And then they talked about countries
where it's against the law not to vote. And then the Iraqi ambassador, who
was sitting by me said, in my country, 70 percent of the people turned out
to vote -- (applause) -- which is a lot more than Americans do.

I'm so happy to be here with your governor, Tim Pawlenty. I want to urge
you to work very hard for his re-election. I know you all will. I'm happy
to be here with Congressman Mark Kennedy, who's the Representative from
Minnesota's 6th district. And I urge you to vote for him for Senate. Mark,
it's great to get to be with you today. (Applause.) Lieutenant Governor,
Carol Molnau is here, too, as well, somewhere in the crowd. Lieutenant
Governor, are you -- there she is, over there. Hey, Carol. (Applause.)

All of the state candidates and legislators that are here, will you all
raise your hand around the room? And thank you all so much. A lot of them
are over here on the side. (Applause.) Thank you for your service, and
thank you for running for political office.

And of course, I have to recognize Mary, Congressman Gutknecht's wife.
Mary, when your spouse is in politics, you're involved whether you want to
be or not. (Laughter.) And we know that successful politicians have
families who stand with them and are there with them all the time. And
thank you very much, Mary. Thank you for your support for Gil. (Applause.)

I'm delighted to be with you today to support Gil Gutknecht's campaign for
Congress, Mark Kennedy's bid for the United States Senate, Tim Pawlenty's
re-election as Governor, and all of your great Minnesota Republicans.
(Applause.) These candidates care deeply about the people of your state,
and in St. Paul and in Washington, they're passionate advocates for
Minnesota's families.

Tim Pawlenty has brought to St. Paul the principles of efficiency and
accountability that have defined his public service. He's ensured that
Minnesota families can keep more of their own earnings. When Governor
Pawlenty took office four years ago, Minnesota was running a $4.5 billion
deficit. Four years later, the state's budget now has an estimated $1
billion positive balance -- (applause) -- which Governor Pawlenty built
without raising taxes. Congratulations to you and your legislature.
(Applause.)

Congressman Kennedy, too, has ensured that Minnesotans' tax dollars are
spent wisely and responsibly. And as your Senator, Mark will support
President Bush's tax cuts. (Applause.) These tax cuts have fueled our
economy, and they've helped add 6.6 million new jobs since 2003. And like
Gil already said, the unemployment rate in Minnesota is a low 3.8 percent.
Congratulations to the hard-working Minnesotans. (Applause.) Those 6.6
million new jobs mean that 6.6 million more Americans wake up every morning
with the dignity and the sense of purpose that comes with a job.

There are few people more committed to creating jobs in Minnesota than Gil
Gutknecht. (Applause.) Farming is vital to the 1st district's economy, and
Gil has been a powerful advocate for you through his leadership on the
Agriculture Committee. The farm bill comes up next year for
reauthorization, and it's important to re-elect Gil so that he can make
sure the next bill benefits Minnesota's agriculture industry. (Applause.)

Congressman Gutknecht also understands that one of the most promising uses
for Minnesota farm products is as an alternative source of energy. In the
House, Gil introduced legislation to promote ethanol, biodiesel, wind
power, and other alternative fuels -- initiatives that will end our
dependence on foreign oil, open new markets for Minnesota farmers, and
create hundreds of jobs for your state. (Applause.)

Offering young people the hope of good employment is one of the most
important things we can do for our children. Another way we can help young
people is by steering them away from risky behavior, and guiding them
toward the knowledge and the self-respect they'll need to build successful
lives.

Gil, Mark, and especially Tim have all strong records of commitment to
young people. In St. Paul, Governor Pawlenty is improving education for
children throughout your state. He supports increased pay for good
teachers, and is bringing greater accountability to Minnesota classrooms,
making sure all children in your state can attend excellent schools. Thank
you, Governor, for this important work. (Applause.)

We all know, though, that the well-being of young people in Minnesota and
throughout our country ultimately depends upon our government's ability to
protect them -- by defeating terrorism and increasing liberty abroad.

Minnesota's Republicans understand the needs of our troops at this crucial
time in our country's history. In Washington, Congressman Gutknecht has
ensured that the men and women of our armed forces have the resources they
need to keep Americans safe. (Applause.) He's distinguished himself as an
advocate for Minnesotans who've served our country in uniform, supporting
legislation to increase health care and education benefits for veterans.
And in Congress, Gil is a champion of the men and women of the United
States military. (Applause.)

And thanks to our troops, the Iraqi people are now free from the oppression
of Saddam Hussein, and are working to build a democratic future for their
country. (Applause.)

And in Afghanistan, women and girls can now be educated. It's hard for us
to imagine a country that would prohibit half of its citizens from being
educated. But now, little girls are in school all over Afghanistan.
(Applause.)

All of us are proud of the men and women who are deployed around the world
defending our country. Every day, thousands of these men and women risk
their lives overseas to make sure that their families, and all of our
families, are kept safe here in the United States. Their love of our
country, and of liberty, never wavers, and neither does their belief in our
mission.

Many of these men and women have given their life for this belief. Around
the country, President Bush and I meet with their families. In military
hospitals, we meet with their fellow soldiers who've been wounded in
combat. And from our troops and their families, the President and I hear
the same request: that we honor the sacrifice of these men and women by
seeing their mission through. (Applause.) They ask the American people to
stand with our troops until we've succeeded in securing Iraq, with a
government that's stable, and an ally to the United States. (Applause.)

Congressmen Gutknecht and Kennedy, and Governor Pawlenty, appreciate our
troops' sacrifice. They understand that this election is crucial to the
future of our country. And they know that America faces challenges too
important to be reduced to just politics.

President Bush has an ambitious agenda for the rest of his time in
Washington, and he takes his responsibility to the American people very
seriously. Ending our dependence on foreign oil, reforming our immigration
system, rebuilding the Gulf Coast, and keeping our country safe from
terrorism are not easy tasks, but they are absolutely vital goals.
(Applause.) To accomplish them, we must have serious national
conversations, conducted with civility and respect.

The right to have these conversations is part of what makes our country
great, and our democracy strong. We must be mindful that people around the
world are listening to these discussions. Responsible candidates understand
that the men and women of our military are risking their lives for us
overseas, and that we must conduct our debate here in a way that does not
jeopardize our troops in harm's way. (Applause.) And it's critical that all
of us stand with our Republican candidates, since they're such a thoughtful
and powerful part of this dialogue.

Thanks to each and every one of you for supporting Gil and Mark and Tim.
And thanks especially to all of the volunteers for your hard work making
the phone calls and knocking on doors. You've already done much to help our
terrific candidates, and in the next two weeks, they'll need more of your
energy and enthusiasm. So go to the phone banks, knock on the doors, and
talk to your friends and neighbors about Minnesota's great Republicans.
They need your support, and our country needs them. (Applause.)

Thank you all very much. Thanks for coming out today. Thank you in advance
for all the hard work you're going to do over the next two weeks to make
sure Gil Gutknecht, Mark Kennedy, Tim Pawlenty, and all of our candidates
are elected on November 7th.

Thank you all very, very much. (Applause.)

END 12:20 P.M. CDT

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