Bush went on the offenseive tonight with a fabulous speech at the Republican Governors Association reception in Washington. It’s hard to not quote the whole thing, but i’ll try and pick out a few of my favorite lines and the most most imoprtant ones in my opinion.
On John Kerry and his infamous strategy of being on both sides of an issue:
The other party’s nomination battle is still playing out. The candidates are an interesting group, with diverse opinions: For tax cuts, and against them. For NAFTA, and against NAFTA. For the Patriot Act, and against the Patriot Act. In favor of liberating Iraq, and opposed to it. And that’s just one senator from Massachusetts.
Bush spells it out plain and simple… The choice in November is going to be an easy one:
The other party is still not finished selecting its nominee. Yet this much is already certain: Come November, the voters are going to have a very clear choice. It’s a choice between keeping the tax relief that is moving the 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.
Here, Bush clarifies what happened with our economy for the Democrats:
The last three years have brought serious challenges. We’ve given serious answers, and the strong leadership these times of extraordinary change demand. We came to office with an economy heading into recession. We delivered historic tax relief, and the consumer spending and investment that resulted helped lift our economy back to growth, so that people are getting hired again.
And for those who think that the Democrats are all about “the little guy” and Republicans are all about “big business”:
We had to confront corporate crimes that cost people jobs and savings. So we passed the strongest corporate reforms since Franklin Roosevelt, and made it clear that we will not tolerate dishonesty in the boardrooms of America.
That never happened under Clinton did it?
Then Bush talked about 9-11 and the aftermath:
We saw war and grief arrive on a quiet September morning — and from that day to this, we have pursued terrorists across the world. We’ve captured or killed many of the key leaders of the al Qaeda network, and the rest of them know we’re on their trail. There is no cave or hole deep enough to hide them.
The next two quotes are really suave jabs at Bill Clinton:
When Dick Cheney and I came to Washington, we found a military that was under-funded and under-appreciated. So we increased the defense budget to give our men and women the tools and training they need to win the war on terror. And today, no one in the world can question the skill, the strength, and the spirit of the United States military.
It’s the President’s job to confront problems, not to pass them on to future Presidents and future generations. It’s the President’s job to seize opportunities, and not let them slip away. A President needs to step up and make the hard decisions and keep his commitments. And that is how I will continue to lead our country.
Perhaps the most imporant issues this election are the war on terror and the economy. No Democrat can even touch Buhs on these:
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. Our course is clear.
As many people have already noticed, the Democrats have lots to bitch about, but have offered no ideas or solutions of their own. Bush took note of it publicly tonight:
Our opponents have not offered much in the way of strategies to win the war, or policies to expand our economy. So far, all we hear is a lot of old bitterness and partisan anger. Anger is not an agenda for the future of America.
Our opponents talk about job creation, but they’re against every one of these job-creating measures. Empty talk about jobs won’t get anybody hired. The way to create jobs is our pro-growth, pro-entrepreneur, pro-small business owner agenda.
I love it when Bush sticks it to them like that. Bush offers a plan, and gets it done. The Democrats bitch and moan, and make empty promises that mean nothing.
Our Commander-In-Chief then made some really bold statements on the war on terror:
Terrorists are testing our will in Afghanistan and Iraq. Regimes in North Korea and Iran are challenging the peace. The actions we take and the decisions we make in this decade will have consequences far into this century. If America shows weakness and uncertainty, the world will drift toward tragedy. That will not happen on my watch.
America and our allies gave an ultimatum to the terror regime in Afghanistan. The Taliban chose defiance, and the Taliban are no longer in power. America and our allies gave an ultimatum to the terror regime in Iraq. The dictator chose defiance, and now the dictator sits in a prison cell.
Bush then fought back against criticism he’s gotten for fighting the war on terror:
September the 11th, 2001 taught a lesson I have not forgotten. America must confront threats before they fully materialize. In Iraq, my administration looked at the intelligence and saw a danger. Members of Congress looked at the intelligence, and they saw a danger. The United Nations Security Council looked at the intelligence, and it saw a danger. The previous administration and Congress looked at the intelligence, and made regime change in Iraq the policy of our country. We all knew Saddam’s history well. He waged aggressive wars against neighboring countries, and aspired to dominate the Middle East. He cultivated ties to terrorists. He built weapons of mass destruction. He hid those weapons. He used chemical weapons against thousands of Iraqis and Iranians.
Attacking the liberal myth we went to war alone in Iraq:
Our opponents say they approve of bold action in the world, but only if no other government disagrees. I’m all for united action, and so are the 34 coalition partners we have in Iraq right now. But America must never out-source America’s national security decisions to the leaders of other governments.
Another issue near and dear to the state of our union is the despicable actions of renegade liberal activist judges, Bush attacked them and defended his record of nominating good judges:
We stand for the confirmation of judges who strictly and faithfully interpret the law. We will not stand for judges who undermine democracy by legislating from the bench, and try to remake the culture by court order.
While I’ve done my best to not quote the entire speech I’ve certainly quoted a lot. It was a great speech. I’ll quote one last part – which to me reflect the theme of Bush’s presidency since 9-11:
None of us will ever forget that week when one era ended and another began. On September 14, 2001, I stood in the ruins of the Twin Towers. I remember a lot that day. Workers in hardhats were shouting, “Whatever it takes.” One man pointed at me and said, “Don’t let me down.” As we all did that day, these men and women searching through the rubble took it personally. I took it personally. I’ve a responsibility that goes on. I will never relent in bringing justice to our enemies. I will defend America, whatever it takes.
Whatever it takes… I myself will do whatever it takes to get Bush reelected. After reading this speech, I made another donation to the Bush/Cheney ‘04 campaign.
Bush is a proven leader. he will keep fighting the war on terror. He will keep our economy growing strong.
The contest ahead of us will be between a “9/10 Democrat” and a “9/12 Republican.”
The choice is clear, I am supporting the 9/12 Republican.