SPEECHES
FROM THE 2004 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN
George W. Bush
Speech to the
Veterans of Foreign Wars Convention
August 16, 2004 • Cincinnati, OH
Thank you all very much. Thanks for the
warm welcome. And thanks for inviting me for your 105th
national convention. I'm proud to be here. (Applause.)
One of the great honors of being Commander-in-Chief is
meeting the courageous men and women who stand watch for
freedom. Nothing gives me greater pleasure than to look
them in the eye and say on behalf of our country, thank
you for your service. (Applause.) The same is true of each
of you here today. When the enemies of freedom were on
the march, and our country and the world needed brave Americans
to take up arms and stop their advance, you stepped forward
to serve. And today, I'm proud to stand before you as Commander-in-Chief,
look you in the eye, and say, America thanks you for your
service. (Applause.)
I want to thank Ed Banas for his service in being an effective
commander of the VFW. I appreciate the job he's done, and
I want to thank his wife, Sandra, for standing by his side
during this important time for the VFW. Ed, thank you,
sir, for your service. (Applause.)
I also thank my friend, Bob Wallace, the Executive Director
of the VFW. I want to thank Governor Bob Taft for joining
us today, from the state of Ohio; my friend, Tony Principi
-- I'll say something about him here in a minute; and Congressman
Rob Portman, Congressman from Ohio is with us, as well.
I'm honored that these elected officials -- and in Principi's
case, appointed official -- is with us today.
I want to thank John Furgess, the incoming VFW National
Commander-in-Chief, and Alma. I want to thank Evelyn McCune,
the VFW Ladies Auxiliary National President, and her husband,
Don. I want to thank JoAnne Ott. I want to thank the VFW
and Ladies Auxiliary members for letting me come and address
you. (Applause.)
In the audience today are two people I've gotten to know
during a very traumatic period during their lives. Carolyn
and Keith Maupin are with us today. They're from this part
of the world. Their son, Matt, has been missing in action
for four months in Iraq. I have vowed to them we will do
everything we can to find their loved one, Matt. I appreciate
their courage. I continue to send my prayers to these two
fine Americans during these difficult times for them. May
God bless you, Keith and Carolyn. (Applause.)
The Veterans of Foreign Wars have always stood up for
our nation and those who wear the uniform. Since your founding
in 1899, the members of the VFW have been serving the men
and women who served America. I appreciate your dedication.
The VFW and its Ladies Auxiliary are volunteering by transporting
sick and disabled vets to and from their medical appointments.
You're showing great compassion. You're supporting the
men and women who serve today. Some 1,500 VFW posts have
adopted military units deployed in Afghanistan, Iraq, and
other distant theaters. You've distributed more than 3.5
million pre-paid calling cards to our deployed forces.
You've sent thousands of care packages to our troops in
the field. You've helped the families back home with groceries
and home repairs, and other necessities. America respects
our military and their families. I thank you for showing
that respect every day. (Applause.)
All our nation's veterans have made serving America the
highest priority of their lives, and serving our veterans
is one of the highest priorities of my administration.
(Applause.) To make sure my administration fulfills the
commitments I have made to America's veterans, I selected
one of the finest men ever to serve as the Secretary of
Veterans Affairs, a combat-decorated Vietnam veteran, Secretary
Tony Principi. (Applause.)
Thanks in large part to Tony's leadership, my administration
has a solid record of accomplishment for our veterans.
When my 2005 budget is approved by Congress, we will have
increased overall funding for our nation's veterans by
almost $20 billion, or 40 percent, since 2001. (Applause.)
We have increased funding for our veterans more in four
years than the previous administration did in eight years.
(Applause.) To provide health care to veterans, we've increased
VA medical care funding by 41 percent over the past four
years.
We are bringing care to more veterans more quickly. Since
2001, we've enrolled 2.5 million more veterans in health
care services. We've increased out-patient visits from
44 million to 54 million. We've increased the number of
prescriptions filled from 98 million to 116 million. We're
getting the job done. (Applause.) We've reduced the large
backlog of disability claims by about a third; we will
reduce it even further. We've cut the average time it takes
to process disability claims by 70 days.
We have focused resources on the veterans who need it
most, those with service-related disabilities and low incomes
and special needs. We've established a new scheduling system
to make certain that veterans seeking care for a service-connected
condition are first in line. For more than a century, federal
law prohibited disabled veterans from receiving both their
military retired pay and their VA disability compensation.
Combat-injured and severely disabled veterans deserve better.
I was proud to be the first President in over 100 years
to sign concurrent receipt legislation. (Applause.) We're
getting the job done in Washington, D.C.
My administration has launched a $35 million program to
provide housing and health care and other support services
to homeless veterans. No veteran who served in the blazing
heat or bitter cold of foreign lands should have to live
without shelter, exposed to the elements, in the very country
whose freedom they fought for. (Applause.)
We are modernizing VA health centers, and building new
ones, especially in the South and West, where increasing
numbers of our veterans live. Since 2001, we have opened
194 new community-based clinics nationwide. And through
the CARES initiative, we are providing $1 billion -- and
have requested another half-billion for next year -- to
modernize VA facilities, and to provide better care for
veterans in areas where the need is growing, including
here in Ohio. (Applause.)
Our VA hospitals are, on average, 50 years old. That's
why we are modernizing our facilities to make sure our
veterans have 21st century health care. For example, here
in Ohio, we're building one of the largest new VA clinics
in America in Columbus, Ohio. We're spending more than
$100 million to consolidate two VA hospitals in Cleveland
into a single 21st century facility. When it comes to providing
first-class care for our nation's veterans, we are getting
the job done. (Applause.)
Our nation's debt extends not just to the veterans who
served, but to the families who supported them in war and
depend on them today. Last December, I signed the Veterans
Benefits Act, authorizing $1 billion in new and expanded
benefits for disabled veterans, and surviving spouses and
their children.
America's veterans have defended America in hours of need.
And to honor the veterans from the Second World War for
their service to our country, the World War II Memorial
now stands on the Washington Mall. And I thank you for
your efforts and your hard work to get this memorial built.
And we honor all of those here today who fought to defend
freedom in the Second World War. (Applause.)
Like the Second World War, the war we face today began
with a ruthless, surprise attack on America. The world
changed on that September morning. And since that day,
we have changed the world. (Applause.) Before September
the 11th, Afghanistan served as the home base of al Qaeda,
which trained and deployed thousands of killers to set
up terrorist cells around the world, including our own
country. Because we acted, Afghanistan is a rising democracy;
Afghanistan is an ally in the war on terror; Afghanistan
is now a place where many young girls go to school for
the first time. America and the world are safer. (Applause.)
Before September the 11th, Libya was spending millions
to acquire weapons of mass destruction. Today, because
America and our allies sent a clear and strong message,
the leader of Libya has abandoned his pursuit of weapons
of mass destruction. America and the world are safer. (Applause.)
Before September the 11th, the ruler of Iraq was a sworn
enemy of America. He was defying the world. He was firing
weapons at American pilots who were enforcing the world's
sanctions. He had pursued and he had used weapons of mass
destruction. He had harbored terrorists. He invaded his
neighbors. He subsidized the families of suicide bombers.
He murdered tens of thousands of his own citizens. He was
a source of instability in the world's most volatile region.
He was a threat.
One of the lessons of September the 11th, a lesson this
nation must never forget, is that we must deal with threats
before they fully materialize. (Applause.) I remembered
what Saddam Hussein was like; I looked at the intelligence.
I called upon Congress to remember his history and look
at the intelligence. I thought it was important to bring
Congress, get their opinion on the subject of Saddam Hussein.
So members of both political parties, including my opponent,
looked at the same intelligence and came to the same conclusion
that I came to: Saddam Hussein was a threat. I went to
the United Nations; the U.N. Security Council looked at
the intelligence and came to the same conclusion, Saddam
Hussein was a threat. As a matter of fact, they passed
a resolution, 15 to nothing, which said to Saddam: disclose,
disarm, or face serious consequences. As he had for the
past 12 years, he refused to comply. He ignored the demands
of the free world. He systematically deceived the weapons
inspectors.
So I had a choice to make: either forget the lessons of
September the 11th and trust a madman, or take action to
defend America. Given that choice, I will defend our country
every time. (Applause.)
Even though we did not find the stockpiles that we thought
we would find, Saddam Hussein had the capability to make
weapons of mass destruction, and he could have passed that
capability on to our enemy, to the terrorists. It is not
a risk, after September the 11th, that we could afford
to take. Knowing what I know today, I would have taken
the same action. America and the world are safer because
Saddam Hussein sits in a prison cell. (Applause.)
We have more hard work to do. I'll continue to work with
friends and allies around the world to aggressively pursue
the terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan and elsewhere. See,
you can't talk sense to these people. You cannot negotiate
with them. You cannot hope for the best. We must aggressively
pursue them and defeat them in foreign lands, so we do
not have to face them here at home. (Applause.)
America will continue to lead the world with confidence
and moral clarity. We have put together a strong coalition
to help us pursue the terrorists and spread the peace.
There are over 40 nations involved in Afghanistan, some
30 nations involved in Iraq. I appreciate the sacrifices
of the mothers and fathers from those countries, to have
their sons and daughters stand with our troops to spread
freedom and peace. I'll continue to build on those alliances
and work with our friends for the cause of security and
peace. But I will never turn over America's national security
decisions to leaders of other countries. (Applause.)
We'll keep our commitments in Afghanistan and Iraq; we'll
help them become peaceful and democratic societies. These
two nations are now governed by strong leaders, they're
on the path to elections. We set a clear goal, and Iraq
and Afghanistan will be peaceful and democratic countries
that are allies in the war on terror. We will meet that
goal by helping secure their countries, to allowing a peaceful
political process to develop, and by training Afghan and
Iraqi forces so they can make the hard decisions, so they
can defend their country against those who are preventing
the spread of freedom. Our military will complete this
mission as quickly as possible so our troops do not stay
a day longer than necessary. (Applause.)
It's important we send the right signals when we speak
here in America. The other day, my opponent said if he's
elected, the number of troops in Iraq will be significantly
reduced within six months. I think it sends the wrong message
-- it sends the wrong signal to the enemy. They could easily
wait six months and one day. It sends the wrong message
to our troops, that completing the mission may not be necessary.
It sends the wrong message to the Iraqi people who wonder
whether or not America means what it says. Our friends
and allies must know that when America speaks, we mean
what we say. We will stay until the job is completed. (Applause.)
In the long run, our security is not guaranteed by force
along. We will work to change the conditions that give
rise to terror: poverty and hopelessness and resentment.
A free and peaceful Iraq and a free and peaceful Afghanistan
will be powerful, and examples in a neighborhood that is
desperate for freedom. You see, by serving the ideal of
liberty, we are bringing hope to others, and that makes
America more secure. By serving the ideal of liberty, we're
spreading the peace. Free countries do not export terror;
free countries are peaceful countries. And by serving the
ideal of liberty, we're serving the deepest ideals of America.
We believe that freedom is not America's gift to the world,
freedom is the Almighty God's gift to each man and woman
in this world. (Applause.)
These are crucial times. We have an historic opportunity
to win the war on terror by spreading freedom and peace.
Our commitments are being kept by the men and women of
our military. I've had the privilege of traveling to bases
around our country and around the world. I've seen their
great decency and their unselfish courage. I assure you,
ladies and gentlemen, the cause of freedom is in really
good hands. (Applause.)
Those who wear our uniform deserve the full support of
our government. For almost four years, my administration
has strengthened our military. We have enacted the largest
increases in defense spending since Ronald Reagan served
as the Commander-in-Chief. We've increased military pay
by 21 percent. We have provided better housing and better
training and better maintenance.
And last September, while our troops were in combat in
Afghanistan and Iraq, I wanted to make sure they had the
very best, so I proposed supplemental funding to support
them in their mission. The legislation provided funding
for body armor and vital equipment, hazard pay, health
benefits, ammunition, fuel, and spare parts. The VFW strongly
supported my request. I thank you for standing up for our
troops. Your work on Capitol Hill paid off; after all,
the funding received strong bipartisan support -- so strong
that in the United States Senate, only 12 members voted
against the funding, two of whom were my opponent and his
running mate. (Applause.)
When pressed, he explained his vote -- "I actually
did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it." (Laughter.)
He went on to say he was proud of the vote, and the whole
thing is a "complicated" matter. There's nothing
complicated about supporting our troops in combat. (Applause.)
We have more work to do to defend freedom and protect
our country. We will ensure that our forces are well-prepared,
and well-positioned to meet the threats of the future.
Our Armed Forces have changed a lot. They're more agile
and more lethal, they're better able to strike anywhere
in the world over great distances on short notice. Yet
for decades, America's Armed Forces abroad have essentially
remained where the wars of the last century ended, in Europe
and in Asia. America's current force posture was designed,
for example, to protect us and our allies from Soviet aggression
-- the threat no longer exists.
More than three years ago, we launched a comprehensive
review of America's global force posture -- the numbers,
types, locations, and capabilities of U.S. forces around
the world. We've consulted closely with our allies and
with Congress; we've examined the challenges posed by today's
threats and emerging threats. And so, today I announce
a new plan for deploying America's Armed Forces.
Over the coming decade, we'll deploy a more agile and
more flexible force, which means that more of our troops
will be stationed and deployed from here at home. We'll
move some of our troops and capabilities to new locations,
so they can surge quickly to deal with unexpected threats.
We'll take advantage of 21st century military technologies
to rapidly deploy increased combat power.
The new plan will help us fight and win these wars of
the 21st century. It will strengthen our alliances around
the world, while we build new partnerships to better preserve
the peace. It will reduce the stress on our troops and
our military families. Although we'll still have a significant
presence overseas, under the plan I'm announcing today,
over the next 10 years, we will bring home about 60,000
to 70,000 uniformed personnel, and about 100,000 members
and civilian employees -= family members and civilian employees.
See, our service members will have more time on the home
front, and more predictability and fewer moves over a career.
Our military spouses will have fewer job changes, greater
stability, more time for their kids and to spend with their
families at home. The taxpayers will save money, as we
configure our military to meet the threats of the 21st
century. There will be savings as we consolidate and close
bases and facilities overseas no longer needed to face
the threats of our time and defend the peace.
The world has changed a great deal, and our posture must
change with it, for the sake of our military families,
for the sake of our taxpayers, and so we can be more effective
at projecting our strength and spreading freedom and peace.
(Applause.)
Today, our troops have the most advanced technologies
at their disposal -- weapons are more lethal, more precise
than were available for you. Our troops are more mobile,
they can communicate better. Yet their success in the wars
we fight is being made possible by the same thing that
made your success possible: personal courage, love of country,
dedication to duty.
As our troops fight today in Baghdad and Najaf, and the
Hindu Kush mountains and elsewhere, I know America's veterans
feel a special pride in them. They're carrying on your
legacy of sacrifice and service. They're determined to
see the mission through. This country stands with them.
I want to thank you for the example you have set for our
men and women in uniform. I want to thank you for your
idealism, for your dedication to God and our country. May
God bless you all. And may God continue to bless the United
States of America. (Applause.) Thank you all very much.
(Applause.)
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