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Skriven 2007-05-30 23:31:16 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (070530b) for Wed, 2007 May 30
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Remarks by the President at New Jersey Republican Committee Reception
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For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary May 30, 2007

Remarks by the President at New Jersey Republican Committee Reception New
Jersey Convention and Exposition Center Edison, New Jersey

˙˙White House News


6:09 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. Yes, it's good to be back in Jersey. Thank
you for the warm welcome. (Applause.) I appreciate you all coming. Mr.
Chairman, thank you for your kind remarks.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: We love you, Mr. President!

THE PRESIDENT: Yes, well, last time I was in Jersey there was a lot of
heckling, as well. (Laughter.) Good heckling. I love you, too. Thank you.
Thanks for coming. Thank you for your enthusiasm. Thank you for supporting
the Republican Party.

Mr. Chairman, I am glad to come and help you raise money so that you can
achieve big things -- first of all, taking those New Jersey houses in the
November '07 election -- (applause) -- and laying the groundwork for an
important election in '08. It's important that a Republican succeed me as
President of the United States. (Applause.) And I thank you for supporting
those efforts. I want to thank all the grassroots activists who are here.

One grassroots activist I've known for a long time is the senior chairman
of the county chairmen here in the state of New Jersey, George Gilmore. He
happens to be the chairman of the Ocean County Republican Party.
(Applause.) And I want to thank all the other county chairmen who are here.
And I want to thank all the people who put up the signs and make the phone
calls and do all the hard work, so that our candidates know that they're
supported when they're out there seeking the vote.

I really appreciate you coming. I'm proud to be here with my friend, Lew
Eisenberg, former Republican National Committeeman from New Jersey, and his
wife, Judy. I thank Larry Bathgate, former finance chairman for the
Republican National Committee. I want to say thank you to State Minority
Leader Leonard Lance, and Alex DeCroce of the State Senate for serving --
actually DeCroce is in the statehouse, and Lance is in the Senate. And I
appreciate them serving. And our job -- (applause) -- our job is to help
you all become the majority leaders. (Applause.) They've got a good chance
to do it. The experts tell me that with hard work, there's a good chance
that the statehouse and the state Senate become Republican. And I'm glad to
be a part of helping, and I want to thank you all for helping, as well.

I want to thank -- I want to thank you all for recognizing the fact that
you've got the B team in the Bush family. (Applause.) The A team is across
the river in New York City. Yes, that's Laura. She sends her love. I will
tell you this; I'm a lucky man, when I asked her to marry me, and she said,
yes. A lot of her friends aren't so sure she's so lucky. (Laughter.) But I
am pleased to report she's doing well. She's a great First Lady, a great
wife, and a great mom. (Applause.)

I believe you win elections by telling the people what you believe, not
necessarily what they want to hear. And here are the things that we
believe: We believe that the number one priority of this country is to
protect the people of the United States from further attack. (Applause.)
And that's why we believe in a strong national defense. We believe in
supporting those who are in the homeland defending this country, and we
believe those who are defending it overseas.

We believe that we ought to trust people to make the decisions on how they
run their lives, not trust the government. And the classic case of whether
we trust people or not is when it comes to cutting taxes. If you believe in
cutting taxes, it means you trust you to spend your money better than the
government can. (Applause.)

We believe you've got to trust in the values of our citizens. We believe
the role of government is to unleash the great compassion of America, to
help solve many of the problems that can only be solved through love and
decency and care. That's what we believe. We believe that there is a role
for government, but the primary role for government is to empower our
citizens to realize their God-given potential.

And if we campaign on that message, and if we stick to those principles,
and if we govern for what's right, not based upon the latest Gallop Poll,
we will continue to lead this country. (Applause.)

I want to talk about our security and our economy. We are a nation at war.
I wish I didn't have to say that, but that's the reality of the world in
which we live. Now, I understand there's some good, decent people who
disagree with that assessment. We're a country where people are free to
express their views. Some people don't believe we're in war. I'm just not
one of them. I believe that the role of the United States government is to
do everything we can to protect you from further attack. (Applause.)

You were affected by the September the 11th attacks a lot. And so was I. I
vowed on that day that I would use all U.S. assets to do what was necessary
to protect the American people. We're fighting an enemy that is cruel, an
enemy that murders the innocent to achieve objectives. These folks just
aren't isolated, angry people; these are ideologues; these are people that
have got a set of beliefs. I would suggest that people, if they're trying
to figure out what these people believe and their vision of the world, just
remember what life was like under the Taliban in Afghanistan --
particularly if you were a woman or a young girl -- you had no rights, no
freedoms. If you expressed your belief, it was contrary to their view, you
would be, at minimum, whipped in the public square. These people are
brutal. They have no conscience.

They do want to spread their vision as far and wide as possible. They have
a vision of establishing a califate. They hate the United States of America
and what we stand for. They hate many of our friends, including Israel. The
only way to deal with these people is to stay on the offense, fight them
overseas so we don't have to fight them here at home. (Applause.)

And that's exactly what we've done. I vowed that this nation wouldn't tire.
I vowed that I would do everything I could to lead this nation, to protect
you. And since that fateful day that killed nearly 3,000 people, innocent
people, this country has been on the offense. If we find them overseas,
we'll bring them to justice. (Applause.) We're using everything in our
power to get good intelligence. We reformed homeland security. We're
supporting those on the front line of securing this country.

Oh, I know there's a big debate about how to deal with these folks. I will
just tell you my view. You can't ration [sic] with them. You can't
compromise with them. You can't hope for the best with them. You must treat
them as they are: cold-blooded killers, and bring them to justice before
they hurt us -- (applause.)

One of the lessons of September the 11th is we must confront threats before
they come home to hurt us; that when we see a threat, we must deal with it
-- not always with the military, necessarily, but we've got to take threats
seriously. We just can't hope that oceans will protect us from these
people. They have strategies to impose their will. They want to cause
enough harm to cause us to retreat in order for them to be able to impose
their vision. These folks found safe haven and got help in Afghanistan. We
gave them a chance to -- the government to turn them over. They refused,
and so we removed the Taliban from power, and thereby removed the ability
for al Qaeda to plot and plan and attack again.

In Iraq we faced a threat. He was an enemy of America, a person who had
used weapons of mass destruction, and a person who was paying Palestinian
-- the family -- Palestinian families of suicide bombers, a person who had
harbored terrorists. I went to the United Nations, right across the river
here. I said to the world, we face a common threat. The United Nations
Security Council agreed. We told Saddam Hussein with one voice,
international voice, disarm or face serious consequences. It was his choice
to make. He defied the demands of the free world. I made the decision that
we would liberate the people of Iraq. Getting rid of Saddam Hussein made
the world a better place. (Applause.)

And now the question is, will our country help these two struggling
democracies succeed. See, the short-run strategy is to bring people to
justice, is to keep the pressure on. The long-term strategy is to defeat
their ideology with a more hopeful ideology. And that's the ideology based
upon liberty. Free societies are societies that best answer the hopes and
dreams of people.

In the short-term we'll keep the pressure on the enemy. In the long-term we
must confront the circumstances by which 19 people decided to get on
airplanes and kill nearly 3,000 people on a brutal attack on the United
States of America. And the stakes are high. You know, I know that many
people are deeply concerned about Iraq, and so am I. You see the carnage on
your TV screens and you wonder whether or not success is possible. I want
to remind you that there has been pretty startling progress made in Iraq.
After all, 12 million people went to the polls and supported a modern-day
constitution, and voted for a free government, which stands in stark
contrast to life under a brutal tyrant who killed thousands of his own
people.

And a knowing enemy realized there was being progress -- progress was being
made, and they want to stop it. Isn't it interesting, to determine the
mind-set of people who would want to stop the advance of a free society?
Those are people we need to take seriously in this world.

Many of the spectacular bombings you see are inspired and done by al Qaeda.
As General Petraeus said, public enemy number one in Iraq is al Qaeda;
public enemy number one in the United States of America is al Qaeda. We
must defeat al Qaeda there so we don't have to face them here. (Applause.)

As you know, last fall, I made a decision about how we should conduct our
affairs in Iraq. I had to choose between allowing the sectarian violence
that was beginning to get out of hand to continue to foster, or whether or
not to put in more U.S. troops to try to quell that sectarian violence, to
give this young democracy and its leaders a chance to make the decisions
necessary for its society to move forward.

Now, I want to tell you -- I want to share why I made the decision I made.
I believe that if we allowed the sectarian violence to rage in that young
democracy, it could create chaos, not only in the capital, but throughout
the country. I was deeply concerned that chaos would create a security
vacuum into which radical extremist elements would flow, many of which
would have been fueled by outside forces. I was concerned that the chaos
could spill out into other countries and destabilize governments. I was
concerned that the message it would send to a country like Iran was that
the United States of America couldn't be counted on. I was concerned that
moderate people all throughout the Middle East would say, the United States
doesn't keep its word. I was concerned that the enemy that wants to strike
us again would be emboldened and would find more recruits. I was concerned
that the chaos would be exactly what the enemy wants. And so I made a
decision to put more troops in, as opposed to retreat. (Applause.)

And I believe this: No matter what the opinions of people in Washington may
be, when we've got our troops in harm's way, they need all the support,
they need all the support they can get from the U.S. government.
(Applause.)

This is hard work, but it is necessary work for the security of this
country. What happens in Iraq matters to the security here at home. And I
understand how hard it is. But I'll tell you what, this is an amazing
country when we produce men and women who fully understand the stakes of
serving in the United States military in a time of danger. I am constantly
amazed that people raise their right hand to wear the uniform of America,
to do what is necessary to protect us. (Applause.) And I am proud to be
their Commander-in-Chief. (Applause.)

You know, I tell people that one of the startling aspects of my presidency
has been that one of my really best friends as President was the Prime
Minister of Japan, Prime Minister Koizumi. I find it interesting -- he was
such a good friend, remember we went down to Elvis's place. (Laughter.) In
Memphis. And we had a wonderful trip, and by the way, his replacement,
Prime Minister Abe is a good friend, too.

Isn't it amazing that my dad and many of your relatives fought the Japanese
as a sworn enemy? Right there is one. Isn't that interesting -- George H.W.
Bush, young Navy fighter pilot, put his life on the line, along with a lot
of other good folks, to fight the Japanese in a really bloody conflict. And
some 60 years later, his son sits at the table with the Prime Minister of
the former enemy, talking about helping this young democracy in Iraq
survive, talking about making sure the leader of North Korea doesn't get a
nuclear weapon, talking about keeping the peace. (Applause.)

Liberty has got the capacity to transform troubled regions into peaceful
regions. It has got the capacity to help enemies become allies. In order to
defeat the ideologues that murder the innocent to achieve their objectives,
there must be an alternative ideology available, and we've got one for the
world and it's called freedom. (Applause.)

I firmly believe we'll succeed in doing the hard work if we do not lose our
nerve. I believe -- I firmly believe that the decisions I have made not
only will help secure this country from further attack, but will lay the
foundation of peace for generations to come. I don't want it to be said,
when the chaos were to spill out, and the nuclear arms race may occur in
the Middle East, that people will look back and say, what happened to them
in the year 2007? How come they couldn't see the impending danger? I'm
prepared to continue to lead this nation, and will lead this nation, for
the next 20 months, to make sure that we do the hard work necessary to
secure this country from attack. (Applause.)

Our foreign policy, though, is much more than just military action and
kinetic action in dealing with an enemy. Our foreign policy is one based
upon the premise and the principle, to whom much is given, much is
required. Today in the Rose Garden I talked about the great compassion of
our American citizens when I announced that we were going to double our
program to deal with HIV/AIDS on the continent of Africa. (Applause.) You
ask, why would you do that, Mr. President? And the reason why it matters to
help ease the suffering around the world is what happens overseas matters
to the security of the United States of America. Where you find disease and
hunger and poverty, you find despair. And the danger is that despair could
turn into extremism and radicalism, to the point where people would be
willing to come and kill to achieve political objectives.

I am so proud of the United States of America. I don't know if you know
this or not, but three years ago 50,000 people were receiving
anti-retroviral drugs on the continent of Africa, thousands were dying and
a generation was in the process of being wiped out. And today, because of
your generosity, 1.1 million people receive anti-retroviral drugs, and we
intend to double that number. (Applause.) The soul of America is enriched
when we help those who need help. Whether it be feeding the hungry, or
fighting malaria, or dealing with HIV/AIDs, the United States of America is
in the lead. (Applause.)

And we're also the leader in the industrialized world when it comes to
economic growth. This economy of the United States of America is strong.
(Applause.) The unemployment rate is low; it's low in a state like New
Jersey. We're adding new jobs. Inflation is down. The entrepreneurial
spirit is strong. People are investing. People are making a living in this
country.

You know, it wouldn't necessarily have been that way -- you might remember
the short-term economic history of the United States. A recession set in,
in 2001. We had those terrorist attacks, which, of course, you remember
here in New Jersey, vividly remember, which affected our economy. We had
corporate scandals. We had a lot of hurdles in the way of economic
vitality. But I think I made a decision that affected the economic future
of the country when I worked with the United States Congress to cut the
taxes on everybody who paid taxes in the United States. (Applause.)

The best way to keep this economy strong is to let you keep more of your
own money in your pocket. (Applause.) If you're interested in small
business growth, you let our small businesses keep money -- more of the
money they earn. (Applause.) If you want investment, you incent investment
by cutting the taxes on investment. (Applause.) If you want a family to do
well, you keep the child credit high. If you want to make sure you get --
if you want marriage, you get rid of the marriage penalty. In other words,
if you want the American people to do better, you cut the taxes, is what
you do. (Applause.)

And that's exactly what we did. And now guess what's happening? The
rhetoric in Washington is beginning to shift, as you know, and the Congress
changed hands. And they submitted a budget up there.

AUDIENCE: Booo!

THE PRESIDENT: They submitted a new budget. And it's a throw back to the
old days. They said, we need more of your money, and therefore, oh, we're
just going to tax a few of you. But that's not the way it works in
Washington, D.C. You can't save their appetite for spending your money. The
bunch in power in Congress now wants to raise your taxes as much as they
possibly can because they think they can spend your money better than you
can.

AUDIENCE: Booo!

THE PRESIDENT: And that is why it's important for us to make sure those tax
cuts we passed are permanent. (Applause.)

Oh, I know, look, you'll hear the same tired rhetoric. Listen, we got to
balance the budget by raising your taxes. But we've shown it is possible to
balance the budget by keeping taxes low, keeping our economy strong, and
being wise about how we spend your money.

You might remember, a while ago, I said we're going to cut the deficit in
half over a period of time. Well, we did so quicker than anticipated --
three years quicker. And now we've submitted a new budget that shows how
you can balance the budget by keeping taxes low, within five years. And
here's the logic, and here's the reason behind such a philosophy: Low taxes
encourages economic growth. Economic growth, it turns out causes there to
be more tax revenues coming into the treasury. More tax revenues in the
treasury means you have more money to offset spending.

So when you're wise about spending and you keep taxes low, growing the
economy, so we've got the revenues to spend, you end up balancing the
budget. We've got plenty of money in Washington, D.C. We need more money in
your pockets so this economy continues to grow. (Applause.)

And I believe that if our candidates run on strong national defense and
strong security, and I believe if our candidates say, we trust you to make
your health care decisions, or we trust you to make rational decisions for
your family, and we trust you with your own money, we'll keep the White
House in 2008, that we can retake the statehouses across the country, and
we can retake -- retake the Congress. Our philosophy is hopeful. Our
philosophy is optimistic. And we have shown over this last six years, our
philosophy works, for the good of the American people. (Applause.)

So that's what I've come to share with you. I hope out of this talk, you
get a sense for my optimism about America's future. (Applause.) I believe
there is no problem we can't solve when we put our mind to it. I believe
that we are a country of determined, fine people, who are willing to do the
hard work necessary to grow this economy and, at the same time, protect our
country. I believe there are better days ahead for the American people.

I am proud to lead you. I am proud you're here. May God bless you all.
(Applause.)

END 6:33 P.M. EDT

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