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Skriven 2004-11-01 23:33:20 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (041101a) for Mon, 2004 Nov 1
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Remarks by First Lady Laura Bush at Victory '04 Rally in Clinton Township,
Michigan
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For Immediate Release
Office of the First Lady
November 1, 2004

Remarks by First Lady Laura Bush at Victory '04 Rally in Clinton Township,
Michigan



November 1, 2004

REMARKS BY FIRST LADY LAURA BUSH

AT VICTORY '04 RALLY IN CLINTON TOWNSHIP, MICHIGAN

Macomb Center for the Performing Arts

Clinton Township, Michigan

10:55 A.M. EST

MRS. BUSH: Thank you all. (Applause.) Thank you, Congresswoman Candice
Miller. Thank you very much, Candice for your friendship and for your
service to your state, to your great state of Michigan. It's great to be
with you here today. And also thanks to Dr. Albert "Al" Lorenzo, the
President of Macomb Community College. Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you
very much.

And David Viviano is our Republican county candidate for Macomb County
Prosecutor. (Applause.) And I want to thank each and every one of you. I
want to thank all of you for coming out to see me today, I want to thank
you for the hard work I know you've all done on the President's campaign.
And thank you very much also for your friendship. (Applause.)

I also want to thank you for the privilege you've given me and my husband
of serving our great country. (Applause.) Our lives have been enriched by
meeting so many of our fellow Americans. As we've visited communities all
over our country, we've witnessed the decency and the kindness and the
character of Americans.

I'm a little nostalgic today. This is my last speech of the 2004 campaign.
(Applause.)

AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!

MRS. BUSH: When I leave here -- thank you all.

When I leave here in a few minutes, I'll join the President in Des Moines,
Iowa, and travel with him to the rest of our stops. We'll end up for a big
rally in Dallas, Texas, and then at our ranch in Crawford, and we'll vote
there tomorrow and then go on to Washington for the returns, where I know
we'll get to see President George W. Bush reelected for four more years.
(Applause.)

But today's election makes me nostalgic. And I was thinking back to 27
years ago when George and I were newlyweds and he was running for Congress.
The race, that race didn't turn out like we hoped. But we joked back then
that maybe he'd run again for office when we were 50. (Laughter.) Well, 10
years ago this week, we were just a couple of years shy of 50 and George
was elected governor of Texas. He hasn't lost an election since and, with
your help, we're going to carry Michigan tomorrow and go on to a great
victory. (Applause.)

We've been through a lot together these last four years. But today, our
economy is growing, we're closing the achievement gap in our schools, and
America is safer and stronger thanks to the President's decisive
leadership. (Applause.)

People ask me all the time whether George has changed. He's a little
grayer. (Laughter.) And, of course, he's learned and grown as well as all
of us have. But he's still the same person I met at a backyard barbecue in
Midland, Texas, and married three months later.

He'll always tell you what he thinks. You can count on him, especially in a
crisis. His friends don't change and neither do his values. He has
boundless energy and enthusiasm for his job, and for life itself. He treats
every person he meets with dignity and respect, the same dignity and
respect he has for the office he holds. (Applause.)

He's a loving man with a big heart. He makes his views clear and he stands
on principle. And, above all, the President says what he means and does
what he says. (Applause.)

Four years ago, when our economy needed a jumpstart, my husband said that
he'd reduce taxes and he kept his word. Millions of families and small
business owners are saving more of their own money because the President
worked to pass the largest tax relief in a generation. And today, our
economy is growing and it's getting stronger every day. (Applause.)

We've added 1.9 million new jobs in the last 13 months. Home ownership is
at an all-time high in America. And more minority families own their own
home than ever before in our history. (Applause.)

And in a new term, my husband will work to keep taxes low so that more
workers can find good jobs and families can save for their retirement or
for their children's college education.

Four years ago, my husband promised to end the soft bigotry of low
expectations by reforming our public schools. He kept his word. (Applause.)
He worked with Congress to pass good, sound education reform to bring high
standards to our classrooms and to make schools more accountable to
parents. And today, scores in reading and math are rising, and minority
students are closing the achievement gap. (Applause.) In a new term, George
will build on these reforms and extend them to our high schools, so that no
child in America will be left behind. (Applause.)

Four years ago, my husband said he would work with Congress to give seniors
relief from the rising cost of prescription drugs, and he kept his word.
(Applause.) Today, because of the Medicare bill that was passed this last
year, over four million Americans have already signed up for their Medicare
prescription drug card to save more on medicines. And in 2006, when the
full prescription drug benefit begins, seniors will save even more.

My husband knows that we must do more to lower the cost of health care and
to make sure good doctors aren't forced out of practice because of the high
cost of medical liability insurance. (Applause.) In a new term, President
Bush will pass medical liability reform to reduce frivolous lawsuits. He'll
make sure that patients and doctors are in charge of health care, not
bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. (Applause.) And my husband will keep the
promise of Social Security for our seniors, and strengthen the system for
our children and our grandchildren. (Applause.)

All of these issues are important to our families and to our nation, but
we're living through the most historic struggle our generation has ever
known. And I believe what's most important is my husband's work to protect
our country and to defeat terror around the world. (Applause.)

AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!

MRS. BUSH: The terrible acts of September 11th showed us the threat we
face. But they also called us to the great work of promoting freedom and
democracy in far corners of the world. The President and I want all of the
men and women in uniform and their families to know how much every American
appreciates their service and their sacrifice. (Applause.)

We appreciate the sacrifice of courageous Americans like Staff Sergeant
Anthony Peplinski of the 127th Wing Division, who is here with us today.
(Applause.) Anthony, thank you for your dedication to our country.
(Applause.)

Once again, as in our parents' generation, America is making the tough
choices, the hard decisions, and leading the world toward greater security
and freedom. I wasn't born when my father went to World War II. Like many
of our Greatest Generation, he served in the United States Army in Europe
for almost three years. His company liberated Nordhausen, one of the
concentration camps. You can imagine his horror at what he found there.

The methods of the terrorists we face today are different. But my father
would know this struggle. Our parents' generation confronted tyranny and
liberated millions. And today, as we do the hard work of confronting
terror, we can be proud that 50 million more men, women and children have
the chance to live in freedom, thanks to the United States of America and
our allies. (Applause.)

Earlier this month, millions of Afghan citizens voted in the first free
presidential election in the history of their country. (Applause.) And in a
great display of how far Afghanistan has come, a 19-year-old woman cast the
first ballot. (Applause.)

The people of Iraq are also building a democracy, even as they face
violence from those who oppose it. Voter registration will begin next
month, and free and fair elections will be held this coming January. The
future holds great promise for the people of Afghanistan and Iraq. And
though many difficulties lie ahead, the United States must remain a friend
to both nations. (Applause.)

Americans know that building a democracy takes time. Think of how long it
took us in our country. It took us almost 100 years after our founders
declared all men are created equal to abolish slavery -- and not until 84
years ago did American women get the right to vote. We know that to build a
lasting peace, we need a leader with an unwavering commitment to see the
task through. (Applause.)

This is a critical moment in our history. We've accomplished so much and
we've come so far, yet our work is not finished. Tomorrow, we face a choice
between an America that is uncertain in the face of danger or an America
that takes decisive action to defeat terror and spread liberty. (Applause.)

Tomorrow we face a choice between an America that is -- families and
business owners can choose a President who wants to keep taxes low, so that
more people can have more of their own money. We can choose a President who
wants a health care system where patients and doctors are in charge, not
the government. (Applause.) And parents can choose a President who will
keep us on the path to excellence and high standards in our schools for
every child.

The choice is clear. America needs the leadership of President Bush for
four more years. (Applause.)

AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!

MRS. BUSH: The polls open in Michigan tomorrow at 7:00 o'clock in the
morning. Offer to drive a friend or a neighbor to vote. When you leave here
today, tell them about the President's leadership and his vision for making
America safer and stronger. Reach out to Democrats and Independents who
appreciate optimistic and steady leadership. (Applause.)

Thank you all so much for your friendship. Thank you for standing with
President George W. Bush. (Applause.) Thank you all. (Applause.)

END 11:10

A.M. EST
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