Remarks in Columbus, Ohio

Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, Sept 6, 2004

September 1, 2004

The President. Thanks for coming. Thank you all very much. What a warm welcome. It doesn't get any better than being introduced by Jack Nicklaus in Columbus, Ohio. While you were cheering, I asked him if be had any advice for my golf game. He said, "Quit." [Laughter] I'm so honored to be here with Jack and Barbara Nicklaus. He is a--what a class act. And I'm proud to have him endorse my candidacy for the Presidency of the United States.

Jack said he and Barbara are from Columbus--so am I. My grandfather was raised right here in Columbus, Ohio. So I'm here to ask that you send a home-boy back to Washington, DC.

I'm thrilled to be traveling today with Laura. She raised the bar last night. What a fantastic speech she gave. I'm going to give you some reasons why I think you ought to put me back in, but perhaps the most important one is to put her back in for 4 more years.

I appreciate you all coming. I'm here to ask for the vote. See, I believe you've got to come to the people and ask for their vote. I'm here to let you know I'm going to lay out a vision tomorrow night for a safer world and a more hopeful America, that we have done a lot--[applause].

I'm here to ask for your help as well. You can't win an election alone. I need you to help register your friends and neighbors. Get on the Internet at georgewbush.com and find out how you can volunteer for this campaign. For those of you who are volunteering, I want to thank you very much for the work you've done and the work you're going to do. There is no question in my mind, with your hard work, we will carry Ohio again and win this country.

I'm looking forward to hearing my superb runningmate's speech tonight. Dick Cheney is a solid citizen. He's got good judgment and sound advice. He's a man who can get the job done.

I'm thankful that Barbara Nicklaus and son Gary Nicklaus are traveling with Jack today. I want to thank both of them for joining us.

I appreciate my friend Senator Mike DeWine joining us today* He's a fine United States Senator. You know, we've been traveling your State by bus, and old Mike showed up every time. He's out there shaking those hands and waving to the crowds. I appreciate his friendship. I also want to urge you to put George Voinovich back into office as your United States Senator. I'm proud that my friend Congresswoman Deborah Pryce is with us. She is a fine Member of the House of Representatives.

I want to thank John McConnell for opening up this beautiful hall. He's a great citizen of this community who owns the Columbus Blue Jackets. He said, "Do you have any advice?" I said, "I cannot skate." [Laughter] But I appreciate the hospitality.

I want to thank Chris Spielman for being here as well. I'm honored he's here. I appreciate the Picketing Central High marching band for joining us today. I'll try to keep my speech short so you can get home and do your homework.

Audience members. No-o-o!

The President. I want to thank the folks who put this on, this fantastic rally on. I know it takes hard work to get this many people here. But thanks for all you're doing. I'm here to let you know that I've got a clear vision and strong determination to make this country a safer place, a stronger place, and a better place for every American.

In the past few years, we've been through a lot together, and we've accomplished a lot. But the only reason to look back in a campaign is to determine who best to lead us forward. Even though we've done a lot, I'm here to tell you there's more to do. There's more to do to make this country a hopeful country for every citizen.

We've got more to do to make sure the public schools in America are centers of excellence we know they can be. When I went to office--got into office a couple of years ago, too many of our schools were shuffling children through, grade after grade, year after year, without them learning the basics. We challenged the soft bigotry of low expectations in the public schools in America. We've raised the standards. We believe in local control of schools. And we believe in return for Federal money, people must show us whether or not the children can read and write and add and subtract, because we expect every child to learn in America. Because we're measuring and correcting problems early, before it's too late, the achievement gap in America is closing.

But there's more work to be done. We've got to make sure the Internet is in our high school classrooms. We need to have early intervention programs for junior high and high school students, so they're not left behind. We got to make sure AP courses are expanded. We got to make sure we teach more math and science in the high schools so that kids can compete in this global economy. We want to make sure the high school diploma means something. We'll increase Pell grants and loans so when a high school kid gets out of high school, he's got a chance to go to college. What I'm telling you is, after 4 more years, a rising generation will have the confidence and the skills necessary to he able to find a job in America.