Texas catholic credit union

May 13, 2004

Thank you all very much. Thanks a lot. I'm honored to join you here for the 40th anniversary of the American Conservative Union. I bring greetings from the A team in my family: Laura Bush. I am a--you got stuck with the junior varsity. [Laughter] I'm a lucky man to be married to Laura. She is a fabulous person, great mom, great wife, and I think she deserves 4 more years as the First Lady.

I just left a meeting with our fabulous Vice President, and he sends his best. He's still pretty proud of his last year in the House, when he received a 100-percent rating from the ACU. He didn't mention that one when you gave him a 90. [Laughter] The ACU doesn't rate Presidents, but a President can rate you. This is a fine group of decent citizens, principled citizens, and tonight I am proud to stand with the ACU.

And I appreciate my friend David Keene, the chairman. This is his 20th anniversary. He is the longest serving chairman in ACU history. As one of his predecessors said about David's long tenure, "So long as it's not a paying job, he won't have any competition." [Laughter]

I met David's daughter, Private 1st Class Lisa Keene. And I'm proud that she is volunteering in the United States Army, but not nearly as proud as her dad.

I appreciate being up here with some fine Members of Congress. Senator Mitch McConnell, the dinner cochair, good to see you, Mitch. Thank you. I see Senator Jim Bunning is here today. Thank you for cochairing this as well. I'm pulling for you in the reelection. I know Chris Cox is here as well. Congressman Cox is a fine Member of the Congress and a good friend. And of course, former ACU chairman--I don't think he was the guy that gave me that quote, by the way--and that would be Congressman Phil Crane. Appreciate you being here. I see other Members of the Senate and the House who are here. Thanks for coming; good to see you all.

I know members of my administration are here. I see Kay James, who's the Director of the Office of Personnel Management. I appreciate you being here, Kay. John Bolton, the Under Secretary of State of Arms Control and International Security--[applause]. I told you we were going to get out of the ABM Treaty--[laughter]--and we did. And I want to thank you for your help.

I appreciate being here with a member of the ex-Governors club--I'm a member too--[laughter]--in my friend Jim Gilmore. Good to see you, Jimmy. Thanks for being here.

I like to be around celebrities. You know, I don't get out much. [Laughter] So it's good to rub elbows with Snow. [Laughter] And I appreciate the president of Catholic University, Father David O'Connell, for coming as well. I'm honored you're here.

Some here tonight were there for that first meeting of the ACU in the fall of 1964. Back then, as David mentioned, you weren't feeling too good about the President from Texas. As a matter of fact, you stood behind a good man from Arizona, Barry Goldwater. You knew that the principles he represented, freedom and limited Government and national strength, would eventually carry the day, and you were right. And that day came when President Ronald Reagan--I might add, supported by a great Vice President-[laughter]--came to Washington, DC. President Reagan taught America the power of ah optimistic spirit. He also understood the power of ideas to transform our country and to change the world.

The conservative movement has become the dominant intellectual force in American politics, on the strength of writers and thinkers like Whittaker Chambers and Bill Buckley and Russell Kirk. The movement has inspired many hundreds of fine Americans to run for office and to serve in government. It's easy to understand why. On the fundamental issues of our time, conservatives have been right. Conservatives were right that the cold war was a contest of good and evil. And behind the Iron Curtain, people did not want containment; they awaited for liberation. Conservatives were right that the free enterprise system is the path to prosperity and that free enterprise is the economic system consistent with human freedom and human dignity. Conservatives were right that a free society is sustained by the character of its people, which means we must honor the moral and religious heritage of our great Nation.

These convictions, once defended by a few, are now broadly shared by Americans. And I am proud to advance these convictions and these principles as I stand for reelection in 2004.

I'm looking forward to the campaign. I'm looking forward to taking our message to the American people. And it's going to be a tough campaign. I need your help. I'm running for a reason. You're about to bear why. I've got a purpose to be your President for 4 more years. I'm running against a person who has got a lot of experience. He just shares a different philosophy from us.

When the nonpartisan National Journal did his ratings, they found that my opponent had the most liberal record of all 100 United States Senators. That's a heck of a feat. [Laughter] It isn't very easy to make Ted Kennedy the conservative Senator from Massachusetts.

My opponent has earned more than Senator Kennedy's endorsement. You may have beard he claims to have picked up some endorsement from foreign leaders as well. [Laughter] He just won't give us their names. He did drop a hint the other day on national TV when he was asked about the leaders. "What I said is true," is what he said he, my opponent. "What I said is true. I mean, you can go to New York City, and you can be in a restaurant, and you can meet a foreign leader." [Laughter] I've got a hunch this whole thing might be a case of mistaken identity. [Laughter] Just because somebody has an accent--[laughter]--a nice suit, and a good table at a fancy restaurant doesn't make him a foreign leader. [Laughter]

Whoever these mystery men are, they're not going to be deciding the election. The American people will be deciding this election. And great events will turn on this election. The man who sits in the Oval Office will set the course of the war on terror and the direction of our economy. The security and prosperity of America are at stake. The voters this year are going to have a clear choice. It's an unmistakable choice between keeping the tax relief that is moving our economy forward or putting the burden of higher taxes back on the American people. It is a choice between an America that leads the world with strength and confidence or an America that is uncertain in the face of danger.

The other side hasn't offered much yet in the way of clear strategies to win the war or to expand our economy. Thus far, all we've heard is old bitterness and outbursts, instead of calm debate. They will learn that anger is not an agenda for America's future.

I look forward to taking on the big issues, setting big goals, with optimism and resolve and determination, and I will make it clear to the American people, I stand ready to lead this Nation for 4 more years.

A big issue for every family in America is the Federal tax burden. With the largest tax relief since Ronald Reagan was President, we've left more money in the hands that earned it. By spending and investing and helping create new jobs, the American people have used their money far better than the Federal Government would have.

This economy is strong, and it is getting stronger. Last month, America added 288,000 new jobs. Manufacturing jobs have increased for 3 straight months. Since August, our economy has added more than 1.1 million new jobs. In the first quarter of 2004, the economy grew at a strong rate of 4.2 percent, and over the past year, economic growth has been the fastest in nearly two decades. Business investment is up. Inflation is low. Mortgage and interest rates are near historic lows. The homeownership rate in America is the highest ever. America's economy is the fastest growing of any major industrialized nation. The tax relief we passed is working.

There's a difference of taxes in this campaign. My opponent has a different view. When we passed an increase in the child credit to help families, he voted "'no." When we reduced the marriage penalty, he voted against it. When we created a lower 10-percent bracket for working families, he voted "no." When we reduced taxes on dividends that helps our senior citizens, he said "no." When we gave small businesses tax incentive to expand and hire, he voted against it. When we phased out the death tax, he voted "no." I think we got a trend here. [Laughter]

It's easier to get a "yes" vote out of him when it comes to raising taxes. That's his record. Senator Kerry has voted over 350 times for higher taxes on the American people. He supported higher gas taxes 11 times and once favored a tax increase of 50 cents a gallon. That would cost you another $5 or more every time you fill up your tank. With that kind of money, you'd think he'd throw in a free car wash. [Laughter]