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Ärende: Press Release (0610304) for Mon, 2006 Oct 30
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Remarks by the President at Georgia Victory 2006 Rally
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
October 30, 2006

Remarks by the President at Georgia Victory 2006 Rally
Georgia Southern University
Statesboro, Georgia



11:07 A.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all very much. Thank you for the warm welcome. It
is great to be back in the state of Georgia. (Applause.) It is even better
to be here with the next Congressman from this district, Max Burns.
(Applause.)

Max knows what it takes to be a United States Congressman, because he's
done it before. And when you turn out on November 7th, he's going to do it
again. (Applause.)

He understands Georgia values, because he was born and raised in this
district, and he still lives on a family farm outside Sylvania. (Applause.)
I've been in Washington long enough to know that it makes sense to have
people who live on a family farm in the halls of the United States
Congress. (Applause.)

I appreciate the fact that Max was a teacher. As a matter of fact, he
taught right here at Georgia Southern. (Applause.) I hope he gave a few of
the students As. (Laughter.) And for those of you who did get an A, you
might as well vote for him. (Laughter.) I appreciate the fact that when he
was a member of the United States Congress that he passed key legislation
that helped farmers, that helped seniors file their taxes and helped our
public schools recruit more math and science teachers. In other words, he
has the record to run on. He's got something to say when he's out on the
campaign stop, and he's also got a record to point to. There's no doubt in
my mind that Max Burns is the right man to be the United States
Congressman. (Applause.)

You know who else agrees with that is Laura. (Applause.) She knows Max and
Laura. She likes the Burnses. She likes a man of integrity, like Max Burns.
She says, like I'm saying, work hard, turn out the vote, and send this good
man back to the United States Congress. (Applause.)

And by the way, when you're out there voting for Max, make sure you send a
man who has done a fabulous job as your governor back to the State House,
and that's Sonny Perdue. (Applause.) Sonny has got him a pair of boots he
can be proud of. (Applause.) By the way, it makes me feel comfortable to be
a in a state where your governor wears cowboy boots. (Applause.) And I know
it makes you feel comfortable to live in a state where you got you a
governor who's accomplished and can get the job done. (Applause.)

I'm really pleased that Congressman Charlie Norwood has come over from his
United States congressional district to help his friend, Max Burns, run.
Welcome, Charlie Norwood. (Applause.)

And I want to thank the mayor. Mr. Mayor -- Mr. Mayor Bill Hatcher, thank
you for welcoming us; thank you for being here. (Applause.) I appreciate
Perry McGuire, who is the candidate for attorney general, joining us. I
know you'll support Perry if you want good law enforcement in your state.
(Applause.) And I want to thank Eric Johnson, who is the Senate president
pro tempore. Mr. Senator, thanks for coming; good to see you again.
(Applause.) I appreciate Jesse Tyler, president of Georgia Southern
University College Republicans, for helping organize this event. I do want
to thank the president of Georgia Southern for letting us come, as well.
(Applause.)

We are eight days away from the election, and you can bet one thing: We're
going to sprint to the finish line. (Applause.) And we need your help. I
appreciate you coming out because I know you know what I know: This
election is far from over, although there are some people in Washington who
already think they know the outcome of the election. Some of them are
already picking out their new offices at the Capitol.

AUDIENCE MEMBERS: Boo.

THE PRESIDENT: You might remember that around this time in 2004, some of
them were picking out their new offices in the West Wing. (Laughter and
Applause.) The movers never got the call. (Laughter.) And this November
7th, when our voters show up at the polls, we're going to elect people like
Max Burns to the Congress and we will keep control of the House and the
Senate. (Applause.)

We will win this election because Republicans understand the values and
priorities of the American people. We will win this election because our
priorities and our values do not shift with the latest political opinion
poll or focus group. (Applause.) We will win this election because we got a
good record to run on.

For decades our public school system failed too many American children, so
we passed the No Child Left Behind Act and demanded that schools show
results in return for federal dollars. Test scores are rising. The
achievement gap is beginning to close, and we are bringing America closer
to the day when every single child gets a good education. (Applause.)

For decades America has been growing more dependent on foreign oil, and so
we took the lead. We passed a good energy bill that supports conservation
and expands domestic production, and expands new monies on technology. See,
here's what we want -- Max Burns wants this, Sonny wants this, and so do I
-- we want Georgia farmers growing the fuel that will energize our
automobiles in the future. (Applause.) When you start running your car on
Georgia corn we'll become less dependent on foreign sources of oil.
(Applause.)

For decades Medicare was an outdated program that wasn't serving our
seniors as well as it could. So we passed landmark legislation that
modernized the Medicare system. And today, more than 33 million seniors
have more choices and access to affordable prescription drugs. And the days
of our poor seniors having to choose between medicine and food are over.
(Applause.)

For decades, we haven't had complete control over our southern border, and
illegal immigration has been on the rise. So I acted. I sent the National
Guard troops to help our Border Patrol. We're adding thousands of new
Border Patrol agents. We are modernizing our border. We will reform our
immigration system, and we will uphold the immigration laws of the United
States. (Applause.)

For decades, activist judges have tried to redefine America by court order.
Just this last week in New Jersey, another activist court issued a ruling
that raises doubt about the institution of marriage. We believe that
marriage is a union between a man and a woman and should be defended.
(Applause.) And I believe I should 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've got a good record to run on. And with Max Burns back in the United
States Congress, we will build on that record.

Now, there are big differences in Washington between Republicans and
Democrats. Perhaps the biggest difference are on the two biggest issues
that we face: which party is going to keep your taxes low and keep this
economy growing, and which party will take the necessary steps to protect
you from terrorist attack. (Applause.)

Let me start with taxes. Max and I have a 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 of your own money in your
pocket to save, spend or invest, the economy benefits. (Applause.)
Democrats believe they can spend your money better than you can. So over
the past five years we have acted on our philosophy and passed the largest
tax relief since Ronald Reagan was in the White House. (Applause.)

In other words, we just didn't talk about philosophy -- there's too many
philosophers in Washington -- we acted. We got the job done. We cut the
taxes on everybody who pays income taxes. We doubled the child tax credit.
We reduced the marriage penalty. We cut taxes on small businesses. We cut
taxes on capital gains and dividends to promote investment and jobs. And to
reward family businesses and farmers for a lifetime of hard work and
savings, we put the death tax on the road to extinction. (Applause.)

We had a ferocious debate over taxes in Washington. The Democrats in
Washington predicted tax cuts wouldn't create jobs, wouldn't increase
wages, and would cause the federal deficit to explode. Well, the facts are
in. The truth is the tax cuts have led to a growing economy that's added
6.6 million new jobs since August of 2003. (Applause.) The truth is real
wages rose 2.2 percent over the past 12 months, and we have cut the deficit
in half three years ahead of schedule. (Applause.)

Now the Democrats in Washington are making another prediction. They're
telling you they're going to win on Election Day. Well, if their electoral
predictions are as reliable as their economic predictions, November 7th is
going to be a good day for the Republican Party. (Applause.)

Now, during this campaign the Washington Democrats really don't want you to
know their plans. As a matter of fact, the top Democrat leader in the House
made an interesting declaration. She said, we love tax cuts. But given her
record, she must be a secret admirer. (Laughter and applause.) She and her
party voted against every single one of the tax cuts we passed. She voted
against reducing the marriage penalty. She voted against cutting taxes on
small businesses. She and her party voted against lowering taxes for
families with children. Time and time again, when she and the Democrat
Party had an opportunity to show their love for tax cuts, they voted no. If
that's the Democrats' idea of love, I sure wouldn't want to see what hate
looks like. (Laughter and applause.)

See, here's the way it's working in Washington: If we do not make the tax
cuts permanent, or if the tax cuts are not extended, you're going to get a
tax increase. Recently, they asked a man who wants to be head of the House
Ways and Means Committee, if the Democrats win, what he thinks about
extending the tax cuts. He said he couldn't think of one of the tax cuts he
would extend. This is what the Washington Democrats are saying about your
taxes. He couldn't think of one of the tax cuts we passed that he would
leave in place.

And so if you're a small business person and pay taxes at the income -- at
the individual income tax rate, it means the Democrats will 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. If you're a
small business owner who wants to pass your life's work to your children
and grandchildren, the Democrats want to raise your taxes. If you're a
small business owner, my advice is, vote for Max Burns. (Applause.)

Now, if you happen to have children, I want to just talk to you about what
it means to not extend the tax cut. Just like the man who is going to be
running the tax committee said he's going to do, not extend the tax. You
see, if the child credit doesn't get extended, it means the tax credit gets
cut in half, from $1,000 per child to $500 per child. So this evening, when
you're sitting around the table eating dinner, and you've got children
around your table, just count the number of children you have and multiply
it by 500, and that's what the tax increase is going to be. So if you've
got four children, four times 500 is 2,000. Your tax bill will go up if the
Democrats take control of the House by $2,000; if you got three kids, it's
$1,500. It's easy to calculate.

I guess the $2,000 doesn't seem like a lot of money to the people in
Washington, D.C., but I know it's a lot of money for your family. I know
the child tax credit has meant a lot for people working for a living. And,
therefore, if you want to keep that money in your pocket instead of sending
it to Washington, D.C., you vote for Republicans on Election Day.
(Applause.)

This election is taking place in an historic time for our country. Our
children and grandchildren are going to look back on this period -- one
question will overwhelm all the rest: Did we do everything in our power to
fight and win the war on terror? That's the question people will ask: Did
this country do everything within our power to protect you?

We face an enemy that is brutal. They kill innocent people to achieve
ideological objectives. They're totalitarian in nature. They hate freedom.
We love freedom, and that is why they view us as their enemy. You cannot
negotiate with these people. You can't try to talk sense into these people.
The best way to protect you is to bring them to justice before they hurt
America again. (Applause.)

I understand this is a different kind of war, and so do people in this
congressional district need to know it's a different kind of war. I know
we've got some vets here, and I want to thank you for serving. But in
previous wars, particularly, say, World War II, it mattered how many
airplanes you could shoot out of the sky, or how much territory an army
took. This is a different kind of war. This is a war where people plot and
plan in secret, and then launch lethal attacks, which means our
professionals need to have all the tools necessary to protect you. You see,
the challenge facing the United States is that we have to be right one time
-- I mean a hundred percent of the time, and the enemy has to be right one
time, in order to protect you.

And so when I found out there was laws preventing the intelligence
community from talking to the enforcement community, I asked Congress to
pass the Patriot Act to tear down those walls so our folks had the tools
necessary to protect you. (Applause.) I believe that if al Qaeda or an al
Qaeda associate is making a phone call from outside the United States to
inside the United States, we need to know why in order to be able to
protect you. (Applause.)

This is a different kind of war that requires us to get good intelligence
in order to protect the American people. That's why I asked the CIA to
develop a program that would question detainees that we picked up off the
battlefield about what they know.

Now let me give you an example. We captured a fellow named Khalid Sheikh
Mohammed. The intelligence community believes he was the man who
masterminded the September the 11th attacks. I thought it made sense -- if
our most important job is to protect you, it made sense to find out what
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed knew. (Applause.) In other words, we've been giving
the professionals the tools necessary to defend America in this new kind of
war.

And recently -- recently, there were votes in the floor of the House of
Representatives, in the floor of the United States Senate to provide these
critical tools. In other words, Congress voted on these tools. And I want
everybody in this district and in this state and around the country to
understand those votes, because they were critical votes. And it shows the
difference of attitude between the two parties, and the leaders in the two
parties, about our responsibility to protect you.

When it came time to renew the Patriot Act, more than 75 percent -- 75
percent of the House Democrats voted against it. When it came time to vote
on whether or not the CIA continue its program to detain and question
captured terrorists, almost 80 percent of the House Democrats voted against
it. They just have a different point of view. They don't see it the way I
see it, or the way you see it. Otherwise, why wouldn't they give the
professionals the tools necessary to protect you? When it came time to vote
on whether the National Security Agency should continue to monitor
terrorist communications, almost 90 percent of the House Democrats voted
against it. In all these vital measures for fighting the war on terror, the
Democrats just follow a simple philosophy: Just say no.

When it comes to listening to the terrorists, what's the Democrats' answer?
It's, just say no. When it comes to detaining terrorists, what is the
Democrats' answer? Just say no. When it comes to questioning terrorists,
what's the Democrats' answer?

AUDIENCE: Just say no!

THE PRESIDENT: When it comes to trying the terrorists, what's the
Democrats' answer?

AUDIENCE: Just say no!

THE PRESIDENT: So when the Democrats ask for your vote, what's your answer?

AUDIENCE: Just say no! (Applause.)

We're going to continue to make sure our professionals have the tools
necessary to protect you, and you can count on Max Burns' vote. (Applause.)

One of the lessons of September the 11th, 2001 is that when this country
sees a threat we must take those threats seriously before they come home to
hurt us. I saw a threat in Saddam Hussein. Members of both political
parties in the United States Congress saw a threat in Saddam Hussein. The
United Nations saw a threat in Saddam Hussein. Getting rid of Saddam
Hussein was the right decision, and the world is better off. (Applause.)

And now Iraq is the central front in this global war against these
ideologues who murder innocent people to achieve their objectives. You
know, I think it's very important for the Commander-in-Chief, as well as
our citizens, to listen to the words of the enemy. You know, in Washington
you hear people say, well, Iraq is just a distraction from the war on
terror. I believe it is a central part of the war on terror. (Applause.)
And so does Osama bin Laden. Osama bin Laden calls this fight the third
world war. He says victory for the terrorists in Iraq will mean America's
defeat and disgrace forever.

They have made it clear they want to create as much carnage and death as
possible to cause us to leave before the job is done. They have ambitions:
They want to topple moderate governments; they want to control oil to
blackmail the West. They want us to leave and dash the hopes and
aspirations of millions of people who want to live in peace. And we have a
different point of view.

I want you to hear the words of a senior Democrat in the House of
Representatives. She said, the President says fighting them there makes it
less likely we will fight them here. The opposite is true, she said,
because we are fighting them there, it may become more likely that we have
to fight them there [sic].

Here's what this person and the leaders of the Democrat Party in Washington
seem to not understand: Iraq is not the reason the terrorists are at war
against us. I would remind the House Democrats, 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 bombed the USS Cole or the
embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. And we were not in Iraq when they killed
nearly 3,000 people on September the 11th, 2001. (Applause.)

You do not create terrorists by fighting the terrorists. The best way to
protect you, the best way to protect the American people is to stay on the
offense and defeat them overseas, so we do not have to face them here at
home. (Applause.)

Our goal in Iraq is victory. Victory in Iraq will come when that young
democracy can sustain itself, and govern itself, and defend itself, and be
a strong ally in the war against the terrorists. The fighting in Iraq is
tough, and I understand it's tough, and you know it's tough, and so does
the enemy. They have no conscience. They kill innocent men, women and
children. They film the atrocities. They broadcast them for the world to
see. They offer no hopeful vision. The only thing they know is death and
destruction, but they hope these violent images will cause us to lose our
nerve.

They make a big mistake: They do not understand the true strength of the
United States of America. We don't run in the face of thugs and assassins.
We will defend ourselves. (Applause.) We will defeat them. We will defeat
them because our commanders on the ground have all the flexibility
necessary to make sure that we constantly stay ahead of the enemy. We'll
defeat them because we've got a fantastic United States military. And I
know I can count on Max Burns. (Applause.)

And I know you can count on Max Burns and I can count on Max Burns by
making sure our troops have all that is necessary to do their job to defend
the United States. (Applause.)

We will succeed in Iraq because the Iraqis want to live in a peaceful
society. Nearly 12 million defied car bombers and assassins and terrorists
and went to vote. They held up their purple ink-stained fingers, saying to
the world, we want to be free. And they got a unity government that is
working hard to repel the extremists who are preventing them. I believe
strongly that with our help they will be able to defend themselves. And I
believe strongly that they'll become a government of the people and by the
people and for the people. As a matter of fact, I believe the only way we
cannot succeed is if we leave before the job is done. (Applause.)

And when you listen to this debate -- and it's raging across the country,
this debate on Iraq -- if you listen carefully for a Democrat plan for
success, they don't have one. Iraq is the central front for the war on
terror. Yet they don't have a plan for victory.

Last week, a senator, a Democrat senator explained her party's position
this way. She said: We haven't coalesced around a single plan, but we're in
general agreement on basic principles. She's right; the agreement -- they
are in agreement on one thing -- they will leave before the job is done.
That's what they're in agreement on. (Applause.) They've come up with a lot
of creative ways to describe leaving Iraq before the job is done. Sometimes
they say, immediate redeployment. Sometimes they say they wouldn't spend
another dime on our troops. Sometimes they say the idea that we're going to
win this war is an idea that unfortunately is just plain wrong. However
they put it, the Democrat approach in Iraq comes down to this: The
terrorists win and America loses.

That's what's at stake in this election. The Democrat goal is to get out of
Iraq. The Republican goal is to win in Iraq. (Applause.)

I'm not saying these Democrats are unpatriotic. I'm just saying they're
wrong. You cannot win a war unless you're willing to fight the war.
(Applause.) Retreat from Iraq before the job is done would embolden the
enemy and make us more vulnerable to attack. Retreat would allow the
terrorists to gain a new safe haven from which to plot and plan, just like
they had in Afghanistan. Retreat would enable the enemy to be more able to
recruit. Retreat would say to people in the Middle East, you can't count on
America. It would say to those folks desperate to live in freedom and
peace, we no longer care or hear your cries. Defeat would dishonor the
sacrifice of the men and women who wear the uniform of the United States of
America. The consequences of retreat from Iraq will be felt for
generations.

I want the folks all throughout America to envision a Middle East where
extremism are battling for power, moderate governments are toppled, oil is
controlled to use for blackmail, and a country has a nuclear weapon. If
that were to happen, people would look back at the year 2006 and ask, what
happened to them? How come those folks couldn't see the threat? How come
they couldn't see the danger for a generation of Americans who were growing
up? I want you to know, I see the threat. I see the danger. That is why we
will support our troops. We will fight, and we will win in Iraq.
(Applause.)

I want to share with you right quick a history lesson -- at least, I see it
as history; after all, we're on a college campus. (Laughter.) It's the
power of freedom. You know, recently, I went to -- with the former Prime
Minister of Japan -- he was sitting Prime Minister of Japan then -- down to
Elvis's place. Memphis, Tennessee -- I don't know if you've ever been there
or not, but -- (applause) -- you have? Well, I like going there. It was
interesting. And he really wanted to go there because he liked Elvis.
(Laughter.)

But I wanted to tell an interesting story. It's a story about a Navy
fighter pilot who, at the age of 18, volunteered, and he said, I want to
serve my country because the Japanese have just attacked us. You've got
relatives who did the same thing. You've got a grandfather or a father,
like I got, who said, I want to fight the Japanese. They were the sworn
enemy. Thousands of people lost their lives. This country went to war
against an enemy which attacked us.

You know, what's interesting, on the way down from Washington to Memphis,
Tennessee, right there on Air Force One, Prime Minister Koizumi -- the
Prime Minister of the former enemy of the United States of America -- and I
discussed the peace. We talked about the fact that this country had a
thousand troops in Iraq to defend the young democracy. He knows what I
know. We're in an ideological struggle between people who hate and people
who have hope. We've been through ideological struggles before. Freedom
wins every time if we -- if we don't lose our nerve.

And that's the lesson I learned from my friend, Prime Minister Koizumi.
It's amazing what has happened between when 18-year-old fighter pilot
George H.W. Bush fought this -- fought the enemy, and his son is talking
about keeping the peace with the same country. And the lesson is liberty
has got the capacity to change enemies into allies. And my citizens,
liberty has got the capacity to turn regions of hate to regions of hope.
Liberty has got the capacity to yield the peace we want.

Someday, an American President will be sitting down with duly elected
leaders talking about the -- duly elected leaders from the Middle East
talking about the peace, and a generation of Americans will be better off
for it. (Applause.)

And so these are the stakes in this election. It's an important election
year. And I know Max Burns joins me in saying, thanks for coming out.
Thanks for giving me a chance to share what's on my heart and where I want
to lead this country. And I thank you for getting ready -- for doing what
you're fixing to do, which is to go out of this hall and find fellow
Republicans, and discerning Democrats, and reasonable independents, and
remind them that if they want more money in their pocket, you vote
Republican. And if you want -- and if you want this country to do
everything we can to protect you from further attack and lay the
foundations for peace, you vote Republican. (Applause.)

I'm proud you've come today. May God bless you. And may God continue to
bless the United States of America. (Applause.)

END 11:44 A.M. EST

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