Remarks at a fundraiser for representative Tom Latham in Des Moines

Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, March 4, 2002

March 1, 2002

Thank you very much. Please be seated. It's an unbelievable honor for a guy from Midland, Texas, to be back in Iowa. [Laughter] As I recall, it started here, and I want to thank you all. I want to thank you for your support, and I want to thank you for coming out to support Tom Latham. And I want to thank you for your support for the Iowa Republican Party. And I want to thank you for that warm welcome. It's an honor to be back in your great State.

I too want to extend our most heartfelt sympathies to Katie Roth. As you know, Luke was--ran my campaign here in the primaries. I remember him as a joyous, fine, solid American. I talked to Katie the other day on the phone. I assured her the prayers of Iowa and Luke's friends are with her, and I know you join me, I hope, in praying for God's blessings on Katie and the family.

Somebody said to me the other day, "Do you plan on campaigning? You're the President of all the people." I said, "Sure I am. When I find somebody good, I'm going to help them." And Tom Latham is a good, good United States Congressman.

You bet I'm going to campaign. I'm going to campaign for a party that holds the values that I hold dear to my heart of heralding the individual and limiting the size and scope of Government, recognizing that all wisdom is not in Washington, DC, but is in local governments and individuals, recognizing that we must have a strong national defense to secure freedom. I am. I'm going to campaign. I want Denny Hastert to be the Speaker of the House, and I want Tom Latham returned to the United States Congress.

And I want to thank you all for coming to help, and I appreciate your generosity. I also want to thank Kathy Latham for her patience and her support of Tom. And like me, Tom married above himself. [Laughter] Thank you for being here, Kathy.

Speaking about marrying above myself, Laura is doing great. As you may remember, she was a public school librarian when I married her. She really wasn't interested in politics or politicians, and now she is a fabulous First Lady for the United States of America. She sends her greetings. I'm going to see her here in a while, and I look forward to telling her that I saw a lot of our friends in Iowa today at lunch.

I also want to thank Elaine Chao. You know, one of the ways you judge a President is what kind of team does he put together. And as you've seen, I've put together a fabulous national security team, a team of experienced hands and people who are willing to express their opinion, willing to work for what's best for America. And I've also put together a great domestic team as well. And one of those members is Elaine Chao, who is the Secretary of Labor, and I want to thank you for coming, Elaine.

I see the party chairman; Chuck, thank you for coming here. I got to know Larson on the campaign trail. Never did I realize he'd be elevated to such a high standing in life. [Laughter] But now that he is, I hear that he's doing a great job. So Mr. Chairman, thank you for taking on a leadership role. I love your enthusiasm, and I love your zest for life.

I think Bob Ray is here. He set the standard for what it means to be a Governor. Terry Branstad I understand was going to be here, as well. If so, thanks for coming. There, Branstad, how are you? Hi, Bob. Thank you all for coming. It's good to see you both again. I know Mary Kramer told me she was coming, and I know the speaker is here and others from the State House. Mary, how are you? Again, thank you Speaker.

I want to thank you all for being here. I was back--met some folks back there, and this tall giant walked through. He said, "I used to mow down the Texas Rangers on a regular basis." And I said, "You're not Cal Eldred, are you?" He said, "Yes, I am." I said, "Well, I'm sorry to see you again." [Laughter] But I'm glad to see him here. Where are you, Cal? There he is. Thanks for coming, Cal. I appreciate your being here. I know you're sorry to be out of baseball, but Ranger fans are glad you are. [Laughter] At any rate, thank you all for coming.

Let me tell you a couple things about Tom Latham that it's important for those who might be undecided to listen to. One, he's on the Appropriations Committee. That's important, to be on the Appropriations Committee. It requires somebody who has got a little extra--a little extra talent to be on that committee in the House of Representatives. It makes no sense for people in the congressional district in which he's seeking to replace somebody on the Appropriations Committee with somebody who's not. The Appropriations Committee is one of the most important committees there is in the United States Congress. And not only that, but he's got some accomplishments that I want to tout.

One of them is--and this is an important issue that faces the future of America--he is a strong battler of illegal drugs. Methamphetamine, for example, has been a problem in the Midwest, a problem here in Iowa, and this good United States Congressman had the foresight and willingness to work to get a regional training center to fight methamphetamines. And I appreciate that very much, Tom, and so do the people of Iowa, and they've got to remember that when it gets ready to go into the polls.