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Skriven 2006-10-28 23:31:30 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0610283) for Sat, 2006 Oct 28
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Remarks by the President at Indiana Victory 2006 Rally
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
October 28, 2006
Remarks by the President at Indiana Victory 2006 Rally
Silver Creek High School Sellersburg, Indiana
1:00 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. Thank you for your warm welcome. (Applause.)
I appreciate being here. You know, recently, the First Lady was here.
(Applause.) She told me there's no finer day to spend a Saturday than in
southern Indiana. (Applause.) She also told me there's no finer congressman
for the people of this district than Mike Sodrel. (Applause.) As usual,
Laura is right. (Applause.) Mike Sodrel needs to be sent back to the United
States Congress. (Applause.)
As a member of the Indiana National Guard, he has served our country in
uniform, and as a congressman, he is a strong supporter of the United
States military. (Applause.) Mike Sodrel supports the veterans. (Applause.)
I think it's good to have a man representing you who knows what it means to
build a company from the bottom up -- (applause) -- somebody who knows what
it means to meet a payroll -- (applause) -- somebody who brings fiscal
discipline to the Nation's Capital. (Applause.) As a father and a
grandfather, Mike Sodrel understands Indiana values, and he's standing up
for those values in Washington, D.C. (Applause.)
The stakes are high in this election. Your vote will have an impact not
only on your lives here, but a impact that will help determine the course
of this nation. (Applause.) I want to thank you for supporting this good
man. The election of Mike Sodrel is important for the United States of
America. (Applause.)
Laura sends her love. (Applause.) Sodrel told me coming over -- he said,
the event with Laura was so great, we felt like asking you to stay at home
and bring her back. (Laughter.) I appreciate being with Keta -- Keta
Sodrel. (Applause.) I appreciate being with all the Sodrel children and the
grandchildren. (Applause.) These are people who put family first, and
that's important. (Applause.)
I want to thank all the statewide elected officials who are here today.
Thank you for coming. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: USA! USA! USA!
THE PRESIDENT: I want to thank all the -- I want to thank all the
grassroots activists who are here today. (Applause.) I thank you for
putting up the signs. I thank you for making the phone calls. I thank you
do the work -- I thank you for, in advance, what you're going to do in the
next week, and that's send this good man back to the United States
Congress. (Applause.)
Election Day is 10 days away, and we're going to sprint to the finish line.
(Applause.) I understand you've probably been paying attention to the
pundits in Washington, D.C. They think the election is already over. As a
matter of fact, some of them in Washington are already measuring the drapes
for their new offices.
AUDIENCE: Booo --
THE PRESIDENT: In other words, they're taking your vote for granted.
AUDIENCE: Booo --
THE PRESIDENT: This isn't the first time that's happened. You might
remember back in 2004, they were picking out new offices in the West Wing.
(Laughter and applause.) Things turned out a little differently on Election
Day. (Applause.) The movers never got the phone call. (Applause.) This
November 7th, voters are going to defy all the pundits in Washington, D.C.
and send this good man back to the United States Congress. (Applause.) We
will control the House of Representatives and we will control the United
States Senate. (Applause.) We will win this election because we've got
good, strong candidates like Mike Sodrel -- (applause) -- and we will win
this election because we got a record to run on. (Applause.)
For decades our public schools failed too many students. We passed the No
Child Left Behind Act; we demanded high standards and strong
accountability. (Applause.) And we are bringing America closer to the day
when every single child in this country gets a good education. (Applause.)
For decades we've been growing dependent on foreign oil. So we took the
lead: We passed an energy bill that supports conservation and expands
domestic production. But we're also spending money to make sure that
Indiana farmers produce the fuel for our cars in the future. (Applause.)
Mike and I understand this, when the agricultural economy is strong, that's
good for the United States of America. (Applause.)
For decades, Medicare was outdated. It wasn't serving our seniors as well
as it could. So we passed landmark legislation to modernize the Medicare
system. Now 33 million seniors have more choices and access to affordable
goods, and the days of our poor seniors having to choose between food and
medicine are over. (Applause.)
For decades, we have not had complete control over our southern border and
illegal immigration has been on the rise. So we have acted. I sent National
Guard troops down there to help our border patrol. We're adding thousands
of new Border Patrol. We will reform our immigration system and we will
uphold the immigration laws of the United States. (Applause.)
Activist judges try to define America by court order. Just this week in New
Jersey --
AUDIENCE: Booo --
THE PRESIDENT: -- another activist court issued a ruling that raises doubt
about the institution of marriage. We believe that marriage is the union
between a man and a woman, and should be defended. (Applause.) I will
continue to appoint judges who strictly interpret the law and not legislate
from the bench. (Applause.) America is better off because John Roberts and
Sam Alito are serving on the Supreme Court of the United States.
(Applause.)
We have a record to run on. And I appreciate Mike Sodrel's support on these
important issues. (Applause.) There are big differences in Washington, D.C.
between Republicans and Democrats, and when it comes -- and perhaps the
biggest differences can be seen in two issues: which party will keep your
taxes low and keep this economy growing -- (applause) -- and which party
will take the necessary steps to protect you from the terrorists.
(Applause.)
Let me start with taxes. We have a clear philosophy; we believe that you
know how to spend your money far better than the federal government does.
(Applause.) We believe that when you have more money in your pocket to
save, invest, or spend, the economy benefits. (Applause.) The Democrats
believe they should raise your taxes so they can spend your money.
AUDIENCE: Booo --
THE PRESIDENT: We not only have a philosophy, we acted on that philosophy.
(Applause.) We passed the largest tax relief since Ronald Reagan was the
President of the United States. (Applause.) We cut the taxes on everyone
who pays income taxes. (Applause.) We doubled the child tax credit.
(Applause.) We reduced the marriage penalty. (Applause.) We cut taxes on
small businesses. (Applause.) We cut taxes on capital gains and dividends
to encourage investment. (Applause.) And to reward hard work and small
business owners and farmers for a lifetime of work, we put the death tax on
the road to extinction. (Applause.)
You might remember the debate. The Democrats in Washington predicted the
tax cuts wouldn't create jobs, would not create wages, and would cause the
federal deficit to explode. Truth is, the facts are in. The tax cuts have
led to a growing economy that has added 6.6 million new jobs since August
of 2003. (Applause.) Real wages have risen 2.2 percent over the past 12
months. We have cut the deficit in half three years ahead of schedule.
(Applause.)
And now, the Democrats in Washington have another prediction -- they're
telling you they're going win on Election Day. If their electoral
predictions are as reliable as their economic predictions, November 7th is
going to be a great day for the Republican Party. (Applause.)
They don't really want you to know their position when it comes to taxes.
They really don't want you to know that they're going to raise up your
taxes. As a matter of fact, the member from California, the ranking leader,
the Minority Leader in the House, who wants to be the Speaker --
AUDIENCE: Booo --
THE PRESIDENT: Here's what she said the other day. She said, we love tax
cuts. That's what she said. Given her record, she must be a secret admirer.
(Laughter and applause.) She and her party voted against reducing the
marriage penalty, voted against cutting taxes on small business, voting
against lowering taxes on families with children, voted against getting rid
of the death tax. Time and time again, when she and the Democrat Party had
an opportunity to show their love for tax cuts, they voted no. If this is
the Democrats' idea of love, I wouldn't want to see what hate looks like.
(Laughter and applause.)
See, here's the way it's going to work. If we don't make permanent the tax
cuts or if the tax cuts are not extended, you're going to get a tax
increase. And so they asked the man who would be head of the Ways and Means
Committee, if we don't win -- we will win -- he said he can't think of one
of the tax cuts he would extend. See, in other words, he's going to let
them all expire. Now, think about what that means if you are a small
business owner -- and we've got a lot of small business owners here in
Southern Indiana. (Applause.) If you're a small business owner who pays
taxes at the individual rate, the Democrats are going to raise your taxes.
If you're a small business owner who wants to expand and invest in new
equipment, the Democrats are going to raise your taxes.
AUDIENCE: Booo --
THE PRESIDENT: If you're a small business owner who wants to pass on your
life's work to your children and grandchildren, the Democrats want to raise
your taxes. If you're a small business owner, you better vote for Mike
Sodrel to make sure your taxes stay low. (Applause.)
When a Democrat can't -- say they can't think of one of the tax cuts they
would extend, I want you to think about what it means for our families. The
child tax credit would be cut in half, from $1,000 to $500. So when you're
sitting around the dinner table this evening, and if you've got one child
sitting there, you can rest assured that your taxes, if the Democrats take
over, will go up by $500. If you happen to have two children, that's $1,000
tax increase. If you have four children, that's a $2,000 tax increase. That
may not seem like a lot to the Democrats in Washington, D.C., but we
understand it's a lot for you and we're going to keep your taxes low.
(Applause.)
They want to get in your pocketbook. And we're not going to let them. A big
issue in this campaign is taxes. The Democrats will raise your taxes, and
the Republicans will keep your taxes low. (Applause.)
This election is taking place in an historic time for our country. When
people look back at this period of time, the question will be, did we do
everything in our power to protect the American people and win the war on
terror? (Applause.) And we are in a war. It came to our shores on September
the 11th, 2001. (Applause.) And on that day, I vowed to use every element
of national power to defend the American people and to defeat the
terrorists. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: USA! USA! USA!
THE PRESIDENT: We face an enemy that -- which is brutal. There is no
negotiation with these people. These are ideologues who have a backward and
hateful vision of the world. They do not believe in freedom. They hate
America because we do believe in freedom. (Applause.) For those who say,
bring them at the table to discuss our differences, they do not understand
the nature of these people. The best way to protect the American people is
to bring them to justice before they hurt us again. (Applause.)
We have been implementing a strategy to protect you. You know, the enemy
can be right one time, and we must be right a hundred percent of the time
to protect the American people. And that is why I said that we must break
down walls that prevent the intelligence community and enforcement
community from sharing information. (Applause.) And so, working with
members in Congress like Mike Sodrel, we passed the Patriot Act.
I understand this is a different kind of war. For you World War II vets
here, this is not a war that can be determined by how many airplanes we
shoot down, or what kind of territory we take. It's a different kind of
war. And it means good intelligence; in order to be able to protect you, we
must know what the enemy is thinking and getting ready to do. That's why,
when al Qaeda or an al Qaeda affiliate is making a phone call from outside
the United States to inside the United States, we want to know why.
(Applause.)
In this new kind of war, we must be willing to question the enemy when we
pick them up on the battlefield. (Applause.) We have captured people like
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who our intelligence community thinks was the
mastermind of the September the 11th attacks. When we captured him, I said
to the Central Intelligence Agency, why don't we find out what he knows in
order to be able to protect America from another attack. (Applause.)
In the past year, Congress has voted on each of these critical tools in the
fight against terror, and these votes have revealed a clear pattern and a
clear difference of opinion. When it came time to renew the Patriot Act,
more than 75 percent of the House Democrats voted against it.
AUDIENCE: Booo --
THE PRESIDENT: When it came time on whether to allow the Central
Intelligence Agency to continue to detain and question terrorists, almost
80 percent of the House Democrats voted against it.
AUDIENCE: Booo --
THE PRESIDENT: When it came time to vote on whether the NSA should continue
to monitor terrorist communications through the Terrorist Surveillance
Program, almost 90 percent of House Democrats voted against it.
AUDIENCE: Booo --
THE PRESIDENT: In all these vital measures for fighting the war on terror,
the Democrats in Washington follow a simple philosophy: Just say no. When
it comes to listening in on the terrorists, what's the Democratic answer?
Just say no. When it comes to detaining terrorists, what's the Democrat
answer?
AUDIENCE: Just say no!
THE PRESIDENT: When it comes to questioning terrorists, what's the Democrat
answer?
AUDIENCE: Just say no!
THE PRESIDENT: When it comes to trying terrorists, what's the Democrat's
answer?
AUDIENCE: Just say no!
THE PRESIDENT: So when the Democrats ask for your vote on November the 7th,
what are you going to say?
AUDIENCE: Just say no! (Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: Here are some questions we're asking all around the country:
Do you want your government to listen in on the terrorists?
AUDIENCE: Yes!
THE PRESIDENT: Do you want your government to detain the terrorists?
AUDIENCE: Yes!
THE PRESIDENT: Do you want your government to question the terrorists?
AUDIENCE: Yes!
THE PRESIDENT: Do you want your government to do whatever it takes to bring
justice to the terrorists?
AUDIENCE: Yes!
THE PRESIDENT: And so when Republicans ask for your vote on November 7,
what's your answer?
AUDIENCE: Yes! (Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: We will continue to make sure our professionals have the
tools necessary to protect you. And I want to thank Mike Sodrel for his
strong support for our professionals on the front line of protecting the
American people. (Applause.) But the best way to protect you is to go on
the offense, and defeat the enemy overseas so we do not have to face them
here. (Applause.)
One of the lessons of September the 11th is that when we see a threat, we
must take it seriously, before that threat comes home to hurt us.
(Applause.) I saw a threat in Saddam Hussein; members of both political
parties in Congress saw a threat in Saddam Hussein; the United Nations saw
the threat in Saddam Hussein. Getting rid of Saddam Hussein was the right
policy; the world is better off for it. (Applause.)
And now Iraq is a central front in this war against the terrorists. You
know, in Washington, D.C. --
AUDIENCE MEMBER: You're the man, George! (Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: I want you to listen to the words of a senior Democrat in
the House of Representatives. The person went on to say, the President says
that fighting them there makes it less likely we will have to fight them
here. The opposite is true, the person went on to say, because we're
fighting them there it may become more likely we will have to fight them
here.
Here's what that person does not understand: You do not create terrorism by
fighting the terrorists, and Iraq is not the reason the terrorists are at
war against us. I would remind that Democrat that our troops were not in
Iraq when the terrorists first attacked the World Trade Center in 1993.
(Applause.) We were not in Iraq when they blew up our embassies in Kenya
and Tanzania. We were not in Iraq when the blew up the USS Cole. And we
were not in Iraq when they killed nearly 3,000 of our citizens on September
the 11th. (Applause.)
Five years after September the 11th, too many Democrats still do not get
it. The best way to protect this homeland is to find the enemy and defeat
them overseas. (Applause.) Oh, I know you've heard all the discussion about
Iraq. They say -- in Washington, the Democrats say it's not a part of the
war against the terrorists, it's a distraction. Well, don't take my word
for it -- listen to Osama bin Laden. He has made it clear that Iraq is a
central part of this war on terror. He and his number two man, Zawahiri
have made it abundantly clear that their goal is to inflict enough damage
on innocent life and damage on our own troops so that we leave before the
job is done. And why do they want to do that? They want to establish safe
haven, like the safe haven they had in Afghanistan, from which to launch
further attacks on the United States of America. They want to have a base
from which to topple moderate governments.
Imagine a world in which violent radicals have seized power in the Middle
East and they've toppled moderate governments, and they use oil to extract
blackmail from the West. And couple that with an armed nuclear Iran, and 30
years from now people are going to look back and say, what happened to them
in 2006? How come they couldn't see the danger? And that is why we will
defeat the enemy in Iraq. (Applause.)
We have a plan for victory. Our goal is a country that can sustain itself,
govern itself, and defend itself, and will be an ally in the war on terror.
The enemy's goal is to get us to retreat before the job is done. I'm in
close contact with our commanders. I tell them, whatever it takes to
achieve victory I support. (Applause.) They tell me that they're constantly
adjusting their tactics to meet an enemy which is changing its tactics. Oh,
the fighting is tough, I understand that. And it is brutal. The enemy has
an advantage because they're willing to kill innocent people, and that gets
on our TV screens. It's hard to measure the progress of a new hospital, or
new schools, or people willing to be brave and tough. The enemy understands
that it's a matter of time, in their mind, before we retreat. But they
don't understand the American people, and they don't understand this
administration. We will put a plan in place. (Applause.)
I can't tell you how proud I am to be the Commander-in-Chief of such
incredibly brave men and women who have volunteered to wear the uniform of
the United States. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: USA! USA! USA!
THE PRESIDENT: And when it comes time -- and when they send those bills up
there to support our men and women in uniform, I don't have any doubt where
Mike Sodrel is going to land. He is a strong supporter of the military.
(Applause.) He knows what I know: Any time you have an American in harm's
way, he or she deserves the full support of the American government.
(Applause.)
We've got a strong asset in our military. We've got something else going
for us in Iraq: brave Iraqis. They have suffered unbelievable violence. But
they remember the 12 million people that voted. They want to succeed. We've
got a security track so that these Iraqis can defend themselves. We've got
a political track so that the government is of and by and for the people.
We've got an economic track to help them realize the vast potential of that
country. We'll succeed. The only way we will not succeed is if we leave
before the job is done. (Applause.)
And all the people listening here, I want you to think about the Democrat
plan for success: There isn't one. (Laughter.) Iraq is the central front in
this war, and yet, leading Democrats argue we should pull out right now.
AUDIENCE: Booo --
THE PRESIDENT: Others suggest we should draw -- withdraw on a specific
date, even if we have not accomplished the mission.
AUDIENCE: No!
THE PRESIDENT: Others recommend moving our troops to an island some 5,000
miles away.
AUDIENCE: Booo --
THE PRESIDENT: Nineteen House Democrats introduced legislation that would
cut off funds for our troops in Iraq.
AUDIENCE: Booo --
THE PRESIDENT: This week, one Democrat Senator explained her party's
position this way: "We haven't coalesced around a single plan, but we're in
general agreement on the basic principles." She's right. They are in
agreement on one thing: They will leave before the job is done. And we will
not let them. (Applause.)
I'm not saying these people are unpatriotic. I'm saying they're wrong.
(Applause.) You cannot win a war if you're unwilling to fight the war.
(Applause.) Retreat before the job was done would embolden the enemy. It
would provide new safe haven. It would enable the enemy to recruit. It
would dash the hope of millions who want to simply live in peace. It would
dishonor the sacrifice of the men and women who have worn the uniform of
the United States of America. (Applause.)
This is a different kind of war, and it's important for Republicans and
Democrats and independents to understand this fact: If we were to leave
before the job was done, the enemy would follow us to the United States.
And that is why victory is our goal, and that is why we will achieve
victory. A victory will be a blow to the terrorists. A victory will say to
those in the Middle East who believe in freedom that we do. A victory will
make Iraq an ally on the war on terror. A victory in Iraq will make
generations of young Americans more secure. And that is why we will stay,
we will fight, and we will win. (Applause.)
I want to share a story with you. I want to share -- if you can stand it, I
want to share a story with you. (Applause.) I want to talk about something
really powerful that we've got at our disposal. It's called liberty. I
don't know if you remember, but recently, I flew down to Elvis' place --
(applause) -- with the then sitting Prime Minister of Japan. People said,
why did you go down there? And I said, well, one, I've never been there.
(Laughter.) Secondly, he wanted to go there. (Laughter.)
But I also want to tell a story about the power of liberty, and here it is.
In the late 1940s, we got attacked. And by the way, more people died on
September the 11th than died at Pearl Harbor. And a lot of young Americans
-- many of them probably your relatives -- volunteered to fight the sworn
enemy, the Japanese. One of them was Navy fighter pilot George H.W. Bush,
who at the age -- (applause.) And he fought them with all he had, just like
a lot of other brave Americans. Thousands and thousands didn't come home
from that war.
And yet, on Air Force One was the Prime Minister of the former enemy and
this Navy fighter pilot's son talking about peace. (Applause.) We were
talking about the fact that 1,000 Japanese troops were in Iraq helping this
young democracy. See, the Prime Minister knows what I know; that the
radicals and extremists want to overturn democracy. They want to spread
their vision across what's called a caliphate, a vision opposite of what we
believe. That's their ambitions. That's their goals. And yet, when we find
young democracies, those of us who live in freedom have a duty to support
that democracy because democracies yield the peace. (Applause.)
We talked about North Korea, how we could work together to convince the
leader of North Korea to give up his nuclear weapons ambitions. We talked
about HIV/AIDS on the continent of Africa, and how "to whom much is given
much is required" ought to apply to the United States and Japan, and how we
must end the suffering of those poor people on the continent of Africa. We
talked about a lot of big issues.
But I find it interesting that my dad fought the Japanese, and his son is
talking about the peace with the Japanese. Something happened, and what
happened is Japan adopted a Japanese-style democracy. And the lesson for
our fellow citizens is, liberty has got the capacity to transform enemies
into allies. Liberty has got the capacity to transform regions of hate to
regions of hope. I firmly believe that some day, an American President will
be sitting down with duly elected leaders in the Middle East talking about
the peace, and a generation of Americans will be better off. (Applause.)
These are historic times. These are challenging times. It is such an honor
to represent the United States of America during these historic times. I
ask you to go from here and to call up your friends and neighbors, find our
fellow Republicans, discerning Democrats -- (laughter) -- intelligence
independents -- (laughter) -- and remind them of the stakes, remind them
that the outcome of this election will determine how much money you have in
your pocket. And remind them the outcome of this election will determine
whether this government does its most fundamental job, and that is to
protect the American people.
No doubt in my mind, with your help, we will win. Thanks for coming. God
bless. (Applause.)
END 1:33 P.M. EDT
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