Remarks in a discussion in Lima, Ohio

Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, Sept 6, 2004

August 28, 2004

The President. Thank you all. Please be seated. I've got a lot of work to do today. See, I'm here in Lima asking for the vote. I'm here to tell you I've got a reason to seek the Presidency again. There is a reason to want to serve, and that's to keep the country safer and stronger and better. That's why I want to be your President.

And I believe you've got to get out amongst the people and ask them for the vote. So that's what we're doing here in Ohio on this Saturday. And thanks for coming. Thanks for giving me a chance to--we've got a--I've got a different way of talking about what's on my mind and talking about our agenda. I've actually asked some of your fellow citizens to join me today to talk about what it means to own a business or what it means to own a health savings account, what it means to--what tax relief meant. It's a way of explaining why we have done the things we've done and what we intend to do to make sure this country is a strong country.

I want to talk a little bit about foreign policy. I want to talk about how to spread peace. And then I'm going to answer some of your questions, if you've got some.

Before I do so, I want to tell you that I'm really proud of Laura. She is a wonderful wife. I was a lucky fellow when she said yes. [Laughter] She was a public school librarian when I asked her to marry me. She said, "I'll marry you, just so long as I don't have to give any speeches." [Laughter] It's the only political promise I've ever broken. [Laughter] And thankfully I broke it. What a fabulous, articulate woman she is. She's a great morn, a wonderful wife. There's a lot of reasons why I think you ought to put me back in, but perhaps the most important one is so that Laura is the First Lady for 4 more years. She's working on her convention speech. I better get working on mine. [Laughter]

I'm proud to be running with Dick Cheney. He is a really solid man. He is a--I like to tease my Vice President by saying, you know, he's not the prettiest face in the race. [Laughter] But I picked him because of his sound judgment, his expertise, and the fact that he can get the job done. That's why I picked Dick Cheney.

I appreciate my friend Mike Oxley. I call him Ox. [Laughter] He's the Congressman from this part of the world. He's a really good man. He's a great chairman of an important committee. He's a decent American. I appreciate you coming, Mike. I'd have thought you'd have gotten a better seat, but you know--[laughter]. And standing with Mike is United States Senator Mike DeWine. He is doing a fine job for Ohio. He's got another fine Senator serving with him in George Voinovich. Put him back in there for 6 more years; he's a good man to work with.

Governor Taft is traveling today. Thank you for coming, Governor. Kenny Blackwell is with us. I'm honored you both are here. Appreciate you being here.

Karel Oxley--[applause]--yes--the superintendent of schools. Thank you for opening up this beautiful school to this dialog we're having. And more importantly, thanks for serving your community. You know I like superintendents of schools so much so that I picked a superintendent of the Harris County School System in Texas to be the Secretary of Education, Rod Paige. The reason why is I believe in local control of schools, and I wanted somebody in Washington who understood all wisdom about education is not in the bureaucracies of Washington; it's actually found in the local communities of our States and cities.

I want to thank the Lima High marching band for performing. I'm honored that you're here. I appreciate it.

I also want to thank the grassroots activists who are here. We have a duty in America to vote. One of the amazing facts about what is taking place in the world is the fact that there are over 10 million people who have registered to vote in Afghanistan. Now think about that for a minute. Ten million citizens have said, "Let me participate in democracy," after having lived under the clutches of a barbaric regime. It speaks to the power of liberty, doesn't it?

Now, we have a duty here to register to vote as well. That's--one of my purposes in taking this bus trip throughout Ohio is to remind citizens from all political parties: Register. And do your duty and vote. Now, I've got an idea who I think you ought to vote for regardless of your political party. [Laughter] But you ought to be participating in the system. And there are people here in this hall who are helping to register. And I want to thank you for it. I want to thank you for convincing your fellow citizens to do their duty.

We've got Becky Brown on the bus today. Becky is the one millionth volunteer for the Bush-Cheney campaign. Beck, congratulations for being the one millionth. She is from Miami County, Ohio. Our first stop was in Troy, Ohio. A little over 20,000 people came out to say hello, I want you to know, which is pretty darn heartening. It's a good way to start your morning, if you're looking for votes. [Laughter]

But I do want to thank you. You can get on the Internet at georgewbush.com. It's pretty easy to remember--not all that original, I must admit. [Laughter] But it's a way where you can figure out how to help. And we need your help, is what I'm telling you. We need your help. We're going to carry Ohio again in 2004. [Applause] Thank you all.