[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 38, Number 20 (Monday, May 20, 2002)]
[Pages 814-819]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at a Luncheon for Gubernatorial Candidate Jim Ryan in Chicago

May 13, 2002

    Well, thank you for that warm Chicago welcome. I appreciate your 
kind remarks, ``Governor.'' [Laughter] I want to thank you all for 
coming. Pat, thanks for your leadership. And I want to thank you all for 
supporting this good, honorable man to be become the next Governor of 
the State of Illinois.
    I want to thank all the grassroots advocates who are here, those who 
man the phones and stuff the envelopes and get out the vote. I want to 
thank you for what you've done in the past, and I want to thank you for 
what you're fixing to do. I can just see the headlines: Ryan Replaces 
Ryan. [Laughter] Durkin Defeats Durbin.
    And I want to thank Marie. We had our picture taken with the Ryan 
family. I thought it was never going to end. That's a good sign. 
[Laughter] If all the Ryans vote, it's a landslide. [Laughter] But I 
want to thank Marie. Mother's Day must have been a heck of a day for 
you, with all those kids. And I want to thank the sons and daughter who 
are here. Marie has got four sons and a daughter. It reminds me of 
another name in American politics: Barbara has got four sons and a 
daughter. The difference is, is that your sons must be treating you 
better. You don't have any white hair. [Laughter] But I want to thank 
you for being a great wife, and soon to be a great first lady of the 
State of Illinois. And to you boys out there, you listen to your mother. 
[Laughter] I'm still listening to mine. [Laughter]
    Speaking about great First Ladies, I'm sorry that Laura can't be 
with us today. She is off to Europe, and she's going to represent our 
country in the Czech Republic and Hungary and France. And then I'm going 
to team up with her there in about 9 days. I bring her up just to--you 
know, when I married Laura, she was a public school librarian. She 
wasn't really interested in politics. And if the truth be known, she 
really didn't care for politicians. [Laughter] But thankfully, she

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agreed to marry me, and now the American people are beginning to see 
why. She is calm, and she is steady. She's got great values and a huge 
heart. A lot of people are still wondering why she said yes. But she 
sends her love and wishes you all the best.
    And I appreciate Senator Hawkinson being here, the next Lieutenant 
Governor for the State of Illinois. Thank you for coming, Senator.
    Members of the Illinois delegation are here, some of them looking 
for a ride back to DC, I suspect. [Laughter] Just depends on how you 
vote. [Laughter] But I appreciate Senator Peter Fitzgerald for coming 
tonight--today. Peter, where are you? Thank you, Peter.
    I think Chairman Henry Hyde thought I was teasing him. I told him 
today I was announcing the fact that Russia and United States agreed to 
a treaty to substantially reduce our offensive nuclear weapons. It is a 
treaty that will change the relationship between Russia and the United 
States for the better, for world peace. Mr. Chairman, I'm serious about 
talking to you about this treaty when we fly back to Washington. Henry 
Hyde, thank you for coming. He's what we call a solid citizen. And so 
are the other members of the congressional delegation who are here, Mark 
Kirk, Jerry Weller, Judy Biggert, as well as Ray LaHood. I appreciate 
you all coming as well.
    I mentioned the fact that Durkin is going to beat Durbin. I want to 
thank Jim Durkin for being here and for running for the United States 
Senate. I appreciate the Lieutenant Governor, Corinne Wood, for being 
here. Thank you for coming, Corinne. And the State treasurer--and the 
old State treasurer, Judy Baar. Where is she? Thank you, Judy. Yes, just 
kidding--well. [Laughter]
    And finally--well, not quite finally--I'm glad to see my old friend 
Pate Philip. Pate, thank you for coming. I appreciate you being here. I 
remember going to your great county more than once to learn the lessons 
of good State politics at the foot of a master. Mr. Senator, thank you 
for being here. And I appreciate Lee Daniels being here as well. Lee, 
thank you for your leadership and your strong, strong support for the 
next Governor. Thank you, Lee.
    Now I'm getting to the finally. I had the honor of knowing two great 
Governors, past Governors, who are here with us today, big Jim Thompson 
and Jim Edgar. Thank you all for coming. I appreciate you, Edgar.
    I'm proud to support Jim Ryan. I appreciate, first of all, his heart 
and his philosophy. I call him a compassionate conservative, somebody 
who believes like I believe that if you embrace a conservative 
philosophy and you have a heart, you can help people. And that's what 
government is all about, is to help people help themselves, to 
understand the limitations of government, to apply government where it 
needs to be applied, but always remember, the idea is to make sure the 
American experience and the American Dream reaches every corner of our 
country. And that's the way Jim thinks. And that's an important attitude 
for the people of--for the Governor to have, for all the people. We're 
running as proud Republicans. We serve as a proud American.
    I appreciate his strong stand on law enforcement. He's been given 
the job as the attorney general of this State to hold the law, to bring 
people to justice, to blow the whistle where a whistle needs to be 
blown. And he's done just that. If the people get beyond the rhetoric in 
this campaign and look at the record, a record of accomplishment, the 
people of Illinois will put this man in the statehouse with the big 
numbers, because he has got a record of accomplishment as the attorney 
general: The truth-in-sentencing law; supports the first child advocacy 
center to deal with child abuse; he believes strongly in school safety. 
I mean, he's got a record.
    And he's got a vision as well. See, he understands that the number-
one priority of any State has got to be to make sure every child--every 
single child is educated. You know, we passed a really good education 
reform law in Washington, and it relates to this campaign. And I'll tell 
you how in a second.
    But first, it's amazing what can happen when you put your country or 
your State ahead of petty politics. I was--and I must confess, it did 
confuse some of the folks at the Crawford, Texas, coffee shop, when I 
was traveling around the country with Theodore Kennedy--Ted Kennedy, 
thanking him for working on this bill. But we put it all aside,

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all the typical Washington, DC, bickering and name-calling, and decided 
to do something right for the children and passed a great piece of 
education reform.
    And it starts with setting high standards. It starts with saying 
every child can learn in America, not a few, not just certain kind of 
children but every child. It believes that every child can learn. That's 
the way that Jim Ryan thinks.
    Secondly, it says that in order to understand whether every child is 
learning, we must measure. We must hold people to account as to whether 
or not children are learning to read and write and add and subtract. 
I've heard all the talk about school accountability. Let me put it on 
the line: It is racist and it is wrong not to determine whether or not 
children are learning to read and write and add and subtract. It is a 
mistake not to measure.
    And a system that does not measure--a system that does not measure 
is a system that has low expectations. A system that won't hold people 
to account as to whether or not our children are learning is a system 
that's more likely just to shuffle kids through as if they don't matter. 
Every child matters in America. And in order to receive Federal money, 
after I signed this bill, the people of Illinois and Texas and every 
State must determine whether or not children are learning to read and 
write and add and subtract. And if they are, we'll praise the teachers, 
and they need to be praised. But if not, here's your chance to change.
    If we find children trapped in schools that won't teach and won't 
change, you need to change. You need to have a Governor who's willing to 
blow the whistle on failure. Every child matters. Every child counts. 
That's why I'm for Jim Ryan. He's willing to take on the status quo when 
he finds children in schools that will not teach.
    And finally, the bill I signed says that the people who care more 
about the children in the State of Illinois are the people of Illinois. 
It has a strong component of local control. We're passing power out of 
Washington. We're giving maximum flexibility at the local level, so the 
local folks can chart the path to excellence. Listen, one size doesn't 
fit all. One size doesn't fit all when it comes to the education of the 
children of the State of Illinois. And you'd better have you a Governor 
who understands that and who won't stand for excuses and who's willing 
to innovate when innovation is needed. The number-one priority of any 
Governor in any State has got to be the education of the children of the 
State. And Jim Ryan understands that.
    I just came from Big Brown, UPS, where the mayor, thankfully, was 
there to greet me. I appreciate the mayor a lot. As I said publicly, I 
learned one thing: It's better to have him for you than against you. 
[Laughter] But I appreciate his leadership for this great city. It's a 
fabulous city you live in. And we were talking about welfare to work and 
the fact that millions of people have moved from welfare to work, for 
the betterment of our country. It's helped our country. It's also helped 
each individual person when they realize the dignity of work.
    And we were talking about the need to make sure that corporate 
Illinois or corporate America does its part about helping people go from 
welfare to work. Big Brown has hired 52,000 people from the welfare 
rolls. We had two young ladies, young moms, talk about what it means to 
go from welfare to work. It's just a compelling story and a great 
morning for me.
    The reason I bring it up is, we're in the midst of reauthorization 
of the welfare reform. And it's important for States to continue to 
strive for high standards when it comes to deploying resources to help 
people find work. It's essential you have a Governor who feels 
compassionate about each individual and who works hard and tirelessly to 
provide the job training necessary and the education necessary so that 
Americans can have the dignity of a job.
    And so when I talked about advocating maximum flexibility for States 
in the welfare to work--I mean, the welfare reauthorization bill, it 
gave me great comfort to know that Jim Ryan is going to be the next 
Governor of the State of Illinois, because he cares about people and 
he's willing to bring people together to achieve the common objective.
    I'm confident that when you have a man of good values who knows what 
he thinks, who doesn't need to take a poll or focus group to figure out 
his direction that he's

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going to head in life, he's going to make a good leader for your State. 
And I'm proud to support him.
    I also look forward to working with your Governor to make sure that 
the State of Illinois is prepared to respond, should the enemy hit us 
again. And they want to. I know that every morning when I go in the Oval 
Office and read a threat--a threat assessment to our country, they're 
interested in hitting us again. Kids say, ``Why? Why would they want to 
do that to America?'' Because they hate us. And the reason they hate us 
is, we love freedom. We cherish our freedoms. We love the idea that 
people can worship freely in America; that's something we strongly 
believe in. They don't like that. And we can speak our minds freely, and 
we can come to political gatherings, make our decisions in freedom. We 
have free press. We're an open society. That bothers the enemy a lot.
    And they're still out there. And you need to know that we're doing 
everything we can, everything in our power, to make the United States 
safe. My most important job is to protect innocent Americans. Our law 
enforcement agencies are talking like they've never talked before. 
Anytime we get a hint of anything, we're sharing information across 
jurisdictional boundaries; we're running down every possible lead. We 
operate--proudly operate within the confines of the United States 
Constitution. But there is no hint, no lead that is insignificant, as 
far as we're concerned.
    But you need to know that the most--the best way to secure the 
homeland is to chase these killers down, one by one, and bring them to 
justice. That's precisely what the United States of America is going to 
do.
    There's been some interesting lessons. First of all, I always kind 
of felt that the farther we got away from September the 11th--my worry 
was, the farther we got away, that the more likely it is America will 
say, ``Maybe it's not worth it.'' I'm proud to report that's not the 
case. In my travels around our country, I have seen what must make the 
enemy feel terrible, a united, resolved, strong nation which says that 
we'll do whatever it takes to defend the values that we hold dear. And 
that's comforting to me, and it's not so comforting to them.
    You know, I can't imagine what was going through their mind when 
they attacked. They must have looked at America and said that this 
Nation is so self-absorbed, so shallow in its materialism that all 
America would likely do is maybe file a couple of lawsuits. They were 
wrong. They found out that we are plenty tough, and we're going to 
remain tough. I unleashed a military that should make every one of you 
proud.
    You will read about the budgets I submitted. By the way, right here 
in Chicago I was asked, when I was campaigning here, they said, ``Hey, 
Mr. President, would you ever have a deficit?'' I said, ``Only if there 
was a war or a recession or a national emergency.'' [Laughter] Yeah, 
we've got one right now. But it's worth it because we're fighting for 
freedom. And when we bring some fiscal discipline to Washington, it's 
going to help make the deficit short-term.
    And I submitted a big budget, no question about it, for defense. And 
I did it for a reason. One, anytime we commit our troops into harm's 
way, they deserve the best pay, the best training, the best equipment 
possible. That's what we owe our military. And secondly, it is important 
to show the world that we're in this for the long run, and that while 
there may not be dramatic action on your TV screens on a daily basis, 
we're making progress. And it's going to take awhile.
    This is a new kind of war. This isn't a war of known fronts and 
carrier movements and battle stations being manned on a regular basis. 
We're facing a shadowy enemy. Look, these are the guys that send 
youngsters to their suicide death, and they, themselves, try to hide in 
caves. It's a new form of warfare, and it's going to require incredible 
patience.
    And the American people have got to understand, we're in it for the 
long run. Our coalition must understand that we're in it for the long 
run. They do; I tell them all the time, see. I say, ``This is freedom 
we're fighting for. This is--this is--this is the most important value 
that we believe in, in America. Either you're with us, or you're against 
us, and I expect you to be with us. We're in it for the long pull.'' And 
that's what that budget says.

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    We've been successful; we've been successful. We enforced the 
doctrine that said, if you harbor one--``one'' being a killer--you're 
just as guilty as the killer. And the Taliban found out exactly what we 
meant. But in enforcing that doctrine, we showed another side of America 
as well. We showed not only are we tough, not only are we wise with the 
military strategy, not only were we able to win a guerrilla war using 
interesting new technologies, we liberated a nation.
    I want the young of America to understand that we went into a 
country and freed people. We didn't conquer people; we freed people from 
the clutches of a barbaric regime that would not even let young girls go 
to school. And today, they do in Afghanistan, thanks to the United 
States of America.
    No, it's going to take awhile, but we're making progress; you just 
need to know, we really are. We're doing a better job of cutting off 
their money, and that's important. We're getting the kind of--sometimes 
we're getting a hint where somebody might be trying to hide out, and 
we're kind of rallying people to get them. There's countries that looked 
like they were potential safe havens, a nice place for maybe the 
terrorists to train. They're no longer safe havens for the terrorists.
    We're just taking our time and doing our job. And that's what the 
American people want. That's what the coalition is seeing. There's a lot 
of people who are out there, saying, probably, ``Gosh, we kind of hoped 
the United States would grow tired of all this. It would make our life a 
lot easier at home.'' Forget it. [Laughter] We're not growing tired of 
it. My most important job is to protect the security of the American 
people, and I take that seriously. I also understand, history has called 
us into action, and our country will not blink in the face of evil.
    I also believe that by leading a coalition and by being firm and 
resolute and strong, that out of the evil that has been done to America 
will come incredible good, starting with peace. I believe if we're 
patient and strong and deliberate, we'll be able to achieve peace. And 
that's important to me, and I know it's important to you as well. We 
don't seek revenge as a nation. We seek justice, and we seek peace.
    I also believe that out of the evil can come some incredible good at 
home. I believe that. I'm asked all the time by people that say, ``What 
can I do to help on the war against terror?'' My answer is, love a 
neighbor like you'd like to be loved yourself. If you want to fight 
evil, do some good. If you want to show the world what we're made out 
of, that we're stronger than just military might, why don't you mentor a 
child. Teach a child to read. Why don't you go to your church or your 
synagogue or your mosque and start an initiative to help folks who live 
in pockets of deep despair.
    That's how you fight the war against terror, and that's how we can 
make an enormous difference in our own country. I truly believe that 
America--the great strength of America is our hearts and souls. And out 
of this evil can come some great good. I see it all the time. I see it 
in small acts of generosity and kindness that will astound you.
    Today at the Meigs Field, I met two folks who have fostered 90 
children here in Chicago--90 children. It's unbelievable to think about 
that. Two good--it didn't require a Government act or a Government 
edict. They just decided to do that. And it happens all the time in our 
community. If you really want to fight evil, find out a way to 
contribute your time and efforts and money and talent to making one 
person's life brighter. That's how we change America. I like to say, 
each of us can't do everything, but each of us can do one thing. See, 
America changes one heart, one soul, one conscience at a time.
    Out of this evil is going to come good. There's a new attitude in 
America about serving something greater than yourself. It was 
highlighted to me, and I'm sure most of the country--and history should 
record this moment--about Flight 93, when you had people on an airplane. 
They're flying from one place, one part of our country to another. They 
find out the plane is going to be used as a weapon. They tell their 
loved ones on the cell phones they love them; they say a prayer; and 
they drive the plane into the ground to save somebody's life, to serve 
something greater than themselves.
    I truly believe that out of the evil done to America can come a 
sense of serving

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something greater than a materialistic society. And therefore, America 
is going to be a more hopeful place for all. The true strength of 
America is our people. That's the strength of our country. And I can't 
tell you how proud I am to be the President of the greatest nation on 
the face of the Earth.
    Thank you for coming to help Jim. May God bless you, and God bless 
America.

Note: The President spoke at 12:11 p.m. in the Ballroom at the Sheraton 
Chicago Hotel and Towers. In his remarks, he referred to event chairman 
Patrick G. Ryan, chairman and chief executive officer, Aon Corp.; Marie 
Ryan, wife of candidate Jim Ryan, and their children, John, Jim, Matt, 
Patrick, and Amy; former First Lady Barbara Bush; Gov. George H. Ryan of 
Illinois; State Representative Jim Durkin, candidate for U.S. Senate 
from Illinois; State Senator Carl E. Hawkinson, candidate for Lieutenant 
Governor; State Senate President James ``Pate'' Philip; State House 
Republican Leader Lee A. Daniels; Mayor Richard M. Daley of Chicago; and 
foster parents Adrienne and Jerry Welenc.