Remarks at southwest Missouri state university in Springfield, Missouri

Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, Oct 21, 2002

October 18, 2002

Thanks for coming. Thanks for the warm welcome. I'm honored to be here at the--on the campus of this fine university. I'm proud to be here in southwest Missouri. I love the values of the heartland represented in this part of our country, the values of faith, the values of family, the love of our country. I appreciate you coming out to say hello. These are the values which make Missouri a great State and make our Nation a great nation.

I want to thank you for your friendship. I want to thank you for your prayers. I want to thank you for your concern about our political process. I appreciate your interest. I appreciate your willingness to take a stand. And I am here in the State of Missouri to take a stand: The best person running for the United States Senate is Jim Talent.

I need him in the Senate to work with him. We've got some big problems facing our country. But there's no doubt in my mind that we can achieve anything we put our mind to. There's no doubt in my mind that no matter how high the hurdle, the United States of America, when we put our mind to something, can cross that hurdle.

Jim Talent shares my optimism about the future of this country because he knows what I know: This country is blessed with the finest people on the face of the Earth, and that, by trusting the people and calling upon the best of America, we can achieve anything--I mean anything--we set our mind to.

I appreciate Jim Talent's values. He's a family man. He's got his priorities straight. He's a man who doesn't need a focus group or a poll to tell him what to think. He's more than happy to stand on principle. He's more than happy to say, "This is what I believe, and I'm not changing." And I appreciate a man who's willing to take those values, the Missouri values, and the sense of purpose to Washington, DC.

He's also got a record. See, he's already been up there once. He's shown us what he can do. And when he was up there, he wasn't afraid to take the lead. He is one of the key authors of one of the most important pieces of social legislation in the last decade, and that is the welfare reform bill that transformed millions of lives in America, because he knows what I know, that dignity is found when you find work, that work is the cornerstone of any life that has got dignity.

I appreciate his understanding of small business. See, he is an advocate for small business in Washington, DC. We need that kind of attitude up there. See, after all, our economy is kind of bumping along. It's not as strong as it's going to be. So long as we keep working on it, it's going to get better.

But one of the things we've got to understand is that most new jobs in America are created by small businesses. And therefore, we've got to have somebody in the United States Senate who understands that and is willing to work on an environment that encourages the growth of small businesses. Jim Talent's got a record, and he's got a good record.

He also will work to change the tone in Washington. Listen, we're proud Republicans, but we've got to serve something bigger than political party in these times of stress on our country. It's important to put all this aside and focus on what's right for the American people. And Jim Talent understands that. I'm proud to stand by his side.

And we share something else in common: We both married above ourselves. [Laughter] He married Brenda. I married Laura. And by the way, the First Lady, she sends her love and her greetings. She's heading down to Texas today, so you drew the short straw. [Laughter] She's doing great, though. I want to remind you that when I married her, she was a public school librarian. [Applause] Public school librarians united for Laura. [Laughter] She didn't care for politics when I married her. She didn't particularly care for politicians when I married her. [Laughter] Thank goodness she said yes.

People have got to see why I asked her to marry me. She's calm. She's steady. She cares deeply about our children. She loves education, It's our top priority. A lot of people are still wondering why she said yes. [Laughter] But nevertheless, she's doing great. I can't tell you how proud I am of her, and I love her dearly.

I want to thank the senior Senator from Missouri for being here. He's done a fabulous job on behalf of the citizens of Missouri. He is a man whose judgment I trust, whose vote I can count on. He's a strong ally. He's got the right instincts. He's got a great voting record. And that is Senator Kit Bond.

I appreciate so very much the fact that your Congressman has joined us today. Roy Blunt is effective. He's smart. He can count votes. I appreciate his support, and I appreciate his friendship.

I appreciate the fact that former Congressman Mel Hancock is here. I want to thank Congressman Hancock for coming.

You've got yourself a hot Senate race--State senate race. This race matters. It matters a lot. You've got a good man running, a good, down-to-earth fellow who's going to tell you what he thinks. He's going to do in office what he said he's going to do. And that's Dan Clemens.