pd09de02 Proclamation 7632--National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month,...

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    So I went to the United Nations. I said, ``When is enough enough?'' 
They voted 15 to nothing to say, ``Now enough is enough.'' The members 
of the Security Council had a chance, and they accepted the challenge to 
make sure that this United Nations became an effective body when it 
comes to keeping the peace, not an empty debating society.
    Then I went to NATO--strong Allies in NATO--and overwhelmingly the 
message was, ``Enough is enough.'' And now there's inspectors inside 
this country. But I want to tell you, the issue is not the inspectors. 
The issue is whether or not Mr. Saddam Hussein will disarm like he said 
he would. We're not interested in hide-and-seek inside Iraq. The 
fundamental question is, in the name of peace, in the name of security, 
not only for America and the American people, in the name of security 
for our friends in the neighborhood, in the name of freedom, will this 
man disarm? The choice is his. And if he does not disarm, the United 
States of America will lead a coalition and disarm him in the name of 
peace.
    We have an obligation to our children and our children's children to 
do everything we can to make sure the homeland is secure. And we'll meet 
the obligation. We'll meet that obligation together.
    You know, the amazing thing about America is that I can predict--
boldly predict and certainly predict, that out of the evil done to our 
country will come incredible good. Because of the nature of our country, 
I can say

[[Page 2120]]

that. By being tough and strong and united in the face of danger, we can 
bring peace to the world. I believe that. I believe that by doing what 
we need to do to secure the world from terrorist attack, to rid tyrants 
of weapons of mass destruction, to make sure that somebody like Saddam 
Hussein doesn't serve as a training base or a provider of weapons of 
mass destruction to terrorist networks--by doing our job, that the world 
will be more peaceful, by standing strong for what we believe, by 
remembering that freedom is not America's gift to the world, but God's 
gift to each and every human being, that we can achieve peace. I want 
you to tell your kids and your grandkids that amidst all the speculation 
about war and military, that our drive and our vision is for a peaceful 
world in which everybody can realize their potential and live in peace.
    And here at home we have a chance to achieve some incredible good 
out of the evil done to our country. September the 11th shook our soul. 
I think it has helped awaken a spirit in the country, a spirit that 
understands that serving something greater than ourself in life is part 
of the American creed, that the American spirit is bigger than just any 
selfish ambition.
    Today when I landed at the airport, I met Mary Anne Blanchard Selber 
and Jean Sayres. These ladies have started the Providence House here in 
Shreveport. This is a--it's a home to provide shelter to the homeless. 
They follow their hearts. The reason I bring up this example is because 
they represent the true strength of our country. The true strength of 
our country lay in the hearts and souls of our fellow citizens.
    You see, out of the evil done to America can come a more 
compassionate America. We've got to understand that amidst our plenty, 
there are people who hurt. There's addiction and hopelessness. There are 
people who wonder whether or not the American Dream is meant for them. 
So long as any of us hurt, we all hurt, yet we can solve the problems in 
our society by loving a neighbor just like we like to be loved 
ourselves. We can solve America's problems by putting our arm around the 
lonely and the hopeless and say, ``I care for you. I love you.'' America 
can change one heart, one soul, one conscience at a time.
    And the Providence House is one example of what I'm talking about. 
They represent the true strength of our country, people who love people, 
people who care for those who hurt, people who understand that 
Government's role is limited. We can hand out money, but we can't put 
hope in people's hearts or a sense of purpose in people's lives. That's 
why I'm so strong for the Faith-Based Initiative. I understand the power 
of faith in the lives of our citizens around this country.
    No, if you want to join the war on terror, if you want to show the 
world the true worth of America, love a neighbor just like you'd like to 
be loved yourself. See what you can do to help mentor a child. Go see a 
shut-in. It's the small acts of kindness and decency which define the 
true victory in the war against terror, which will show the world what 
this country is all about.
    Perhaps best defined for me and, I suspect, others, as they come up 
in America--the spirit was defined best on Flight 93. Remember that when 
people were flying across our country, they thought they were on an 
average business trip or they thought they might be just taking an 
average trip to go see a loved one, and they found out the plane they 
were on was being used as a weapon. And they told their loved ones over 
the telephone, ``I love you,'' and ``Goodbye.'' They said a prayer. A 
guy said, ``Let's roll.'' They took the plane into the ground to serve 
something greater than themselves.
    No, the spirit of America is strong today. I can boldly predict that 
out of the evil done to America will come great good, because this is 
the greatest nation, full of the finest people on the face of the Earth.
    May God bless you, and may God bless America.

Note: The President spoke at 9:54 a.m. at the Hirsch Coliseum at the 
State Fairgrounds of Louisiana. In his remarks, he referred to Lee 
Fletcher, candidate for Louisiana's 5th Congressional District; Gov. 
M.J. ``Mike'' Foster of Louisiana; Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, Al Qaida's 
chief of operations for the Persian Gulf; and President Saddam Hussein 
of Iraq.

[[Page 2121]]


<DOC>
[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents]
 [frwais.access.gpo.gov]
                         

[Page 2121-2125]
 
Pages 2107-2136
 
Week Ending Friday, December 6, 2002
 
Remarks at a Luncheon for Senatorial Candidate Suzanne Haik Terrell in 
New Orleans, Louisiana

December 3, 2002

    Nice to be back in New Orleans, home of a new basketball team, home 
of a winning football team, and in the State of the next United States 
Senator, Suzie Terrell.
    I'm thrilled to be here amongst a lot of our friends. It seems I've 
been coming to New Orleans for a long time. [Laughter] What a fabulous 
town. I'm honored to be here on behalf of a great candidate, somebody 
who represents the values of Louisiana, somebody who has got a record of 
accomplishment, somebody who is not afraid to speak her mind to the 
President of the United States--[laughter]--but somebody who I know will 
do a great job on behalf of all of Louisiana.
    I'm here to thank you for your support. I'm here to remind the good 
folks of Louisiana they have a duty to go to the polls on Saturday. In 
the land of the free, you have an obligation to defend freedom by being 
a part of our democracy. I don't care whether you're Republican or 
Democrat or don't give a hoot about a political party; you have an 
obligation in this country to vote. But I've got a suggestion. 
[Laughter] For the good of Louisiana and for the good of America, Suzie 
Terrell needs to be the next United States Senator.
    She's got a lot going for her. First of all, she's a mother of three 
fabulous young girls. There they are: Julie, Bebe, and Chrissy. Anybody 
who can raise three teenage girls--[laughter]--you know what I mean. 
[Laughter]
    I appreciate her willingness to serve the people, willingness to 
take the path that a lot of people won't take, and that is offer herself 
up for office. And she's done a great job in the office that she held. 
After all, you might remember that the election commissioner's office 
needed a little house-cleaning, needed to have the integrity restored, 
and Suzie Terrell did it. She saves the taxpayers money.
    I need an ally up there who understands, when it comes to spending 
what they call the Government's money, the Government doesn't own that 
money. It's not the Government's money that we spend. It's the people's 
money.
    And she's going to have some good hands to work with in the United 
States Congress from the great State of Louisiana, starting with the 
chairman, Billy Tauzin. I love working with Billy. He brings good common 
sense to the Halls of the United States Congress. And I like working 
with David Vitter from right here in the New Orleans area. David, thank 
you for being here. And Jim McCrery is with us today, and I appreciate 
your hard work, Jim. Thanks for coming. And Richard Baker is with us. 
Where are you, Richard? Baton Rouge. Good to see you, Richard.
    I so very much appreciate being here with your Governor. He too 
gives the President an earful. [Laughter] He's not the prettiest 
Governor in America. [Laughter] But he's one of the most effective. He's 
done a heck of a job for the people of Louisiana.
    And I know we've got another Governor here with us--celebrating the 
Louisiana Purchase, which I'm sure the people of Louisiana agree with 
me, is a heck of a deal. [Laughter] But Frank Keating from Oklahoma is 
here today as well. Frank, I appreciate you coming. Yes, sir. He 
probably wants to talk about the OU-Texas game. [Laughter]
    I'm honored to be up here with Pat Brister and Boysie Bollinger, 
both of whom are good friends, and both of whom represent the grassroots 
activists in the State of Louisiana. I'm here to remind you all that--I 
want to thank you for what you have done and what you are going to do 
over the next couple of days, and that is to gather up your buddies and 
get them to vote, is to man the phones and put up the signs and grab 
people by the wrists and say, ``You owe it to Louisiana to vote for 
Suzie Terrell for the United States Senate.''
    I like Suzie's attitude and her tone, the way she wants to go to 
Washington to get some things done, and we need more of that in 
Washington, DC. Sometimes, Washington is one of these towns where the 
person--people who think they've got the sharp elbow is the most 
effective person; kind of zero-sum politics in Washington: ``I win. You 
lose.'' That's not the right attitude for the American people. We need a 
United States

[[Page 2122]]

Senator from Louisiana whose mission it is to improve the lives as best 
we can of all our citizens. And we're making some progress in 
Washington.
    Slowly but surely, we're changing the tone and getting things done 
on behalf of the American people. This week, last couple of weeks, I 
signed some important legislation. I signed the Department of Homeland 
Security, which will better enable our Federal Government to plan and to 
protect the American people from further attack. And I want to thank the 
Members of the Senate and the House who finally came together to get 
that legislation done.
    And I signed a bill on terrorism insurance. It's a bill that will 
get our hardhats back to working again, a bill that should make it 
easier for big construction projects to get started so that a lot of 
hard-working Americans can find work--by the way, a bill which is more 
favorable to the hardhats than to the trial lawyers in America. It's a 
good piece of legislation that shows what can happen when people come 
together to get the people's business done.
    Yesterday at the Pentagon, I signed the defense authorization bill, 
fulfilling a promise that I made--Dick Cheney and I made--that said that 
we're going to do everything we can to make sure we've got the strongest 
military in the world. A strong military makes it more likely the world 
is going to be peaceful. We not only had pay raises for our folks; I can 
say to those whose families serve in the service, ``You're going to have 
the best training and the best possible equipment when you put on the 
uniform of the U.S. military.''
    We're making good progress, but there's a lot of work to be done. 
And I look forward to working with Senator Terrell. We did some good 
things in education, but there's more to do. So long as any child can't 
read, we've got a problem in America. As a matter of fact, the new civil 
right is to make sure every child can read in America. I look forward to 
working with a Senator Terrell to make sure we maintain the highest of 
high standards, to challenge what I call the soft bigotry of low 
expectations.
    I look forward to working with Senator Terrell to make sure that we 
continually pass power out of Washington, DC, because we believe in 
local control of schools. I look forward to working with Senator Terrell 
to make sure that in return for Federal money, that we know whether or 
not our children can read and write and add and subtract. In order to 
make sure no child gets left behind, we must challenge schools which 
will not teach and will not change. And I'm confident I have an ally in 
Senator Suzie Terrell.
    We need a Senator who can help break logjams in the United States 
Senate, particularly when it comes to getting us a good energy bill. I 
see Billy nodding his head. He's been working on an energy bill. He 
agrees with me, in this world we need an energy strategy. I mean, face 
it; we import a lot of energy from overseas. Some of the people we 
import from don't exactly like us. [Laughter] We need an energy plan 
that encourages conservation and new technologies. We need an energy 
plan that encourages the development of safe nuclear power. We need an 
energy plan that encourages clean-coal technologies. We need an energy 
plan that encourages environmentally safe exploration for hydrocarbons 
in the United States of America.
    I look forward to working with Senator Terrell to modernize 
Medicare. Medicare is an aged system which is not adapting to the times. 
Medicine has changed, but Medicare hasn't. Medicine is modern. There's 
all kinds of new technologies and prescription drugs which can save 
lives. But Medicare is stuck in the past. I want to work with Senator 
Terrell to see to it that we modernize Medicare, making sure we fulfill 
our promises to our seniors. And a modern Medicare system means 
prescription drug coverage for our seniors.
    I look forward to working with Senator Terrell to make sure the 
environment for the entrepreneurial spirit is strong. We understand the 
role of Government is not to create wealth; the role of Government is to 
create an environment in which the entrepreneur can flourish, in which 
small businesses can grow to be big businesses. And one way the Federal 
Government can affect job growth is to let people keep more of their own 
money, is through tax relief.

[[Page 2123]]

    Tax relief is not a political slogan; it's good economic policy. If 
a person has more of their own money, they're likely to demand an 
additional good or a service. And in the marketplace, when somebody 
demands a good or a service, somebody is likely to produce the good or a 
service. And when somebody produces the good or a service, somebody in 
Louisiana or elsewhere in America is going to be able to find work. We 
passed tax relief at the right time in American economic history, and 
now I need a Senator to join me in making sure that tax relief is 
permanent. And there is no question where Suzie Terrell stands on tax 
relief.
    And I need somebody to work with me to make sure that we've got a 
good judiciary. It's amazing what an election will do. [Laughter] For a 
long period of time, I couldn't get my judges even to have hearings. 
There's a vacancy gap on our Federal bench--benches--and that's a 
problem. It's a problem for people who need to have a hearing. It's a 
problem for people who want justice. And I couldn't get my judges 
through the Senate because they were playing politics with the people I 
put up, good, honorable, decent people, people whose job it is not to 
try to write legislation from the bench, people whose job it is to 
strictly interpret the United States Constitution. Those are the kind of 
people I put on the bench.
    And Louisiana needs a Senator who will vote for Louisiana values 
when it comes to the judiciary. And there's no question in my mind that 
when it comes to having a good, sound judiciary, the right United States 
Senator is Suzie Terrell from the State of Louisiana.
    No, there's a lot of issues we'll be working on, but there's no 
bigger issue than to win this war against the terrorists. I talked about 
the homeland security bill I signed, and you just need to know there's a 
lot of good folks working overtime to protect the American homeland. But 
the best way to secure the homeland is to chase the killers down, one at 
a time, and bring them to justice. And that's what we're going to do.
    It's a different kind of war. In the old days, you could destroy 
tanks and ships and airplanes, and say you're making progress. This is a 
different kind of enemy. It's an enemy that hides in caves and sends 
youngsters to their suicidal deaths. These people do not value innocent 
life. In America, we say every life is precious; everybody has value; 
everybody counts. Our enemy we face today murders in the name of a great 
religion, and they could care less who dies. They're nothing but 
coldblooded killers, and we're going to treat them that way. It doesn't 
matter how long it takes; it doesn't matter how deep the cave, the 
United States of America and our friends and allies will hunt them down, 
one by one, in the name of freedom.
    I cannot imagine what was going through their mind when they hit 
America. They must have thought we were so soft, so weak, so fragile 
that after 9/11/ 2001, we might file a lawsuit or two. [Laughter] But 
they're learning something about America that I know, that when it comes 
to our freedoms, when it comes to the values we hold dear, this United 
States of America is plenty tough. And that's the way we got to be in 
this new war of the 21st century.
    And we're making progress. You just need to know we're making good 
progress. After all, this great Nation and our friends liberated a 

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