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Disabled Veterans 8/5/92 [OA 5811]
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Disabled Veterans 8/5/92 [OA 5811]
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Originally Processed With FOIA(s):
FOIA Number:
S; 2006-0257-F
S
FOIA
MARKER
This is not a textual record. This is used as an
administrative marker by the George Bush Presidential
Library Staff.
Record Group/Collection:
George H.W. Bush Presidential Records
Collection/Office of Origin:
Speechwriting, White House Office of
Series:
Speech File Draft Files
Subseries:
Chron File, 1989-1993
OA/ID Number:
13634
Folder ID Number:
13634-007
Folder Title:
Disabled Veterans 8/5/92 [OA 5811]
Stack:
Row:
Section:
Shelf:
Position:
G
26
18
3
7
of George Bush, 1992
Administration of George Bush, 1992 / Aug. 5
1385
we've brought age-
Archbishop of Philadelphia; and Dan Rather,
The American vet deserves safe streets, a
eace table for the firs;
CBS News.
sound economy, strong families, a world at
e John Paul has spen
peace. You believe, and I agree, America
it work and in prayer
should serve those who served their country.
le East. As long as I
That's why my administration has not
you I will do every-
Remarks to the Disabled American
wavered in our commitment to you and your
bout that peace that
Veterans National Convention in
families. We must change our health care
Reno, Nevada
system in this Nation, and we will. But let
1, let me say this: This
me be clear: We will not change our commit-
change, change. The
August 5, 1992
ment to the integrity of veterans health care.
out change because
Let me tell you that it is a great pleasure
No program is going to change that.
tural condition of our
to renew old ties, greet new friends. And of
If, in all this talk about change, Congress
ng new. I believe that
course, I want to thank Cleveland Jordan for
sends me legislation to dismantle the VA sys-
world, we are poised
the introduction. He said he persuaded me
tem, I will whip out my veto pen and knock
herica, to make Amer-
to come. This man's tough; you get the arm
down that incoming Scud missile, that Scud
must keep something
up behind the back, twist the elbow here,
missile aimed right at your very well-being.
W that our moral val-
and here I am. And I am very, very pleased.
If you ask how many VA hospitals I'll close,
nd the globe, we can-
Sorry that I missed the other one, but de-
I'll say not three, not two, not one. If anyone
andon them at home.
lighted to be at your side and congratulate
again suggests taxing your benefits, I'll say
gether to see coura-
you on your service to this wonderful national
what I have said before: Don't take it from
in Russia only to be
organization.
our veterans.
We did not sacrifice
Butch Joeckel greeted me earlier, the na-
Now, I know you're concerned about hav-
sibility could triumph
tional adjutant; Jesse Brown, the national ex-
ing your voice heard as the Washington bu-
only to become passé
ecutive director of the DAV. And of course,
reaucracy debates your health care future. So
1.
I want to single out and salute a man who's
just yesterday I created a special panel there
to some basic Amer
helped me enormously, Ed Derwinski, our
in the White House to guarantee your leader-
ng to defend the prin-
Secretary of Veterans Affairs. And may I also
ship's involvement. We will listen, and we
tand so firm. We will
mention Robin Higgins. Cleve most appro-
will act to stand by those who stood up for
at's good in America.
priately mentioned Colonel Higgins, and I
America.
:S on the potential in
want to salute her here. And thanks to all
I am very proud of the progress that we've
of all, in our young
of you who represent America's disabled vet-
made together. Your leadership has sen-
Ve'll keep a reliable
erans, their families, their survivors; they're
sitized all of us, brought the problems to us,
ship of state in finest
fully 1.4 million strong.
worked cooperatively when there were dif-
S Nation has so many
I was just asking Joe about the vintage of
ficulties. I can't tell you how much coopera-
Bail on to shining new
some of you all. And I must say, looking out
tion we've had. But they've never held back,
at the audience, and I don't want to put ev-
saying we must do this, we must do that.
od bless you and our
erybody in this category, a lot come out of
They've been strong leaders.
Inited States of Amer-
the same war that I was in. And I don't want
We have created specialized centers. We
ch.
to say that you're old guys or women, but
funded new outpatient clinics and moved
nevertheless-[laughter]-you kind of make
more resources into VA medical care, too.
ooke at 11:04 a.m. at
me feel at home here. So I'll leave it there.
I also am proud of how we have built on
Hotel. In his remarks,
But I also want to bring you best wishes
these beginnings. Two years ago we passed
C. Dechant, Supreme
from a great friend and fan of yours named
the Americans with Disabilities Act. That is
umbus; John Cardinal
Barbara. She and I were talking about cool-
the most sweeping civil rights legislation
of New York; William
ness under fire. I told her, the more I'm criti-
since the sixties. And it will help the disabled
nony of the Holy See;
cized, the more I turn it into humor. You
enter the mainstream, and it's just about time
gnon, president, Pon-
know her; she said, "The rate you're going,
that this country did that.
International Eucha-
you'll soon be funnier than Johnny Carson."
Three years ago, as Cleve mentioned, I was
nas Daily, Bishop of
[Laughter]
on my way to address this convention, your
Agostino Cacciavillan,
Last September, I was very honored to be
convention. You know what changed my
Teresa of Calcutta,
with many here, but honored to attend your
plans. It concerned a husband, a father, an
of the Missionaries of
salute to the Persian Gulf veterans. Today,
American hero. And again, with us today is
Cardinal Bevilacqua,
I'm proud to salute the American veteran.
the wife of Colonel Rich Higgins, Major
1386
Aug. 5 / Administration of George Bush, 1992
Robin Higgins. On behalf of every American,
in America, every child in America is grateful
let me just once again tell you I admire your
for.
courage from the bottom of my heart. We
Let me make another point about that
all do. We' very, very grateful to you.
Our victory in the cold war means that our
Two years ago this week, I made a decision
defenses can be smaller. And so earlier this
that I think every Commander in Chief,
year, based on the recommendations, and I
every President, dreads having to make: to
emphasize this point, based on the rec-
send our men and women in the Armed
ommendations of Secretary Cheney and our
Forces into harm's way. This one was at the
distinguished Chairman of the Joint Chiefs,
beginning of Operation Desert Shield. No
Colin Powell, I made some responsible cuts.
President, no father, no parent makes that
I responsibly cut our long-range defense
decision lightly. But I acted because America
budget. But we cannot lose sight of the fact
must stand for freedom, and we must stand
that for all the great gains that we have made
by those who preserve it.
for freedom, for all the peace of mind that
I don't want to start telling war stories here
we have secured for our children, the world
because then I'd have to listen to you guys.
remains a dangerous place.
[Laughter] And I don't have time. But let
The Soviet bear may be extinct, but there
me tell you this: From my own experience,
are still plenty of wolves in the world, rene-
I learned firsthand what it means to know
gade rulers, terrorists, outlaw regimes, Bagh-
that America will never abandon its fighting
dad bullies. And as long as I am President
men, whatever their fate. My family never
I will not allow a madman to get a finger
had to face the agony of a phone call in the
on the nuclear trigger. We will stay strong
night or a knock on the door. Let me say
as the United States.
to the families waiting still for their loved
You know, today some have forgotten
ones: We will not forget you.
every hard-won lesson of this American cen
I am pleased that the League of Families
tury. I know you haven't. So some propos
just last week strongly supported our admin-
to cut our national defense, to cut $60 billion
istration's efforts and commended my admin-
in defense beyond what our military experts
istration's programs. But though dramatic
deem responsible for the national security of
progress has been made, all are not ac-
this country.
counted for. I will fight to make sure that
Well, let me answer them: Yes, I know this
America stands with you, the veterans, until
is a political year. But the defense budget
the fate of every POW and MIA is known.
is more than a piggy bank for people who
Over the last 3½ years, America's heroes
want to get busy beating swords into pork
have helped a wall crumble in Berlin; from
barrels, and we are not going to have that.
Kuwait to Panama, helped free those once
I owe it to you, the veterans of this country,
enslaved. Our soldiers were not wounded in
to be able to certify to you that we are keep-
vain. You helped end the cold war. Those
ing our national security at proper levels.
who served at whatever time in recent history
I know this fundamental truism, that to
helped end the cold war. And America won
keep America safe, we have to keep America
the cold war.
strong. That's why when the other side says
Having won, we worked with the republics
"Let's ravage the Strategic Defense Initia-
of the former Soviet Union to reduce strate-
tive," I say, "Remember the lesson of Desert
gic nuclear arms. But President Yeltsin and
Storm." We will not leave the world defense-
I have agreed to go even further. You may
less against nuclear attacks. We will push for-
remember my meeting with him a couple of
ward with SDI.
months ago. We agreed to eliminate the most
Think for a moment about what a strong
destabilizing of all those terrible
America has helped achieve. Think about th
multiwarheaded ICBM's, those great big-
worries we once faced and the world we fac
in their case, those SS-18's that have cast
today: not a Europe in flames, not a world
fear into the hearts of everybody. By that
at war, touched off by the death throes of
agreement we have reduced the threat of nu-
the Soviet empire, but a world at peace, a
clear war. This is something that every family
new birth of freedom; not a Latin America
n of George Bush, 1992
Administration of George Bush, 1992 / Aug. 5
1387
1 in America is grateful
consumed by revolution and resentment that
do. First we must do all we can to bolster
ther point about that
as plagued that area for so long but a hemi-
the process of democracy, especially where
Id war means that our
sphere moving toward free trade and free
democratic friends have replaced totalitarian
ler. And so earlier this
government; not a Middle East dominated
enemies in Eastern Europe and in the
-commendations, and I
by a dictator but a region where ancient en-
former Soviet Union. I hope you will stand
t, based on the rec-
emies at long last are talking peace, sitting
with me and urge Congress to act imme-
retary Cheney and our
across from each other at the peace table,
diately to approve this "FREEDOM Support
an of the Joint Chiefs,
something that people thought was impos-
Act," to lend a helping hand to the former
some responsible cuts.
sible to bring about. Our policies and your
Soviet Union, take out an insurance policy
11 long-range defense
backing help make all of this possible.
on democracy. After World War I, we ig-
ot lose sight of the fact
So when the Sunday strategists say that
nored the summons for help, and we paid
ains that we have made
I've spent too much time on foreign policy,
dearly. We paid dearly for that. After World
the peace of mind that
let me just put it this way: I will never apolo-
War II, we lent a helping hand, and our lives
our children, the world
gize for a single minute spent keeping Amer-
are richer for it. So let us not ignore the les-
place.
ica strong, safe, and free.
son of history. Let us act now to support free-
ay be extinct, but there
Well, where do we go next? Well, I think
dom and free enterprise.
.ves in the world, rene-
about our challenges. When I do that I'm
Our second challenge is not to turn our
outlaw regimes, Bagh-
reminded of a football story, a football story,
back on the world economy. Seventy percent
ong as I am President
a story about a freshman football player
of our economic growth the last 4 years has
adman to get a finger
thrust into a close game, the close of a tie
come from exports; 7.2 million American jobs
er. We will stay strong
game, late there in the fourth quarter, with
are tied to trade. I will work to open foreign
the ball on his own team's one-yard line. And
markets, to strengthen our schools so that we
some have forgotten
the coach grabbed the quarterback and he
can compete, because what is true today will
n of this American cen
said, "Don't take any chances. Just fall on
be true tomorrow: Give an American worker
ven't. So some propos
the ball three times and then punt." Well,
the chance, and he will beat the pants off
fense, to cut $60 billion
on the first snap, a huge hole opened up in
of the competition.
hat our military experts
the line and the quarterback scrambled all
Over the past 3½ years, America has
the national security of
the way to the 50. The next snap, another
changed the world, just as we're now ready
huge hole, and down to the 25 he went. On
to change America, building the kind of Na-
r them: Yes, I know this
the third play, the quarterback ran through
tion here many of you fought so valiantly for
an opening wider then the River Nile and
abroad.
ut the defense budget
/ bank for people who
fell just one yard short of a touchdown. The
Think of what you fought for, an America
ating swords into pork
crowd was going crazy, screaming for victory,
of better jobs and better schools and safer
not going to have that.
and the freshman took the fourth snap,
neighborhoods and equality for all, a land
veterans of this country,
stepped back, calmly punted the ball com-
where our kids and grandkids would live in
to you that we are keep-
pletely out of the stadium. [Laughter] And
prosperity and peace. Think of what we can
rity at proper levels.
on the sideline the coach was tearing his hair
now achieve, an America which eclipses even
amental truism, that to
out. He ran onto the field screaming. "What
its greatest triumphs. But I need your help.
ve have to keep America
could you possibly be thinking?" And the
Landing here in Reno this afternoon, and
then the other side says
freshman replied, "I was just thinking, you
being greeted by our very able Lieutenant
must be the dumbest coach in the entire
trategic Defense Initia-
Governor Sue Wagner, who's here with us
ber the lesson of Desert
world." [Laughter]
right now, I had an incredible treat. I was
leave the world defense-
As the coach of the American foreign pol-
met by a Nevadan, a guy from Carson City
ttacks. We will push for-
icy, or foreign policy coach, it would be the
named J.C. Crume, who has joined me here
height of stupidity for me to suggest that we
at the convention today. I think he's here;
ent about what a strong
just ignore our foreign commitments, as
he was trying to get on in. I met him-this
achieve. Think about the
Merome suggest now. And by the way, I'm
is a little history-50 years ago, 1942. I was
d and the world we fac
empted to say that now the world playing
18 years old. He was my first flight instructor
in flames, not a world
field is so competitive, I'm not sure we
at the naval air station there in Minneapolis,
by the death throes of
should trust to a team a rookie quarterback.
Minnesota. He took a scared 18-year-old kid
out a world at peace, a
But that's something else again. [Laughter]
and put me behind the stick of a Navy plane.
m; not a Latin America
Now, my point is, we can't punt out for-
And J.C.'s hair looked a little gray, but he
eign concerns. We have important work to
told me that it wasn't age. It's the lingering
1388
Aug. 5 / Administration of George Bush, 1992
effects of the terror he felt 50 years ago with
A tape was not available for verification of
this young kid sitting in the back seat.
the content of these remarks.
[Laughter] And very frank and honest guy
that he is.
But more seriously, I did learn something
from him and from my other soul mates and
Remarks to the American Legislative
comrades in arms in the Navy. I learned
Exchange Council in Colorado
about teamwork, and I learned about the im-
Springs, Colorado
portance of sticking together from Mr.
August 6, 1992
Crume and all the other guys in the Navy.
I learned to depend on my wingman for
Thank you for that wonderfully warm
friendship, for support, and even for survival.
ALEC welcome. And Fred Noye, thank you
As you may know, some of you may know
for that generous introduction. I want to
this history, but after I left basic training,
thank the official host, the Mayor, Mayor
J.C.'s great instruction, I was assigned to the
Isaac, for his hospitality; recognize Sam
Pacific. One day, my plane was shot down,
Brunelli, of course, an old friend with us here
TBF flying over the island of Chi Chi Jima,
who feels very comfortable here; Holly
just off the island, and parachuted into the
Coors, so well-known; and ALEC; my dear
water. When I was swimming in the middle
friend and respected leader of faith, Jim
Dobson here. Let me just say, Fred, you have
of the Pacific, one of my wingmen pointed
done a wonderful job as chairman. I'm not
me to a liferaft that had fallen from the plane,
while another wingman then helped keep the
pronouncing you dead yet; you have a few
more months. But you've done a great chair-
enemy at bay. They put boats out from this
man job. And I know that your shoes will
island of Chi Chi Jima.
be ably filled by Bill Raggio, over here, from
After the Navy, I didn't wear my uniform
the State of Nevada.
every day, but believe me, friends have been
Bill flew in with us last night from Reno
part of every good fortune in my life, every
on Air Force One. And all the White House
good fortune. Now I'm about to embark on
stationery and matchboxes from the plane
another political battle, and I know this is
are missing. [Laughter] But he swears there's
a nonpolitical convention, but I would be re-
no correlation whatsoever. [Laughter] But I
miss if I did not express my thanks to those
was so honored that he came all the way up
who have helped here and to those, regard-
from the convention, took the puddle-jump-
less of party, who have done so much to
ers all the way, to just represent ALEC on
strengthen, whatever our politics, strengthen
the ride down, fill me in on what a fantastic
support for the American veteran.
convention is underway right here in Colo-
And I am saying, some things transcend
rado Springs.
politics. And I'm just saying to all of you,
Twenty years ago, when ALEC started, I
let's stay together. Let's stay together. Let's
see it that you were a lone voice in the con-
not the wingman peel off as we fight for the
servative wilderness. Now you gather in these
proper recognition of and support for the
marvelous Colorado mountains at a time
American veteran.
when the endangered species list is topped
Thank you all very, very much. And may
by that creature rarely spotted outside of the
God bless the United States of America.
202 area code; I'm talking, of course, about
the unabashed, unreconstructed liberal.
Note: The President spoke at 5:02 p.m. in
[Laughter]
the Goldwyn Ballroom at the Reno Hilton
But your energy and your ideas and your
Hotel. In his remarks, he referred to Cleve-
enthusiasm helped lead the ideological trans
land Jordan, national commander, DAV; Jo-
formation of America. So it's an honor to be
seph C. Zengerle, national senior vice com-
standing here as your guest, invited to speak
mander, DAV; and Maj. Robin Higgins,
to you today. I understand that, I think the
whose husband, Col. William R. Higgins, was
figure is no fewer than six members of my
killed while held hostage in Beirut, Lebanon.
Cabinet will speak here. I'm especially de-
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
August 4, 1992
MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT
THROUGH:
STEVE PROVOST
FROM:
CURT SMITH
SUBJECT:
PROPOSED REMARKS FOR DISABLED VETERANS
I. SUMMARY
On Wednesday, August 5, at 3:00 p.m., you will address
approximately 2,800 people at the Disabled American Veterans
Convention in Reno, Nevada.
II. DISCUSSION
Your remarks (approximately 15 minutes / teleprompter),
stress the importance of a strong defense and salute American
veterans for their service and sacrifice. You also commend
Marine Major Robin Higgins, wife of slain hostage Rich Higgins.
She is currently trying to change her plans to stay for your
speech, and your tribute to her is bracketed in your remarks.
(Smith/Walters)
August 4, 1992
RENO
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS:
DISABLED VETERANS
RENO, NEVADA
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5, 1992
3:00 P.M.
It is a pleasure to renew old ties -- and greet new friends.
I want to thank Cleve Jordan for that introduction. Thanks to
all of you who represent America's disabled veterans, their
families, and survivors -- fully 2.2 million strong. /
((Before I came here, one of my grandkids asked how much
bravery I needed to fight in the war. / I said: "Almost as much
bravery as it takes for a Navy man to address an audience of
people from the Army, the Air Force, and the Marines. ")) //
In that sense, I bring you best wishes from my best friend.
( (Barbara and I were talking about coolness under fire. I said
the more I'm criticized, the more I turn it into humor. She
said, "At this rate, you'll soon be funnier than Jay Leno. ) //
Last September, Barbara and I were honored to attend your
Salute to the Persian Gulf Veterans. Today, I'm proud to salute
the American Veteran. / The American Vet deserves safe streets /
a sound economy / a world at peace. / You also believe -- and I
agree: America should serve those who also served their country.
That is why my Administration has never wavered: We must,
and will, ensure veterans' access to quality health care. / Two
years ago, we unveiled a National Commission to outline the
future structure of VA medical facilities. //
2
Today, I can tell you: Not one VA hospital has been closed
because of this review or lack of money. / What's more, we have
created specialized centers, funded new outpatient clinics, and
boosted our VA medical care budget by a billion dollars per year.
I am proud, too, of how we have built on these beginnings. /
Two years ago we passed the Americans With Disabilities Act --
the most sweeping civil rights legislation since the 1960s. //
It will help the disabled enter the mainstream -- and it's about
time. //
Next, I have rejected taxation of veterans' disability
compensation -- and I will continue to. No veteran should have
to pay twice -- once in battle, and once in peace. / Finally,
yesterday I created a White House panel to address the future of
the VA health care system -- and how overall health care reform
will affect VA health care. //
Our goal is to ensure veterans the world's best medical
care. One way we will reach it is to have disabled vets play a
key role on our panel. / By putting veterans first -- we will
keep America first. I will continue to fight for those who've
fought from Verdun to Viet Nam and from Korea to Kuwait City. //
[[Three years ago I was on my way to address your
convention. You know what changed my plans. / It concerned a
husband, a father, an American hero. With us today is the wife
of Colonel Rich Higgins. Major Robin Higgins, on behalf of every
American, I admire your courage from the bottom of my heart. ]] /
3
Two years ago this week, I made a decision every President
dreads -- to send our men and women in the Armed Forces into
harm's way at the beginning of Operation Desert Storm. No
President, no parent, makes that decision likely. //
I acted because America must stand for freedom -- and thus,
by those who preserve it: Her veterans. America must stand with
anyone who wore the uniform. /
All of us have our stories. Mine came fifty years ago --
when I was a scared kid, alone in a raft, paddling against the
current to keep from washing ashore on an empty island. I
remember -- when I wasn't wondering if anyone would find me at
all -- worrying about who might find me first. 11
I was fortunate. I know that. /
I learned first-hand in war what it means to know that
America will never abandon its fighting men, whatever their fate.
/ My family never had to face the agony of a phone call in the
night or a knock on the door. Let me say to the families waiting
still for their loved ones: America will stand with you -- until
every hero has come home. //
Over the last 3 and 1/2 years, America's heroes have helped
a wall crumble in Berlin. From Kuwait to Panama, helped free
those once enslaved. Helped Communism become a four-letter word:
D-E-A-D. Let me put it plain: You were not wounded in vain.
You helped end the Cold War -- and America won. //
Having won, we agreed with the republics of the former
Soviet Union to the first verifiable reduction in strategic
4
nuclear arms. Next year, President Yeltsin and I have agreed to
go even further. In 1989, the enemy blinked. In 1991, it fell.
The great victory we won based on strength we will not lose
because of weakness. / It is a cause for which you took up arms
-- and bore our burden -- in the Argonne / in Midway / Da Nang /
the Persian Gulf. A cause I describe as real peace -- the
triumph of freedom -- not merely the absence of war.
Yes, our victory in the Cold War means that our defenses can
be smaller. So earlier this year I cut our-long range defense
budget prudently -- sensibly. / But we can't lose sight of the
fact that for all the great gains we've made for freedom -- for
all the peace of mind we've secured for our children -- the world
remains a dangerous place. //
The Soviet bear may be extinct -- but there are still plenty
of wolves in the world. Renegade rulers / outlaw regimes /
Baghdad bullies. Madmen we can't allow to get a finger on the
nuclear trigger. /
You have my word: This President will never allow a lone
wolf to endanger American security. //
I will never forget those who fought in the swamps and
deserts / those who lie in Arlington / those who endured the
wounds of war so that liberty might live. / Nor will I forget
how real peace stems not from a care-free bus ride in the warmth
of the summer sun -- but from soul-searching walks in the shade
of peril. //
5
Today, some have forgotten every hard-won lesson of this
American Century. So they propose to gut our national defense -
- to cut $60 billion in defense beyond what we deem responsible.
Well, let me answer them: The defense budget is more than a
piggy bank for people who want to get busy beating swords into
pork barrels. / I know that to keep America safe -- we have to
keep America strong. //
That is why when the other side says: We're better off
without defense -- so let's ravage the Strategic Defense
Initiative / I say: Remember the lessons of Desert Storm. //
When the Scuds came raining down, thank God we didn't have
to rely on some abstract theory of deterrence. Thank God we had
the technology to shoot those Scuds out of the sky. /
We will not leave America defenseless against nuclear
attack. We will push forward with SDI. //
The people trying to kill SDI remind me of the definition of
a cynic: "The man who knows the price of everything and the
value of nothing.' They don't understand -- never will -- that
when it comes to national defense, finishing second means
finishing last. //
Think for a moment about what a strong America has helped
achieve. Think about the worries we once faced -- and the world
we see today: Not a Europe in flames, or a world at war, touched
off by the death throes of the Soviet Empire -- but a world at
peace, a new birth of freedom. / Not a Latin America consumed by
revolution and resentment -- but a hemisphere moving toward free
6
trade and free government. / Not a Middle East dominated by a
dictator -- but a region where ancient enemies at long last are
talking peace. / Our policies helped make all of this possible.
So when the Sunday strategists say I've spent too much time
on foreign policy, I say: I will never apologize for a single
minute spent keeping America safe, strong, and free. //
You see, I don't believe foreign policy is a footnote
a loose end we wrap up, and then safely forget. // That's why we
need a President who's earned the trust of America's allies. /
It's why we need a President who knows what I learned in World
War II -- and what Saddam Hussein learned last year: America
stands for the rule of law against the law of the jungle. /
For more than 200 years, America's veterans have engraved
these principles on America's soul. / Our task is now to meet
two key foreign policy challenges in the years ahead. //
First, we must do all we can to bolster the process of
democratization -- especially where democratic friends have
replaced totalitarian enemies in Eastern Europe and the former
Soviet Union. / We must also continue to help our alliances, the
United Nations, and other international organizations deal with
the prospect of conflicts made more dangerous by weapons of mass
destruction. / Above all, we must understand what would truly
threaten our economic recovery. Not too much attention to
foreign policy. Instead, too little attention to foreign policy
would encourage the very threats you put your lives on the line
7
to defeat. As your President -- as your Commander in Chief --
this I will not do. //
Our second challenge is to bolster the process of free
market reform and especially the continued liberalization of
world trade. One thing is certain: The United States cannot
turn its back on the world economy. / Seventy percent of our
economic growth since 1988 has come from exports. That's 7.2
million American jobs tied to trade. More than ever, we depend
on a stable, prosperous and growing world economy. Either we
strive to open up markets and do whatever it takes here at home -
- either we take the steps we must to improve education,
technology, job training, and productivity -- or we will watch
trade barriers go up everywhere and suffer the consequences. /
Remember: In the 1930s, protectionism was the companion to
Depression -- and the prelude to war. So I say: Let's welcome
the competition -- and trust that our ingenuity will make us
great in the future as it has in the past. //
Over the past 3 and a half years, America has changed the
world -- just as we're now ready to change America. Building the
kind of Nation here you fought so valiantly for abroad. //
Think of what you fought for: An America of better jobs /
better schools / safer neighborhoods / and equality for all. A
land where our kids and grandkids would live in prosperity and
peace. // Think of what we can now achieve: An America which
eclipses even its greatest triumphs. But only with a military
that is truly Number One. //
8
Eight months ago, I stood aboard the USS Arizona in the
quiet of Pearl Harbor, and thought of the Navy Hymn that salutes
freedom's liegemen. You know the words: "Eternal Father, strong
to save / O hear us when we cry to thee / For those in peril on
the sea. " /
I know what veterans have fought for -- died for. I know
the price you yourselves have paid. To weaken our defenses in an
unpredictable world today is to smear your sacrifice in the war-
torn world of yesterday. / I haven't done that -- never will.
You deserve a President who knows that giving peace a chance
doesn't mean taking a chance with peace.
Those who mock a strong defense are as obsolete as Communism
/ as passe as appeasement / as foolish as the slogan, "Make love,
not war. " / Bumper stickers won't defeat bayonets / won't reduce
nuclear weapons / won't remake America / won't send tyranny to
its grave. / What will is patience, planning, and personal
diplomacy -- aided by the greatest people in the history of man.
This "last best hope on earth." We Americans. //
Fellow veterans, thank you for your support, and may God
bless this wondrous land we all fought to preserve -- the United
States of America.
# # # #
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
August 4, 1992
MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT
THROUGH:
STEVE PROVOST
FROM:
CURT SMITH
SUBJECT:
PROPOSED REMARKS FOR DISABLED VETERANS
I. SUMMARY
On Wednesday, August 5, at 3:00 p.m., you will address
approximately 2,800 people at the Disabled American Veterans
Convention in Reno, Nevada.
II. DISCUSSION
Your remarks (approximately 15 minutes / teleprompter),
stress the importance of a strong defense and salute American
veterans for their service and sacrifice. You also commend
Marine Major Robin Higgins, wife of slain hostage Rich Higgins.
She is currently trying to change her plans to stay for your
speech, and your tribute to her is bracketed in your remarks.
(Smith/Walters)
August 4, 1992
RENO
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS:
DISABLED VETERANS
RENO, NEVADA
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5, 1992
3:00 P.M.
It is a pleasure to renew old ties -- and greet new friends.
I want to thank Cleve Jordan for that introduction. Thanks to
all of you who represent America's disabled veterans, their
families, and survivors -- fully 2.2 million strong. /
( (Before I came here, one of my grandkids asked how much
bravery I needed to fight in the war. / I said: "Almost as much
bravery as it takes for a Navy man to address an audience of
people from the Army, the Air Force, and the Marines. ")) //
In that sense, I bring you best wishes from my best friend.
((Barbara and I were talking about coolness under fire. I said
the more I'm criticized, the more I turn it into humor. She
said, "At this rate, you'll soon be funnier than Jay Leno. ) //
Last September, Barbara and I were honored to attend your
Salute to the Persian Gulf Veterans. Today, I'm proud to salute
the American Veteran. / The American Vet deserves safe streets /
a sound economy / a world at peace. / You also believe -- and I
agree: America should serve those who also served their country.
That is why my Administration has never wavered: We must,
and will, ensure veterans' access to quality health care. / Two
years ago, we unveiled a National Commission to outline the
future structure of VA medical facilities. //
2
Today, I can tell you: Not one VA hospital has been closed
because of this review or lack of money. / What's more, we have
created specialized centers, funded new outpatient clinics, and
boosted our VA medical care budget by a billion dollars per year.
I am proud, too, of how we have built on these beginnings. /
Two years ago we passed the Americans With Disabilities Act --
the most sweeping civil rights legislation since the 1960s. //
It will help the disabled enter the mainstream -- and it's about
time. //
Next, I have rejected taxation of veterans' disability
compensation -- and I will continue to. No veteran should have
to pay twice -- once in battle, and once in peace. / Finally,
yesterday I created a White House panel to address the future of
the VA health care system -- and how overall health care reform
will affect VA health care. //
Our goal is to ensure veterans the world's best medical
care. One way we will reach it is to have disabled vets play a
key role on our panel. / By putting veterans first -- we will
keep America first. I will continue to fight for those who've
fought from Verdun to Viet Nam and from Korea to Kuwait City. //
[ [Three years ago I was on my way to address your
convention. You know what changed my plans. / It concerned a
husband, a father, an American hero. With us today is the wife
of Colonel Rich Higgins. Major Robin Higgins, on behalf of every
American, I admire your courage from the bottom of my heart. ]] /
3
Two years ago this week, I made a decision every President
dreads -- to send our men and women in the Armed Forces into
harm's way at the beginning of Operation Desert Storm. No
President, no parent, makes that decision likely. //
I acted because America must stand for freedom -- and thus,
by those who preserve it: Her veterans. America must stand with
anyone who wore the uniform. /
All of us have our stories. Mine came fifty years ago --
when I was a scared kid, alone in a raft, paddling against the
current to keep from washing ashore on an empty island. I
remember -- when I wasn't wondering if anyone would find me at
all -- worrying about who might find me first. //
I was fortunate. I know that. /
I learned first-hand in war what it means to know that
America will never abandon its fighting men, whatever their fate.
/ My family never had to face the agony of a phone call in the
night or a knock on the door. Let me say to the families waiting
still for their loved ones: America will stand with you -- until
every hero has come home. 11
Over the last 3 and 1/2 years, America's heroes have helped
a wall crumble in Berlin. From Kuwait to Panama, helped free
those once enslaved. Helped Communism become a four-letter word:
D-E-A-D. Let me put it plain: You were not wounded in vain.
You helped end the Cold War -- and America won. //
Having won, we agreed with the republics of the former
Soviet Union to the first verifiable reduction in strategic
4
nuclear arms. Next year, President Yeltsin and I have agreed to
go even further. In 1989, the enemy blinked. In 1991, it fell.
The great victory we won based on strength we will not lose
because of weakness. / It is a cause for which you took up arms
-- and bore our burden -- in the Argonne / in Midway / Da Nang /
the Persian Gulf. A cause I describe as real peace -- the
triumph of freedom -- not merely the absence of war.
Yes, our victory in the Cold War means that our defenses can
be smaller. So earlier this year I cut our-long range defense
budget prudently -- sensibly. / But we can't lose sight of the
fact that for all the great gains we've made for freedom -- for
all the peace of mind we've secured for our children -- the world
remains a dangerous place. //
The Soviet bear may be extinct -- but there are still plenty
of wolves in the world. Renegade rulers / outlaw regimes /
Baghdad bullies. Madmen we can't allow to get a finger on the
nuclear trigger. /
You have my word: This President will never allow a lone
wolf to endanger American security. //
I will never forget those who fought in the swamps and
deserts / those who lie in Arlington / those who endured the
wounds of war so that liberty might live. / Nor will I forget
how real peace stems not from a care-free bus ride in the warmth
of the summer sun -- but from soul-searching walks in the shade
of peril. //
5
Today, some have forgotten every hard-won lesson of this
American Century. So they propose to gut our national defense -
- to cut $60 billion in defense beyond what we deem responsible.
Well, let me answer them: The defense budget is more than a
piggy bank for people who want to get busy beating swords into
pork barrels. / I know that to keep America safe -- we have to
keep America strong. 11
That is why when the other side says: We're better off
without defense -- so let's ravage the Strategic Defense
Initiative / I say: Remember the lessons of Desert Storm. //
When the Scuds came raining down, thank God we didn't have
to rely on some abstract theory of deterrence. Thank God we had
the technology to shoot those Scuds out of the sky. /
We will not leave America defenseless against nuclear
attack. We will push forward with SDI. //
The people trying to kill SDI remind me of the definition of
a cynic: "The man who knows the price of everything and the
value of nothing." They don't understand -- never will -- that
when it comes to national defense, finishing second means
finishing last. 11
Think for a moment about what a strong America has helped
achieve. Think about the worries we once faced -- and the world
we see today: Not a Europe in flames, or a world at war, touched
off by the death throes of the Soviet Empire -- but a world at
peace, a new birth of freedom. / Not a Latin America consumed by
revolution and resentment -- but a hemisphere moving toward free
6
trade and free government. / Not a Middle East dominated by a
dictator -- but a region where ancient enemies at long last are
talking peace. / Our policies helped make all of this possible.
So when the Sunday strategists say I've spent too much time
on foreign policy, I say: I will never apologize for a single
minute spent keeping America safe, strong, and free. //
You see, I don't believe foreign policy is a footnote
a loose end we wrap up, and then safely forget. 11 That's why we
need a President who's earned the trust of America's allies. /
It's why we need a President who knows what I learned in World
War II -- and what Saddam Hussein learned last year: America
stands for the rule of law against the law of the jungle. /
For more than 200 years, America's veterans have engraved
these principles on America's soul. / Our task is now to meet
two key foreign policy challenges in the years ahead. 11
First, we must do all we can to bolster the process of
democratization -- especially where democratic friends have
replaced totalitarian enemies in Eastern Europe and the former
Soviet Union. / We must also continue to help our alliances, the
United Nations, and other international organizations deal with
the prospect of conflicts made more dangerous by weapons of mass
destruction. / Above all, we must understand what would truly
threaten our economic recovery. Not too much attention to
foreign policy. Instead, too little attention to foreign policy
would encourage the very threats you put your lives on the line
7
to defeat. As your President -- as your Commander in Chief --
this I will not do. 11
Our second challenge is to bolster the process of free
market reform and especially the continued liberalization of
world trade. One thing is certain: The United States cannot
turn its back on the world economy. / Seventy percent of our
economic growth since 1988 has come from exports. That's 7.2
million American jobs tied to trade. More than ever, we depend
on a stable, prosperous and growing world economy. Either we
strive to open up markets and do whatever it takes here at home -
- either we take the steps we must to improve education,
technology, job training, and productivity -- or we will watch
trade barriers go up everywhere and suffer the consequences. /
Remember: In the 1930s, protectionism was the companion to
Depression -- and the prelude to war. So I say: Let's welcome
the competition -- and trust that our ingenuity will make us
great in the future as it has in the past. //
Over the past 3 and a half years, America has changed the
world -- just as we're now ready to change America. Building the
kind of Nation here you fought so valiantly for abroad. //
Think of what you fought for: An America of better jobs /
better schools / safer neighborhoods / and equality for all. A
land where our kids and grandkids would live in prosperity and
peace. // Think of what we can now achieve: An America which
eclipses even its greatest triumphs. But only with a military
that is truly Number One. //
8
Eight months ago, I stood aboard the USS Arizona in the
quiet of Pearl Harbor, and thought of the Navy Hymn that salutes
freedom's liegemen. You know the words: "Eternal Father, strong
to save / O hear us when we cry to thee / For those in peril on
the sea. " /
I know what veterans have fought for -- died for. I know
the price you yourselves have paid. To weaken our defenses in an
unpredictable world today is to smear your sacrifice in the war-
torn world of yesterday. / I haven't done that -- never will.
You deserve a President who knows that giving peace a chance
doesn't mean taking a chance with peace.
Those who mock a strong defense are as obsolete as Communism
/ as passe as appeasement / as foolish as the slogan, "Make love,
not war. " / Bumper stickers won't defeat bayonets / won't reduce
nuclear weapons / won't remake America / won't send tyranny to
its grave. / What will is patience, planning, and personal
diplomacy -- aided by the greatest people in the history of man.
This "last best hope on earth." We Americans. //
Fellow veterans, thank you for your support, and may God
bless this wondrous land we all fought to preserve -- the United
States of America.
# # #
Document No 342480
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE: August 3, 1992
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
10:00 A.M., TUES.,
AUGUST 4, 1992
SUBJECT: PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: DISABLED VETERANS RENO, NEVADA, WEDNESDAY,
AUGUST 5, 1992
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
HORNER
SKINNER
MCBRIDE
to Dan
DARMAN SCOWCROFT from Genera
X
MOORE
PETERSMEYER
BRADY
PORTER
BROMLEY
PROVOST
CALIO N/C
SMITH N/C
DEMAREST
YEUTTER
FITZWATER
FINDLAY
GRAY N/C
KAUFMAN
HOLIDAY N/C
McGROARTY
REMARKS:
Please provide comments on the attached directly to Dan McGroarty,
Room 122, x2930, with a copy to this office NO LATER THAN 10:00 A.M.,
TUESDAY, AUGUST 4, 1992. THANK YOU.
called at 9AM mc. called at 10AM.
RESPONSE:
PHILLIP D. BRADY
Assistant to the President
and Staff Secretary
Ext. 2702
(Smith/Walters)
August 3, 1992
2 AUG 3 pl: 48
RENO
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: DISABLED VETERANS
RENO, NEVADA
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5, 1992
3:00 P.M.
It is a pleasure to renew old ties -- and greet new friends.
I want to thank Cleveland Jordan for that introduction. Thanks
to all of you who represent America's disabled veterans, their
families, and survivors -- fully 2.2 million strong. /
( (Before I came here, one of my grandkids asked how much
bravery I needed to fight in the war. / I said: "Almost as much
bravery as it takes for a Navy man to address an audience of
people from the Army, the Air Force, and the Marines. ")) //
In that spirit, I bring you best wishes from my best friend.
((Barbara and I were talking about coolness under fire. I said
the more I'm criticized, the more I turn it into humor. She
said, "At this rate, you'll soon be funnier than Jay Leno. )
Last September, Barbara and I were honored to attend your
Salute to the Persian Gulf. Today, I'm proud to salute the
American Veteran. / The American Vet deserves safe streets / a
sound economy / a world at peace. / You also believe -- and I
agree: America should serve those who also served their country.
That is why my Administration has never wavered: We must,
and will, ensure veterans' access to quality health care. / Two
years ago, we unveiled a National Commission to outline the
future structure of VA medical facilities. I recall telling Ed
2
Derwinski: Our plan must not allow the closing of a single,
solitary medical center. //
Today, I can report to you: Not one VA hospital has been
closed because of review or lack of services. / What's more, we
have created specialized centers, funded new outpatient clinics,
and boosted our VA budget almost a billion dollars per year. By
putting veterans first -- we keep America first. I will continue
to fight for those who've fought from Verdun to Kuwait City. //
This year we hear a lot about change. And, sure, there are
things I'd like to change. Though maybe a better word is renewal
-- because no one knows better than the American veteran: The
changes we need must be based on principles that never change. //
Like you, my parents brought me up to understand that
mankind's fundamental moral standards were established by
Almighty God. / Our common law, our Constitution, and our Bill
of Rights are. firmly rooted in this tradition -- the Judeo-
Christian tradition. / Only recently have we seen the rise of
legal theories and practices that reject our tradition. It's a
deeply disturbing trend -- and it is diametrically opposed to my
idea of the kind of change that's good for our country. /
Last month on a stage 2,700 miles from here, there was
another convention -- very different from this one. Now, I
didn't hear any of those speeches. I was up in the mountains
fishing -- where the air was clear, not hot. / But I understand
one of the speakers, known for his florid language, called me
"the captain of the ship of state." He didn't mean it as a
3
compliment -- but believe me: As a Navy man surrounded by fellow
vets -- the term suits me just fine. //
Whoever is chosen to pilot the ship of state must have a
reliable moral compass. // ( (This leads me to a remarkable
woman. Three years ago, I was on my way to address your
convention. You know what changed my plans. / It concerned a
husband, a father, an American hero. With us today is the wife
of Colonel Rich Higgins. Major Robin Higgins, on behalf of every
American, I admire you from the bottom of my heart. )) //
Like all of you, Colonel Higgins knew that the things worth
living for were also worth dying for. / I mean things like duty
/ honor / fidelity to country. / These are the values for which
you took up arms -- and bore our burden -- in the Argonne / in
Midway / Da Nang / the Persian Gulf. // Any President must
uphold them -- for as I see it, my job is more than managing the
economy, or even serving as Commander in Chief. It is to also
serve as moral leader of the Nation. An America without personal
responsibility is not America at all. /
Eight months ago, I stood aboard the USS Arizona in the
quiet of Pearl Harbor, and thought of heroes who didn't just
believe in good versus evil -- they lived it. / They would be
appalled by how this year a mother abandoned her baby in the
restroom of a Connecticut mall -- and how some want legislation
to help return that baby to his mother. / Yet the breakdown in
responsibility runs the spectrum: It's also present among those
4
who flaunt their wealth -- and who flout the law. Crime isn't
clean just because the crook wears a white collar. //
Americans will make a choice this year about economic
growth, and about keeping America safe and strong. But the
choice is about more than that: It is about renewing moral
strength, as well. Principles don't change from one day to the
next. Principles aren't driven by polls. Principles endure. /
This year, one side offers real change to make America One Nation
under God. The other wrote a 10,000 word platform and never once
mentioned the one word which counts most: God. /
You can see the differences of philosophy reflected in our
policies. As a baseball umpire might put it, "You make the call."
Consider our system of welfare. In too many cases, it's
holding people down -- not lifting them up. The key to reform is
personal responsibility. Yet on the other side of the debate are
interests that want to protect bureaucracy and spending -- even
if it means saying no to unwed mothers who want to get married.
It's time the system said yes: Yes to people like Sandra
Rosato, who worked and saved money for college because she didn't
want to leave a legacy of welfare for her kids. / The system
said her family couldn't continue to get benefits while she saved
money for school. She saved $4,000. I call that amazing. The
welfare bureaucrats? They called it fraud. / Something is wrong
here. That's why I aim to shake up the top-down bureaucratic way
of welfare and let our states find new ways that reward people
like Sandra. Let's reward work and responsibility. /
5
Next, let's take education. / We know that renewing
education depends on giving parents real freedom and real
responsibility to choose their kids' schools. The other side
tries to posture on behalf of parents -- but I don't think
they're fooling anyone. / Remember how Henry Ford used to tell
his customers they could have any color Model T they wanted -- as
long as it was black. The other side says parents can choose any
school for their kids -- as long as it's run by the government.
My plan is different -- it's called the G.I. Bill for
Children. Like the original G.I. Bill, my new bill offers
scholarships or vouchers for students to take to any qualified
school -- private, public, or religious. My plan preserves
religious freedom. So can another issue where there's a Grand
Canyon of a divide. According to the Gallup Poll, America is the
most religious Nation on earth. Sadly, one side this year thinks
it's fine to give condoms in school but not to say a prayer. I
disagree. So I again call on Congress to pass a Constitutional
Amendment restoring voluntary prayer to the classroom. Let's
bring the Faith of our Fathers back to our schools. //
Whatever the issue, the choice is clear. Who do you trust
to change America -- to renew timeless values like personal
responsibility? Who do you trust: The side with the courage to
stand for what may not be popular -- but is right? or the side
which talks a good game -- mouths the right rhetoric about values
-- but whose record, and example, make a mockery of their words?
6
Nowhere is trust more important than in the area I call real
peace -- the triumph of democracy, not merely the absence of war.
// Ask those who served from the Sedan to Saigon. You know that
real peace stems not from a care-free bus ride in the warmth of
the summer sun -- but from soul-searching walks in the shade of
peril. / The Soviet bear may be dead -- but there are a lot of
wolves left around the world. //
That's why we need a President who knows what I learned in
World War -- and what Saddam Hussein learned last year: America
stands for the rule of law against the law of the jungle. /
Above all, it's why need a President who knows: If the best way
to ensure war is for America to be militarily weak -- the best
way to ensure peace is for America to be militarily strong.
This year one side says, almost unbelievably: America is
"ridiculed" around the world. / Our side says: Look at what
America has achieved over the last 3 and 1/2 years. / We helped
a wall crumble in Berlin. From Kuwait to Panama, helped free
those once enslaved. Helped Communism become a four-letter word:
D-E-A-D. Let me put it plain: You were not wounded in vain.
You helped end the Cold War -- and America won. / America has
changed the world -- just as we're now ready to change America.
Here's a story about how we'll change it. One hundred and
eighty-eight days after Pearl, I enlisted in the Navy. It was the
day I graduated from high school, and Henry Stimson, then
Secretary of War, gave the Commencement Speech. He spoke words
that describe the American character: About how the American
7
soldier -- and I quote -- should be "Brave without being brutal,
self-confident without boasting, being part of an irresistible
might without losing faith an individual liberty."
For more than 200 years, America's veterans have engraved
that passage on America's soul. / Our task is now to help the
military build on the beginnings of the past 3 and 1/2 years.
Yes, our armed forces will be smaller -- thanks to less threat in
Europe and less fear of war. Yet our defense capacity will be
even greater, and here's why: Our victory in the Cold War allows
us to reduce defense spending -- but our commitment to vigilance
means we will not reduce our resolve. //
Earlier this year I cut our long range defense budget
prudently, sensibly. Apparently, those words don't appear in the
other side's dictionary. It's as if they never heard of the
strategy -- "Peace through Strength" -- which has helped reshape
the entire world. The other side proposes fully $60 billion in
defense cuts beyond what we deem responsible. On the Hill, its
lackeys want to gut our ability to update the ABM Treaty / harm
troop readiness by stealing $7 billion from operation and
maintenance / and, yes, to ravage SDI.
Here is my answer: I'm going to keep America safe -- keep
America strong -- make sure the defense budget is more than a
piggy bank for people who want to get busy beating swords into
pork barrels. / When the other side says: We're better off
without defenses -- I say: Remember the lessons of Desert Storm.
// When the Scuds came raining down, thank God we didn't have to
8
rely on some abstract theory of deterrence. Thank God we had the
technology to shoot those Scuds out of the sky. / Those trying
to kill SDI remind me of the definition of a cynic: "The man who
knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. " / We
will push forward with SDI for the best of all reasons: When it
comes to national defense, finishing second means finishing last.
You see, I remember. I know what veterans have fought for.
I know the price you yourselves have paid. To weaken our
defenses in an unpredictable world today is to smear your
sacrifice in the war-torn world of yesterday. / I haven't done
that -- never will. You deserve a President who knows that
giving peace a chance doesn't mean taking a chance with peace.
Whatever the cost to me, I'm going to do what's right for
America. / Now that America's moral values -- liberty, honor,
personal responsibility -- are victorious around the globe -- why
in the world would we abandon them at home? //
We can not. As long as I am President, we will not. Let
the other side support values that are trendy and transitory.
I'm going to defend the values of those who fought in the swamps
and the deserts / those who lie in Arlington / those who endured
the wounds of war so that liberty might live. // Fellow
veterans, thank you for your support. Together, we'll keep a
sure compass. We'll put our ship of state in finest sailing
trim. We'll navigate our way to shining new horizons of renewal.
May God bless you all -- and the country we all fought to
preserve -- the United States of America.
UNCLASSIFIED
WHITE HOUSE
SITUATION ROOM
PRECEDENCE: IMMEDIATE
PRIORITY
RELEASER: Rights
ROUTINE
DTG: 30 20502
MESSAGE NO.
18
CLASSIFICATION UNCLASSIFIED
PAGES 7
FROM ED WALTERS
456-2930
122
(Name)
(Phone Number)
(Room No.)
MESSAGE DESCRIPTION
LOCATION Apt
DELIVER TO STEVE PROVOST
Los ANGELES
CARISTINA MARTIN
Rm 2787
x 33370
"
REMARKS:
UNCLASSIFIED
(Smith/Walters)
July 30, 1992
Draft Four
RENO
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: DISABLED VETERANS
RENO, NEVADA
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 4, 1992
[ [[ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS]]. Fellow veterans. Robin Higgins. It
is a pleasure to renew old ties -- and greet new friends. / I
want to thank Cleveland Jordan for that introduction. Thanks to
all of you who represent America's disabled veterans, their
families, and survivors -- fully 2.2 million strong. /
((Before I came here, one of my grandkids asked how much
bravery I needed to fight in the war. / I said: "Almost as much
bravery as it takes for a Navy man to address an audience of
people from the Army, the Air Force, and the Marines. ")) 11
In that sense, I'm glad my best friend is with me. / ( (Any
of our kids will tell you Barbara's the five-star general in our
family. Believe me, when she gives the orders, an entire
division clears out. )) 11
Last September, Barbara and I were honored to attend your
Salute to the Persian Gulf. Today, I'm proud to return the favor
-- and salute the American Veteran. / The American Vet is like
your neighbor: You want safe streets / good schools / a sound
economy / a world at peace. / You also believe -- and I agree:
America should serve those who also served their country. 11
That is why my Administration has never wavered: We must,
and will, ensure veterans' access to quality health care. / Two
years ago, we unveiled a National Commission to outline the
2
future structure of VA medical facilities. I recall as yesterday
what I told Ed Derwinski: Our plan must not allow the closing of
a single, solitary medical center. 11
Today, I can report to you: Not one VA hospital has been
closed because of review or lack of services. / What's more, we
have acted to create specialized centers from ambulatory to
community-based care. / our Administration has funded new
outpatient clinics. From FY 1991 to '93 our VA budget has risen
almost a billion dollars per year. / By putting veterans first
-- we keep America first. I will continue to fight for those
who've fought from Verdun to Kuwait City. 11
Vet or non-vet -- we have to make the world's best health
care system even better. / You know the story. Today, health
care costs too much. Just as bad, too many are excluded under
the present system -- million -- an army of uninsured
Americans. / we have to defeat this terrorism which leaves
people vulnerable, and alone. 11
Some of you may recall how Sam Rayburn, former Speaker of
the House, once said, "If a man has common sense, he has all the
sense there is." Today, we need to use common sense as an
arsenal of good. 11 Some claim: The answer to better health
care is a nationalized health system. My answer: Anyone who's
spent months trying to track down a missing VA check / or wasted
a day in line at the DVM / is going to think long and hard before
they let the government play doctor. 11
3
As long as I am President, we will not adopt the dead-end
system of socialized medicine. / Instead, I ask you to support
my health care plan to stabilize costs by reforming the system.
My plan will make health insurance more efficient, and tax
deductions --- not tax hikes -- to make health insurance more
affordable for low-to-middle income families. It will also
confront this fact: Today we have too many malpractice suits /
too many lawyers / too many hustlers looking to soak the system.
( (I don't want to get into trouble with the Bar Association -
-- Bar is one of my favorite names -- but I once quoted to someone
that Line, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." He said,
"What works for lawyers?") ) / We'd be better off if we spent
more time caring for each other and less time suing each other. /
So let's fight the terror of rising costs by reforming
malpractice / and passing my health care plan. 11
This brings me to another kind of terrorism. Terrorism
against the innocent -- against brave Americans abroad. // Three
years ago I was on my way to address your convention. You know
the event which changed my plans. / It was the death of a
husband / father / American hero. With us today is the wife of
Colonel William Higgins. Robin, on behalf of every American, I
salute you from the bottom of my heart. /
Fellow veterans, what Colonel Higgins died for -- we must
live for. The great victory he helped win based on strength --
we will not lose because of weakness. 11 It is a cause you took
up arms -- and bore our burden -- for in the Argonne / in Midway
4
/ Dan Nang / the Persian Gulf. / A cause I describe as real
peace the triumph of freedom, not merely the absence of war.
Eight months ago, I stood aboard the USS Arizona in the
quiet of Pearl Harbor, and thought of the Navy Hymn which salutes
freedom's leiegmen. You know the words: "Eternal Father, strong
to save / O hear us when we cry to thee / For those in peril on
the sea. " / It reminded me of that day -- almost fifty years ago
-- when I was a scared kid, alone in a raft, paddling against the
current to keep from washing ashore on an empty island. I
remember -- when I wasn't wondering if anyone would find me at
all -- worrying about who might find me first. 11
I was fortunate. I know that. And I learned first-hand
what it means to know that America will never abandon its
fighting men, whatever their fate. / I was on a three-man
bombing crew -- where I learned of teamwork. / I learned how
friendships in battle last. / Like you, I also learned about
a purpose larger than ourselves. / I remember spending a month
aboard the submarine Finback after being shot down -- and at
night standing watch on the tower and looking at the dark. The
sky was clear. The stars were brilliant -- like a blizzard of
fireflies. There was calm, inner peace -- God's therapy. //
How, given that, could I forget those who fought in the
swamps and deserts / those who lie in Arlington / those disabled
so that liberty might live? / I can't -- I won't. 11 Ask those
who served from the Sedan to Saigon. I can't forget that real
peace stems not from a care-free bus in the warmth of the summer
5
sun -- but from soul-searching walks in the shade of peril. / I
won't forget that while the Soviet bear is dead -- there are a
lot of wolves around the world. 11
That's why we need a President who's earned the trust of
America's allies. / It's why we need a President who knows what
I learned in World War -- and what Saddam Hussein learned last
year: No one Walks away from appeasing an aggressor. He only
crawls. / Above all, we need a President who knows: If the best
way to ensure war is for America to be militarily weak -- the
best way to ensure peace is for America to be militarily strong.
Over the last 3 and 1/2 years, America's defense has helped
a wall crumble in Berlin. / From Kuwait to Panama, helped free
those once enslaved. / Helped Communism become a four-letter
word: D-E-A-D. Helped end the Cold War -- and America won. 11
Having won, we agreed with the republics of the former Soviet
Union to the first verifiable reduction in strategic nuclear
arms. Next year, President Yeltsin and I have agreed to go even
further. / Look at the record. In 1989, the enemy blinked. In
1991, it fell. / America has changed the world -- just as we're
now poised to change America. 11
All this hasn't happened through smoke and mirrors. // It's
come from a military that is practical -- national defense that
works. / ((I'm reminded of how a writer was asked what he would
take if his house were on fire and he could remove only one
thing. His response? "I would take the fire. ")) By taking away
their fire -- we've seen that it's tyrants who've been burned.
6
One hundred and eighty-eight days after Pearl, I enlisted in
the Navy. / It was the day I graduated from high school, and
Henry stimson, then Secretary of War, gave the Commencement
Speech. He spoke words that describe every veteran: About how
the American soldier -- and I quote -- should be "Brave without
being brutal, self-confident without boasting, being part of an
irresistible might without losing faith an individual liberty."
For more than 200 years, America's veterans have engraved
that passage on America's soul. / Our task is now to help the
military build on the beginnings of the past 3 and 1/2 years.
Yes, our armed forces will be smaller -- thanks to less threat in
Europe and less fear of war. Yet let me tell you: Our defense
capacity will be even greater, and here's why: Our victory in
the Cold War allows us to reduce defense spending -- but our
commitment to vigilance means we will not reduce our resolve. //
I know some doubt the need for a strong American military.
Well, if tunnel-vision were an art form, they would be the
Michelangelo of our age. / These are the same people who haven't
supported any weapons since the slingshot and the pea-shooter.
They were wrong about Viet Nam / the Mayaquez / wrong about the
Shah of Iran, Afghanistan, and the Strategic Defense Initiative.
They were wrong about the freezniks and peaceniks / wrong about
Libya, Grenada, Panama, Kuwait. Now, to quote my predecessor,
"there they go again." They're wrong about national defense. 11
Earlier this year I cut our-long range defense budget
prudently -- sensibly. Apparently, those words don't appear in
7
the Gospel According to Congress. / So it wants to take $1
billion from defense spending and give it to defense bureaucracy.
It wants to slash this year's defense budget by $7 billion /
ravage SDI / gut our ability to update the ABM Treaty / and harm
troop readiness by stealing $7 billion from operation and
maintenance. All this reminds me of the definition of a cynic:
"The man who knows the price of everything and the value of
nothing.' Some people just don't understand: When it comes to
national defense, finishing second means finishing last. 11
Well, this President understands. Understands, and
remembers. I know what veterans have fought for -- what they
died for. I know the price you yourselves have paid. To weaken
our defenses in an unpredictable world today is to smear your
sacrifice in the war-torn world of yesterday. / I haven't done
that -- never will. You deserve a President who knows that
giving peace a chance doesn't mean taking a chance with peace.
Those who mock a strong defense are as obsolete as Communism
/ as passe as appeasement / as foolish as the slogan, "Make love,
not war.' Bumper stickers won't defeat bayonets / reduce nuclear
weapons / won't remake America / won't send terrorism to its
grave. what will is patience, planning, and personal diplomacy
-- aided by the greatest people in the history of man. This
"last best hope of earth." We Americans.
Fellow veterans, thank you for your support, and may God
bless this wondrous land -- the United States of America.
#
#
#
#
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
INsert for D.A.V.
CURT, RE THE GENERAL'S REQUEST TO ADD A POW/MIA INSERT FROM THE
POW-MIA SPEECH:
[Everyone has their story. ] I still remember the day --
almost fifty years ago now -when I was a scared kid, alone in a
raft, paddling against the current to keep from washing ashore on
an enemy island. I can remember -- when I wasn't wondering if
anyone would find me at all -- worrying about who might find me
first. //
I was fortunate. / I know that.
And I learned first-hand what it means that America will
never abandon its fighting men, whatever their fate. ///
Let me say to the families waiting still for their loved
ones: America will stand with you -- until every hero has come
home. //
- Dnicr
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
August 4, 1992
MEMORANDUM FOR DAN McGROARTY
FROM:
ROGER B. PORTER
RBP
SUBJECT:
Presidential Remarks: Disabled Veterans
We have reviewed the attached remarks and have noted a few
suggested changes on the draft.
Please let us know if you have any questions or if we may
help in any other way.
CC: Phillip D. Brady
10:2d to GUG 26
Document No. 342480
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
JUH
-HKW
tw
BA
DATE: August 3, 1992
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
10:00 A.M., TUES. ,
AUGUST 4, 1992
SUBJECT: PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: DISABLED VETERANS RENO, NEVADA, WEDNESDAY,
AUGUST 5, 1992
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
HORNER
SKINNER
MCBRIDE
SCOWCROFT
MOORE
DARMAN
PETERSMEYER
BRADY
PORTER
BROMLEY
PROVOST
CALIO
SMITH
DEMAREST
YEUTTER
FITZWATER
FINDLAY
GRAY
KAUFMAN
HOLIDAY
McGROARTY
REMARKS:
Please provide comments on the attached directly to Dan McGroarty,
Room 122, x2930, with a copy to this office NO LATER THAN 10:00 A.M.,
TUESDAY, AUGUST 4, 1992. THANK YOU.
RESPONSE:
PHILLIP D. BRADY
Assistant to the President
and Staff Secretary
Ext. 2702
(Smith/Walters)
August 3, 1992
2 NUG 3 pl: 48
RENO
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: DISABLED VETERANS
RENO, NEVADA
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5, 1992
3:00 P.M.
It is a pleasure to renew old ties -- and greet new friends.
I want to thank Cleveland Jordan for that introduction. Thanks
to all of you who represent America's disabled veterans, their
families, and survivors -- fully 2.2 million strong. /
( (Before I came here, one of my grandkids asked how much
bravery I needed to fight in the war. / I said: "Almost as much
bravery as it takes for a Navy man to address an audience of
people from the Army, the Air Force, and the Marines. ") ) //
In that spirit, I bring you best wishes from my best friend. my
WIFE
( (Barbara and I were talking about coolness under fire. I said BARBARA
the more I'm criticized, the more I turn it into humor. She
said, "At this rate, you'll soon be funnier than Jay Leno. ")
Last September, Barbara and I were honored to attend your
Salute to the Persian Gulf. Today, I'm proud to salute the
American Veteran. / The American Vet deserves safe streets / a
sound economy / a world at peace. / You also believe -- and I
agree: America should serve those who also served their country.
That is why my Administration has never wavered: We must,
and will, ensure veterans' access to quality health care. / Two
years ago, we unveiled a National Commission to outline the
FOLD
future structure of VA medical facilities. I recall telling Ed
2
Derwinski: Our plan must not allow the closing of a single
solitary medical center //
OUR VETERANS HOSPITALS REMAIN
Today, I can report to you: Not one VA hospital has been
AT full STRENTH
closed because of review or lack of services / What's more, we
have created specialized centers, funded new outpatient clinics,
HEALTH CARE
and boosted our VA budget almost a billion dollars per year. By
putting veterans first -- we keep America first. I will continue
to fight for those who've fought from Verdun to Kuwait City. //
This year we hear a lot about change. And, sure, there are
things I'd like to change. Though maybe a better word is renewal
-- because no one knows better than the American veteran: The
changes we need must be based on principles that never change. //
Like you, my parents brought me up to understand that
mankind's fundamental moral standards were established by
Almighty God. / Our common law, our Constitution, and our Bill
of Rights are firmly rooted in this tradition -- the Judeo-
Christian tradition. / Only recently have we seen the rise of
F
legal theories and practices that reject our tradition. It's a
deeply disturbing trend -- and it is diametrically opposed to my
idea of the kind of change that's good for our country. /
Last month on a stage 2,700 miles from here, there was
another convention -- very different from this one. Now, I
didn't hear any of those speeches. I was up in the mountains
fishing -- where the air was clear, not hot. / But I understand
one of the speakers, known for his florid language, called me
"the captain of the ship of state.' He didn't mean it as a
3
compliment -- but believe me: As a Navy man surrounded by fellow
vets -- the term suits me just fine. //
Whoever is chosen to pilot the ship of state must have a
reliable moral compass. // ( (This leads me to a remarkable
woman. Three years ago, I was on my way to address your
convention. You know what changed my plans. / It concerned a
husband, a father, an American hero. With us today is the wife
of Colonel Rich Higgins. Major Robin Higgins, on behalf of every
American, I admire you from the bottom of my heart. )) / /
Like all of you, Colonel Higgins knew that the things worth
living for were also worth dying for. / I mean things like duty
/ honor / fidelity to country. / These are the values for which
you took up arms -- and bore our burden -- in the Argonne / in
Midway / Da Nang / the Persian Gulf. // Any ALL President must
S
uphold them -- for as I see it, my job is more than managing the
economy, or even serving as Commander in Chief. It is to also
OUR
serve as moral leader of the Nation. An America without personal
responsibility is not America at all. /
Eight months ago, I stood aboard the USS Arizona in the
quiet of Pearl Harbor, and thought of heroes who didn't just
believe in good versus evil -- they lived it. / They would be
appalled by how this year a mother abandoned her baby in the
restroom of a Connecticut mall -- and how some want legislation
to help return that baby to his mother. / Yet the breakdown in
COVERS
responsibility runs the spectrum: It's also present among those
4
who flaunt their wealth -- and who flout the law. Crime isn't
clean just because the crook wears a white collar. //
Americans will make a choice this year about economic
growth, and about keeping America safe and strong. But the
choice is about more than that: It is about renewing moral
strength, as well. Principles don't change from one day to the
next. Principles aren't driven by polls. Principles endure. /
This year, one side offers real change to make America One Nation
under God. The other wrote a 10,000 word platform and never once
mentioned the one word which counts most: God. /
You can see the differences of philosophy reflected in our
policies. As a baseball umpire might put it, "You make the call."
Consider our system of welfare. In too many cases, it's
holding people down -- not lifting them up. The key to reform is
personal responsibility. Yet on the other side of the debate are
THAT'S
interests that want to protect bureaucracy and spending -- even
US WHO'S
THOSE WHO SHOW INITIATIVE - TO to BACK TO SCHOOL TO SAVE
if it means saying no to unwed mothers who want to get married.
SAYIME No.
If YOU'RE
It's time the system said yes: Yes to people like Sandra
MARRIED you
Rosato, who worked and saved money for college because she didn't
SHOULDN'T BE
on WELFARE.
want to leave a legacy of welfare for her kids. / The system
said her family couldn't continue to get benefits while she saved
money for school. She saved $4,000. I call that amazing. The
welfare bureaucrats? They called it fraud. / Something is wrong
here. That's why I aim to shake up the top-down bureaucratic way way
SYSTEM
MOVE FORWARD WITH INNOVATIONS
of welfare and let our states find new ways that reward people
like Sandra. Let's reward work and responsibility. /
5
Next, let's take education. / We know that renewing
education depends on giving parents real freedom and real
responsibility to choose their kids' schools. The other side
tries to posture on behalf of parents -- but I don't think
they're fooling anyone. / Remember how Henry Ford used to tell
his customers they could have any color Model T they wanted -- as
long as it was black. The other side says parents can choose any
school for their kids -- as long as it's run by the government.
My plan is different -- it's called the G.I. Bill for
Children. Like the original G.I. Bill, my new bill offers
scholarships or vouchers for students to take to any qualified
school -- private, public, or religious. My plan preserves
religious freedom. So can another issue where there's a Grand
Canyon of a divide. According to the Gallup Poll, America is the
most religious Nation on earth. Sadly, one side this year thinks
it's fine to give condoms in school but not to say a prayer. I
disagree. So I again call on Congress to pass a Constitutional
Amendment restoring voluntary prayer to the classroom. Let's
bring the Faith of our Fathers back to our schools. //
Whatever the issue, the choice is clear. Who do you trust
to change America -- to renew timeless values like personal
responsibility? Who do you trust: The side with the courage to
stand for what may not be popular -- but is right? or the side
which talks a good game -- mouths the right rhetoric about values
-- but whose record, and example, make a mockery of their words?
6
Nowhere is trust more important than in the area I call real
peace -- the triumph of democracy, not merely the absence of war.
// Ask those who served from the Sedan to Saigon. You know that
real peace stems not from a care-free bus ride in the warmth of
the summer sun -- but from soul-searching walks in the shade of
peril. / The Soviet bear may be dead -- but there are a lot of
wolves left around the world. //
That's II why we need a President who knows what I learned in
World Wary and what Saddam Hussein learned last year: America
stands for the rule of law against the law of the jungle. /
WE
Above all, it's why Yneed a President who knows: If the best way
to ensure war is for America to be militarily weak -- the best
way to ensure peace is for America to be militarily strong.
This year one side says, almost unbelievably: America is
"ridiculed" around the world. / Our side says: Look at what
America has achieved over the last 3 and 1/2 years. / We helped
a wall crumble in Berlin. From Kuwait to Panama, helped free
those once enslaved. Helped Communism become a four-letter word:
D-E-A-D. Let me put it plain: You were not wounded in vain.
You helped end the Cold War -- and America won. / America has
changed the world -- just as we're now ready to change America.
Here's a story about how we'll change it. One hundred and
eighty-eight days after Pearl, I enlisted in the Navy. It was the
day I graduated from high school, and Henry Stimson, then
Secretary of War, gave the Commencement Speech. He spoke words
that describe the American character: About how the American
7
soldier -- and I quote -- should be "Brave without being brutal,
self-confident without boasting, being part of an irresistible
IN
might without losing faith an individual liberty."
For more than 200 years, America's veterans have engraved
that passage on America's soul. / Our task is now to help the
military build on the beginnings of the past 3 and 1/2 years.
of A
Yes, our armed forces will be smaller -- thanks to less threat in
A REDUCED
MUST BE
Europe and less fear of war. Yet our defense capacity will be
M
even SUFFICIENT greater, and here's why: [our victory in the Cold War allows
us to reduce defense spending -- but our commitment to vigilance
means we will not reduce our resolve. 11] STET
Earlier this year I cut our long range defense budget
prudently, sensibly. Apparently, those words don't appear in the
other side's dictionary. It's as if they never heard of the
strategy -- "Peace through Strength" -- which has helped reshape
the entire world. The other side proposes fully $60 billion in
defense cuts beyond what we deem responsible. On the Hill, its
lackeys want to gut our ability to update the ABM Treaty / harm
troop readiness by stealing $7 billion from operation and
maintenance / and, yes, to ravage SDI.
Here is my answer: I'm going to keep America safe -- keep
America strong -- make sure the defense budget is more than a
piggy bank for people who want to get busy beating swords into
pork barrels. / When the other side says: We're better off
without defenses -- I say: Remember the lessons of Desert Storm.
// When the Scuds came raining down, thank God we didn't have to
8
rely on some abstract theory of deterrence. Thank God we had the
technology to shoot those Scuds out of the sky. / Those trying
to kill SDI remind me of the definition of a cynic: "The man who
knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. ". / We
will push forward with SDI for the best of all reasons: When it
comes to national defense, finishing second means finishing last.
You see, I remember. I know what veterans have fought for.
I know the price you yourselves have paid. To weaken our
defenses in an unpredictable world today is to smear your
sacrifice in the war-torn world of yesterday. / I haven't done
that -- never will. You deserve a President who knows that
giving peace a chance doesn't mean taking a chance with peace.
Whatever the cost to me, I'm going to do what's right for
America. / Now that America's moral values -- liberty, honor,
personal responsibility -- are victorious around the globe -- why
in the world would we abandon them at home? //
We can not. As long as I am President, we will not. Let
the other side support values that are trendy and transitory.
I'm going to defend the values of those who fought in the swamps
and the deserts / those who lie in Arlington / those who endured
the wounds of war so that liberty might live. // Fellow
veterans, thank you for your support. Together, we'll keep a
sure compass. We'll put our ship of state in finest sailing
trim. We'll navigate our way to shining new horizons of renewal.
May God bless you all -- and the country we all fought to
preserve -- the United States of America.
Document No 342480
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
92 AUG 4 : 11
DATE: August 3, 1992
10:00 A.M., TUES.
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
AUGUST 4, 1992
SUBJECT: PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: DISABLED VETERANS RENO, NEVADA, WEDNESDAY,
AUGUST 5, 1992
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
HORNER
SKINNER
MCBRIDE
SCOWCROFT
MOORE
DARMAN
PETERSMEYER
BRADY
PORTER
BROMLEY
PROVOST
CALIO
SMITH
DEMAREST
YEUTTER
FITZWATER
FINDLAY
GRAY
KAUFMAN
HOLIDAY
McGROARTY
REMARKS:
Please provide comments on the attached directly to Dan McGroarty,
Room 122, x2930, with a copy to this office NO LATER THAN 10:00 A.M.,
TUESDAY, AUGUST 4, 1992. THANK YOU.
RESPONSE:
See comments
Bob (4844) Grady may be providing additional comments.
PHILLIP D. BRADY
Assistant to the President
and Staff Secretary
Ext. 2702
(Smith/Walters)
August 3, 1992
2 AUG 3 pl 48
RENO
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: DISABLED VETERANS
RENO, NEVADA
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5, 1992
3:00 P.M.
It is a pleasure to renew old ties -- and greet new friends.
I want to thank Cleveland Jordan for that introduction. Thanks
to all of you who represent America's disabled veterans, their
families, and survivors -- fully 2.2 million strong. /
( (Before I came here, one of my grandkids asked how much
bravery I needed to fight in the war. / I said: "Almost as much
bravery as it takes for a Navy man to address an audience of
people from the Army, the Air Force, and the Marines. ")) //
In that spirit, I bring you best wishes from my best friend.
((Barbara and I were talking about coolness under fire. I said
the more I'm criticized, the more I turn it into humor. She
said, "At this rate, you'll soon be funnier than Jay Leno. ") )
Last September, Barbara and I were honored to attend your
Salute to the Persian Gulf. Today, I'm proud to salute the
American Veteran. / The American Vet deserves safe streets / a
sound economy / a world at peace. / You also believe -- and I
agree: America should serve those who also served their country.
That is why my Administration has never wavered: We must,
and will, ensure veterans' access to quality health care. / Two
years ago, we unveiled a National Commission to outline the
future structure of VA medical facilities. I recall telling Ed
2
Derwinski: Our plan must not allow the closing of a single,
solitary medical center. //
Today, I can report to you: Not one VA hospital has been
this
a
money (Selfridge 6150)
closed because of review or lack of services. / What's more, we
FACT?
have created specialized centers, funded new outpatient clinics,
medical care (selfridge 6150)
and boosted our VA budget almost a billion dollars per year. By
putting veterans first -- we keep America first. I will continue
to fight for those who've fought from Verdun to Kuwait City. // fought here
Note: Check if Americans
(Bavier
This year we hear a lot about change. And, sure, there are 3844)
things I'd like to change. Though maybe a better word is renewal
-- because no one knows better than the American veteran: The
changes we need must be based on principles that never change. //
Like you, my parents brought me up to understand that
mankind's fundamental moral standards were established by
Almighty God. / Our common law, our Constitution, and our Bill
of Rights are. firmly rooted in this tradition -- the Judeo-
Christian tradition. / Only recently have we seen the rise of
legal theories and practices that reject our tradition. It's a
deeply disturbing trend -- and it is diametrically opposed to my
idea of the kind of change that's good for our country. /
Last month on a stage 2,700 miles from here, there was
another convention -- very different from this one. Now, I
didn't hear any of those speeches. I was up in the mountains
fishing -- where the air was clear, not hot. / But I understand
one of the speakers, known for his florid language, called me
"the captain of the ship of state." He didn't mean it as a
3
compliment -- but believe me: As a Navy man surrounded by fellow
vets -- the term suits me just fine. //
Whoever is chosen to pilot the ship of state must have a
reliable moral compass. // ( (This leads me to a remarkable
woman. Three years ago, I was on my way to address your
convention. You know what changed my plans. / It concerned a
husband, a father, an American hero. With us today is the wife
of Colonel Rich Higgins. Major Robin Higgins, on behalf of every
American, I admire you from the bottom of my heart. )) //
Like all of you, Colonel Higgins knew that the things worth
living for were also worth dying for. / I mean things like duty
/ honor / fidelity to country. / These are the values for which
you took up arms -- and bore our burden -- in the Argonne / in
Midway / Da Nang / the Persian Gulf. // Any President must
uphold them -- for as I see it, my job is more than managing the
economy, or even serving as Commander in Chief. It is to also
serve as moral leader of the Nation. An America without personal
responsibility is not America at all. /
Eight months ago, I stood aboard the USS Arizona in the
quiet of Pearl Harbor, and thought of heroes who didn't just
believe in good versus evil -- they lived it. / They would be
appalled by how this year a mother abandoned her baby in the
restroom of a Connecticut mall -- and how some want legislation
to help return that baby to his mother. / Yet the breakdown in
responsibility runs the spectrum: It's also present among those
4
who flaunt their wealth -- and who flout the law. Crime isn't
clean just because the crook wears a white collar. //
Americans will make a choice this year about economic
growth, and about keeping America safe and strong. But the
choice is about more than that: It is about renewing moral
strength, as well. Principles don't change from one day to the
next. Principles aren't driven by polls. Principles endure. /
This year, one side offers real change to make America One Nation
under God. The other wrote a 10,000 word platform and never once
mentioned the one word which counts most: God. /
You can see the differences of philosophy reflected in our
policies. As a baseball umpire might put it, "You make the call."
Consider our system of welfare. In too many cases, it's
holding people down -- not lifting them up. The key to reform is
personal responsibility. Yet on the other side of the debate are
interests that want to protect bureaucracy and spending -- even
if it means saying no to unwed mothers who want to get married.
It's time the system said yes: Yes to people like Sandra
Rosato, who worked and saved money for college because she didn't
want to leave a legacy of welfare for her kids. / The system
said her family couldn't continue to get benefits while she saved
money for school. She saved $4,000. I call that amazing. The
welfare bureaucrats? They called it fraud. / Something is wrong
here. That's why I aim to shake up the top-down bureaucratic way
of welfare and let our states find new ways that reward people
like Sandra. Let's reward work and responsibility. /
5
Next, let's take education. / We know that renewing
education depends on giving parents real freedom and real
responsibility to choose their kids' schools. The other side
tries to posture on behalf of parents -- but I don't think
they're fooling anyone. / Remember how Henry Ford used to tell
his customers they could have any color Model T they wanted -- as
long as it was black. The other side says parents can choose any
school for their kids -- as long as it's run by the government.
My plan is different -- it's called the G.I. Bill for
Children. Like the original G.I. Bill, my new bill offers
lawfully operating
scholarships or vouchers for students to take to any qualified
(Selfridge
6150)
school -- private, public, or religious. My plan preserves
religious freedom. So can another issue where there's a Grand
Canyon of a divide. According to the Gallup Poll, America is the
most religious Nation on earth. Sadly, one side this year thinks
it's fine to give condoms in school but not to say a prayer. I
disagree. So I again call on Congress to pass a Constitutional
Amendment restoring voluntary prayer to the classroom. Let's
bring the Faith of our Fathers back to our schools. //
Whatever the issue, the choice is clear. Who do you trust
to change America -- to renew timeless values like personal
responsibility? Who do you trust: The side with the courage to
stand for what may not be popular -- but is right? Or the side
which talks a good game -- mouths the right rhetoric about values
-- but whose record, and example, make a mockery of their words?
6
Nowhere is trust more important than in the area I call real
peace -- the triumph of democracy, not merely the absence of war.
// Ask those who served from the Sedan to Saigon. You know that
real peace stems not from a care-free bus ride in the warmth of
the summer sun -- but from soul-searching walks in the shade of
peril. / The Soviet bear may be dead -- but there are a lot of
wolves left around the world. //
That's why we need a President who knows what I learned in
World War -- and what Saddam Hussein learned last year: America
stands for the rule of law against the law of the jungle. /
Above all, it's why need a President who knows: If the best way
to ensure war is for America to be militarily weak -- the best
way to ensure peace is for America to be militarily strong.
This year one side says, almost unbelievably: America is
"ridiculed" around the world. / Our side says: Look at what
America has achieved over the last 3 and 1/2 years. / We helped
a wall crumble in Berlin. From Kuwait to Panama, helped free
those once enslaved. Helped Communism become a four-letter word:
ly (Selfridge 6150)
D-E-A-D. Let me put it plain: You were not wounded in vain.
You helped end the Cold War -- and America won. / America has
changed the world -- just as we're now ready to change America.
Here's a story about how we'll change it. One hundred and
eighty-eight days after Pearl, I enlisted in the Navy. It was the
day I graduated from high school, and Henry Stimson, then
Secretary of War, gave the Commencement Speech. He spoke words
that describe the American character: About how the American
7
soldier -- and I quote -- should be "Brave without being brutal,
self-confident without boasting, being part of an irresistible
might without losing faith an individual liberty."
For more than 200 years, America's veterans have engraved
that passage on America's soul. / Our task is now to help the
military build on the beginnings of the past 3 and 1/2 years.
Yes, our armed forces will be smaller -- thanks to less threat in
Europe and less fear of war. Yet our defense capacity will be
even greater, and here's why: Our victory in the Cold War allows
us to reduce defense spending -- but our commitment to vigilance
means we will not reduce our resolve. //
Earlier this year I cut our long range defense budget
prudently, sensibly. Apparently, those words don't appear in the
other side's dictionary. It's as if they never heard of the
strategy -- "Peace through Strength" -- which has helped reshape
the entire world. The other side proposes fully $60 billion in
defense cuts beyond what we deem responsible. On the Hill, its
lackeys want to gut our ability to update the ABM Treaty / harm
troop readiness by stealing $7 billion from operation and
maintenance / and, yes, to ravage SDI.
Here is my answer: I'm going to keep America safe -- keep
America strong -- make sure the defense budget is more than a
piggy bank for people who want to get busy beating swords into
pork barrels. / When the other side says: We're better off
without defenses -- I say: Remember the lessons of Desert Storm.
// When the Scuds came raining down, thank God we didn't have to
8
rely on some abstract theory of deterrence. Thank God we had the
technology to shoot those Scuds out of the sky. / Those trying
to kill SDI remind me of the definition of a cynic: "The man who
knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.' / We
will push forward with SDI for the best of all reasons: When it
comes to national defense, finishing second means finishing last.
You see, I remember. I know what veterans have fought for.
I know the price you yourselves have paid. To weaken our
defenses in an unpredictable world today is to smear your
sacrifice in the war-torn world of yesterday. / I haven't done
that -- never will. You deserve a President who knows that
giving peace a chance doesn't mean taking a chance with peace.
Whatever the cost to me, I'm going to do what's right for
America. / Now that America's moral values -- liberty, honor,
personal responsibility -- are victorious around the globe -- why
in the world would we abandon them at home? //
We can not. As long as I am President, we will not. Let
the other side support values that are trendy and transitory.
I'm going to defend the values of those who fought in the swamps
and the deserts / those who lie in Arlington / those who endured
the wounds of war so that liberty might live. // Fellow
veterans, thank you for your support. Together, we'll keep a
sure compass. We'll put our ship of state in finest sailing
trim. We'll navigate our way to shining new horizons of renewal.
May God bless you all -- and the country we all fought to
preserve -- the United States of America.
(Smith/Walters)
August 4, 1992
RENO
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: DISABLED VETERANS
RENO, NEVADA
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5, 1992
It is a pleasure to renew old ties -- and greet new friends.
I want to thank Cleve Jordan for that introduction. Thanks to
all of you who represent America's disabled veterans, their
families, and survivors -- fully 2.2 million strong. /
( (Before I came here, one of my grandkids asked how much
bravery I needed to fight in the war. / I said: "Almost as much
bravery as it takes for a Navy man to address an audience of
people from the Army, the Air Force, and the Marines. ") ) //
In that sense, I bring you best wishes from my best friend.
( (Barbara and I were talking about coolness under fire. I said
the more I'm criticized, the more I turn it into humor. She
said, "At this rate, you'll soon be funnier than Jay Leno. ") ) //
Last September, Barbara and I were honored to attend your
Salute to the Persian Gulf Veterans. Today, I'm proud to salute
the American Veteran. / The American Vet deserves safe streets /
a sound economy / a world at peace. / You also believe -- and I
agree: America should serve those who also served their country.
That is why my Administration has never wavered: We must,
and will, ensure veterans' access to quality health care. / Two
years ago, we unveiled a National Commission to outline the
future structure of VA medical facilities. I was determined that
2
our plan would not allow the closing of a single, solitary
medical center. //
Today, I can tell you: Not one VA hospital has been closed
because of this review or lack of money. / What's more, we have
created specialized centers, funded new outpatient clinics, and
boosted our VA medical care budget by nearly a billion dollars
tructed
per year. /
(Note:
the
to
$1B,
soyou
a
you
6406
I am proud, too, of how we have built on these beginnings. /
choose.
Two years ago we passed the Americans With Disabilities Act
selverage
the most sweeping civil rights legislation since the 1960s. //
(50)
It will help the disabled enter the mainstream -- and it's about
time. //
Next, I have rejected taxation of veterans' disability
compensation -- and I will continue to. No veteran should have
and over hower
to pay twice -- once in battle, and once in peace. / Finally,
health care
yesterday I created a White House panel to address the future of
reform will
VA
care
(Selfridge
the medical health system in the VA Department. Our goal is to 6150)
affect 7
ensure veterans the world's best medical care. One way we will
VA system
health
reach it is to have disabled vets play a key role on our panel. /
care
By putting veterans first -- we will keep America first. I will
continue to fight for those who've fought from Verdun to Viet Nam
and from Korea to Kuwait City. //
[[Three years ago I was on my way to address your
convention. You know what changed my plans. / It concerned a
husband, a father, an American hero. With us today is the wife
3
of Colonel Rich Higgins. Major Robin Higgins, on behalf of every
American, I admire you from the bottom of my heart. ]] //
America must stand by her veterans. America must stand with
anyone who wore the uniform. /
All of us have our stories. Mine came fifty years ago --
when I was a scared kid, alone in a raft, paddling against the
current to keep from washing ashore on an empty island. I
remember -- when I wasn't wondering if anyone would find me at
all -- worrying about who might find me first. //
I was fortunate. I know that. /
I learned first-hand in war what it means to know that
America will never abandon its fighting men, whatever their fate.
/ My family never had to face the agony of a phone call in the
night or a knock on the door. Let me say to the families waiting
still for their loved ones: America will stand with you -- until
every hero has come home. //
Over the last 3 and 1/2 years, America's heroes have helped
a wall crumble in Berlin. From Kuwait to Panama, helped free
those once enslaved. Helped Communism become a four-letter word:
D-E-A-D. Let me put it plain: You were not wounded in vain.
You helped end the Cold War -- and America won. //
Having won, we agreed with the republics of the former
Soviet Union to the first verifiable reduction in strategic
nuclear arms. Next year, President Yeltsin and I have agreed to
go even further. In 1989, the enemy blinked. In 1991, it fell.
The great victory we won based on strength we will not lose
4
because of weakness. / It is a cause for which you took up arms
-- and bore our burden -- in the Argonne / in Midway / Da Nang /
the Persian Gulf. A cause I describe as real peace -- the
triumph of freedom, not merely the absence of war.
Yes, our victory in the Cold War means that our defenses can
be smaller. So earlier this year I cut our-long range defense
budget prudently -- sensibly. / But we can't lose sight of the
fact that for all the great gains we've made for freedom -- for
all the peace of mind we've secured for our children -- the world
remains a dangerous place. //
The Soviet bear may be extinct -- but there are still plenty
of wolves in the world. Renagade rulers / outlaw regimes /
Baghdad bullies. Madmen we can't allow to get a finger on the
nuclear trigger. /
You have my word: This President will never allow a lone
wolf to endanger American security. //
I will never forget those who fought in the swamps and
deserts / those who lie in Arlington / those who endured the
wounds of war so that liberty might live. / Nor will I forget
how real peace stems not from a care-free bus ride in the warmth
of the summer sun -- but from soul-searching walks in the shade
of peril. //
Today, some have forgotten every hard-won lesson of this
American Century. So they propose to gut our national defense -
- to cut $60 billion in defense beyond what we deem responsible.
Well, let me answer them: The defense budget is more than a
5
piggy bank for people who want to get busy beating swords into
pork barrels. / I know that to keep America safe -- we have to
keep America strong. //
That is why when the other side says: We're better off
without defense -- so let's ravage the Strategic Defense
Initiative / I say: Remember the lessons of Desert Storm. //
When the Scuds came raining down, thank God we didn't have
tp rely on some abstract theory of deterrence. Thank God we had
the technology to shoot those Scuds out of the sky. /
The people trying to kill SDI remind me of the definition of
a cynic: "The man who knows the price of everything and the
value of nothing." They don't understand -- never will -- why I
intend to push forward with SDI: When it comes to national
defense, finishing second means finishing last. //
Think for a moment about what a strong America has helped
achieve. Think about the worries we once faced -- and the world
we see today: Not a Europe in flames, or a world at war, touched
off by the death throes of the Soviet Empire -- but a world at
peace, a new birth of freedom. / Not a Latin American consumed
by revolution and resentment -- but a hemisphere moving toward
free trade and free government. / Not a Middle East dominated by
a dictator -- but a region where ancient enemies at long last are
talking peace. / Our policies helped make all of this possible.
So when the Sunday strategists say I've spent too much time
on foreign policy, I say: I will never apologize for a single
minute spent keeping America safe, strong, and free. //
6
You see, I don't believe foreign policy is a footnote
a loose end we wrap up, and then safely forget. // That's why we
need a President who's earned the trust of America's allies. /
It's why we need a President who knows what I learned in World
War and what Saddam Hussein learned last year: America stands
for the rule of law against the law of the jungle. /
For more than 200 years, America's veterans have engraved
these principles on America's soul. / Our task is now to meet
two key foreign policy challenges in the years ahead. //
First, we must do all we can to bolster the process of
democratization -- especially where democratic friends have
replaced totalitarian enemies in Eastern Europe and the former
Soviet Union. / We must also continue to help our alliances, the
United Nations, and other international organizations deal with
the prospect of conflicts made more dangerous by weapons of mass
destruction. / Above all, we must understand what would truly
threaten our economic recovery. Not too much attention to
foreign policy. Instead, too little attention to foreign policy
would encourage the very threats you put your lives on the line
to defeat. As your President -- as your Commander in Chief --
this I will not do. //
Our second challenge is to bolster the process of free
market reform and especially the continued liberalization of
world trade. One thing is certain: The United States cannot
turn its back on the world economy. / Seventy percent of our
economic growth since 1988 has come from exports. That's 7.2
7
million American jobs tied to trade. More than ever, we depend
on a stable, prosperous and growing world economy. Either we
strive to open up markets and do whatever it takes here at home -
- either we take the steps we must to improve education,
technology, job training, and productivity -- or we will watch
trade barriers go up everywhere and suffer the consequences. /
Remember: In the 1930s, protectionism was the companion to
Depression -- and the prelude to war. So I say: Let's welcome
the competition -- and trust that our ingenuity will make us
great in the future as it has in the past. //
half
Over the past 3 and a 1/2 years, America has changed the
world -- just as we're now ready to change America. Building the
kind of Nation here you fought so valiantly for abroad. //
Think of what you fought for: An America of better jobs /
better schools / safer neighborhoods / and equality for all. A
land where our kids and grandkids would live in prosperity and
peace. 11 Think of what we can now achieve: An America which
eclipses even its greatest triumphs. But only with a military
that is truly Number One. //
Eight months ago, I stood aboard the USS Arizona in the
quiet of Pearl Harbor, and thought of the Navy Hymn that salutes
freedom's liegemen. You know the words: "Eternal Father, strong
to save / O hear us when we cry to thee / For those in peril on
the sea. " /
I know what veterans have fought for -- died for. I know
the price you yourselves have paid. To weaken our defenses in an
8
unpredictable world today is to smear your sacrifice in the war-
torn world of yesterday. / I haven't done that -- never will.
You deserve a President who knows that giving peace a chance
doesn't mean taking a chance with peace.
Those who mock a strong defense are as obsolete as Communism
/ as passe as appeasement / as foolish as the slogan, "Make love,
not war. " / Bumper stickers won't defeat bayonets / won't reduce
nuclear weapons / won't remake America / won't send tyranny to
its grave. / What will is patience, planning, and personal
diplomacy -- aided by the greatest people in the history of man.
This "last best hope on earth." We Americans. //
Fellow veterans, thank you for your support, and may God
bless this wondrous land we all fought to preserve -- the United
States of America.
# # # #
Two years ago this week, I had to make the decision that
every President dreads -- to send our men and women in the Armed
Forces into harm's way at the beginning of Operation Desert
Shield. No President, no parent, makes that decision lightly.
But while we rejoice in the end of the Cold War, we realize that
the world is still dangerous. Threats -- real threats to our
security like proliferation, terrorism, and instability -- still
remain. We cannot naively assume that Desert Storm was the last
time American troops might be called on to protect our national
security. So the question remains: who has the experience to
protect our national security and guide America through to the
post Cold War world? Who do you trust to make that awful
decision to commit American troops to defend our national
security?
6027
Document No
2480
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORAN
DATE: August 92 3,Uggh A9:39 39
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
10:00 A.M., TUES.,
AUGUST 4, 1992
SUBJECT: PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: DISABLED VETERANS RENO, NEVADA, WEDNESDAY,
AUGUST 5, 1992
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
HORNER
SKINNER
MCBRIDE
SCOWCROFT
MOORE
DARMAN
PETERSMEYER
BRADY
PORTER
BROMLEY
PROVOST
CALIO
SMITH
DEMAREST
YEUTTER
FITZWATER
FINDLAY
GRAY
KAUFMAN
HOLIDAY
McGROARTY
REMARKS:
Please provide comments on the attached directly to Dan McGroarty,
Room 122, x2930, with a copy to this office NO LATER THAN 10:00 A.M.,
TUESDAY, AUGUST 4, 1992. THANK YOU.
RESPONSE:
TO: DAN MCGROARTY
The NSC Staff has reviewed and concurs in the attached
remarks but recommends that the American Disability Act
and POW/MIAs be referenced.
PHILLIP D. BRADY
Assistant to the President
and Staff Secretary
Brent Scowcroft
Ext. 2702
CC: PHILLIP BRADY
(Smith/Walters)
August 3, 1992
AUG 3 pl: 48
RENO
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: DISABLED VETERANS
RENO, NEVADA
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5, 1992
3:00 P.M.
It is a pleasure to renew old ties -- and greet new friends.
I want to thank Cleveland Jordan for that introduction. Thanks
to all of you who represent America's disabled veterans, their
families, and survivors -- fully 2.2 million strong. /
( (Before I came here, one of my grandkids asked how much
bravery I needed to fight in the war. / I said: "Almost as much
bravery as it takes for a Navy man to address an audience of
people from the Army, the Air Force, and the Marines. ")) //
In that spirit, I bring you best wishes from my best friend.
( (Barbara and I were talking about coolness under fire. I said
the more I'm criticized, the more I turn it into humor. She
said, "At this rate, you'll soon be funnier than Jay Leno."))
Last September, Barbara and I were honored to attend your
Salute to the Persian Gulf. Today, I'm proud to salute the
American Veteran. / The American Vet deserves safe streets / a
sound economy / a world at peace. / You also believe -- and I
agree: America should serve those who also served their country.
That is why my Administration has never wavered: We must,
and will, ensure veterans' access to quality health care. / Two
years ago, we unveiled a National Commission to outline the
future structure of VA medical facilities. I recall telling Ed
2
Derwinski: Our plan must not allow the closing of a single,
solitary medical center. //
Today, I can report to you: Not one VA hospital has been
closed because of review or lack of services. / What's more, we
have created specialized centers, funded new outpatient clinics,
and boosted our VA budget almost a billion dollars per year. By
putting veterans first -- we keep America first. I will continue
to fight for those who've fought from Verdun to Kuwait city. //
This year we hear a lot about change. And, sure, there are
things I'd like to change. Though maybe a better word is renewal
-- because no one knows better than the American veteran: The
changes we need must be based on principles that never change. //
Like you, my parents brought me up to understand that
mankind's fundamental moral standards were established by
Almighty God. / Our common law, our Constitution, and our Bill
of Rights are firmly rooted in this tradition -- the Judeo-
Christian tradition. / Only recently have we seen the rise of
legal theories and practices that reject our tradition. It's a
deeply disturbing trend -- and it is diametrically opposed to my
idea of the kind of change that's good for our country. /
Last month on a stage 2,700 miles from here, there was
another convention -- very different from this one. Now, I
(political
didn't hear any of those speeches. I was up in the mountains
fishing -- where the air was clear, not hot. / But I understand
one of the speakers, known for his florid language, called me
"the captain of the ship of state." He didn't mean it as a
3
compliment -- but believe me: As a Navy man surrounded by fellow
vets -- the term suits me just fine. //
Whoever is chosen to pilot the ship of state must have a
reliable moral compass. // ( (This leads me to a remarkable
woman. Three years ago, I was on my way to address your
convention. You know what changed my plans. / It concerned a
husband, a father, an American hero. With us today is the wife
of Colonel Rich Higgins. Major Robin Higgins, on behalf of every
American, I admire you from the bottom of my heart. )) //
Like all of you, Colonel Higgins knew that the things worth
living for were also worth dying for. / I mean things like duty
/ honor / fidelity to country. / These are the values for which
you took up arms -- and bore our burden -- in the Argonne / in
Every
Midway / Da Nang / the Persian Gulf. // Any President must
uphold them -- for as I see it, my job is more than managing the
economy, or even serving as Commander in Chief. It is to also
serve as moral leader of the Nation. An America without personal
responsibility is not America at all. /
Eight months ago, I stood aboard the USS Arizona in the
quiet of Pearl Harbor, and thought of heroes who didn't just
believe in good versus evil -- they lived it. / They would be
appalled by how this year a mother abandoned her baby in the
restroom of a Connecticut mall -- and how some want legislation
to help return that baby to his mother. / Yet the breakdown in
responsibility runs the spectrum: It's also present among those
4
who flaunt their wealth -- and who flout the law. Crime isn't
clean just because the crook wears a white collar. //
Americans will make a choice this year about economic
growth, and about keeping America safe and strong. But the
choice is about more than that: It is about renewing moral
strength, as well. Principles don't change from one day to the
next. Principles aren't driven by polls. Principles endure. /
This year, one side offers real change to make America One Nation
under God. The other wrote a 10,000 word platform and never once
mentioned the one word which counts most: God. /
You can see the differences of philosophy reflected in our
policies. As a baseball umpire might put it, "You make the call."
Consider our system of welfare. In too many cases, it's
holding people down -- not lifting them up. The key to reform is
personal responsibility. Yet on the other side of the debate are
interests that want to protect bureaucracy and spending -- even
if it means saying no to unwed mothers who want to get married.
It's time the system said yes: Yes to people like Sandra
Rosato, who worked and saved money for college because she didn't
want to leave a legacy of welfare for her kids. / The system
said her family couldn't continue to get benefits while she saved
money for school. She saved $4,000. I call that amazing. The
welfare bureaucrats? They called it fraud. / Something is wrong
here. That's why I aim to shake up the top-down bureaucratic way
of welfare and let our states find new ways that reward people
like Sandra. Let's reward work and responsibility. /
5
Next, let's take education. / We know that renewing
education depends on giving parents real freedom and real.
responsibility to choose their kids' schools. The other side
tries to posture on behalf of parents -- but I don't think
they're fooling anyone. / Remember how Henry Ford used to tell
his customers they could have any color Model T they wanted -- as
long as it was black. The other side says parents can choose any
school for their kids -- as long as it's run by the government.
My plan is different -- it's called the G.I. Bill for
Children. Like the original G.I. Bill, my new bill offers
scholarships or vouchers for students to take to any qualified
school -- private, public, or religious. My plan preserves
religious freedom. So can another issue where there's a Grand
Canyon of a divide. According to the Gallup Poll, America is the
most religious Nation on earth. Sadly, one side this year thinks
it's fine to give condoms in school but not to say a prayer. I
disagree. So I again call on Congress to pass a Constitutional
Amendment restoring voluntary prayer to the classroom. Let's
bring the Faith of our Fathers back to our schools. //
Whatever the issue, the choice is clear. Who do you trust
to change America -- to renew timeless values like personal
responsibility? Who do you trust: The side with the courage to
stand for what may not be popular -- but is right? Or the side
which talks a good game -- mouths the right rhetoric about values
-- but whose record, and example, make a mockery of their words?
? Few recognize will this
6
Nowhere is trust more important than in the area I call real
peace -- the triumph of democracy, not merely the absence of war.
// Ask those who served from the Sedan to Saigon. You know that
real peace stems not from a care-free bus ride in the warmth of
the summer sun -- but from soul-searching walks in the shade of
peril. / The Soviet bear may be dead --- but there are a lot of
wolves left around the world. //
That's why we need a President who knows what I learned in
World War -- and what Saddam Hussein learned last year: America
stands for the rule of law against the law of the jungle. /
america
Above all, it's why needsa President who knows: If the best way
A
to ensure war is for America to be militarily weak -- the best
way to ensure peace is for America to be militarily strong.
political?
This year one side says, almost unbelievably: America is
"ridiculed" around the world. / Our side says: Look at what
America has achieved over the last 3 and 1/2 years. / We helped
a wall crumble in Berlin. From Kuwait to Panama, helped free
those once enslaved. Helped Communism become a four-letter word:
D-E-A-D. Let me put it plain: You were not wounded in vain.
You helped end the Cold War -- and America won. / America has
changed the world -- just as we're now ready to change America.
Here's a story about how we'll change it. One hundred and
eighty-eight days after Pearl, I enlisted in the Navy. It was the
day I graduated from high school, and Henry Stimson, then
Secretary of War, gave the Commencement Speech. He spoke words
that describe the American character: About how the American
7
soldier -- and I quote -- should be "Brave without being brutal,
self-confident without boasting, being part of an irresistible
might without losing faith an individual liberty."
For more than 200 years, America's veterans have engraved
that passage on America's soul. / Our task is now to help the
military build on the beginnings of the past 3 and reduced 1/2 years.
Yes, our armed forces will be smaller -- thanks to less threat in
Europe and less fear of war.
Yet our defense capacity will be
1111
This
even greater, and here's why: Our victory in the Cold War allows
sensical
nov
us to reduce defense spending -- but our commitment to vigilance
means we will not reduce our resolve. //
Earlier this year I cut our long range defense budget
prudently, sensibly. Apparently, those words don't appear in the
other side's dictionary. It's as if they never heard of the
,N
strategy -- "Peace through Strength" -- which has helped reshape
the entire world. The other side proposes fully $60 billion in
defense cuts beyond what we deem responsible. On the Hill, its
lackeys want to gut our ability to update the ABM Treaty / harm
troop readiness by stealing $7 billion from operation and
maintenance / and, yes, to ravage SDI.
Here is my answer: I'm going to keep America safe -- keep
America strong -- make sure the defense budget is more than a
piggy bank for people who want to get busy beating swords into
pork barrels. / When the other side says: We're better off
without defenses -- I say: Remember the lessons of Desert Storm.
// When the Scuds came raining down, thank God we didn't have to
8
rely on some abstract theory of deterrence. Thank God we had the
pit?
technology to shoot those Scuds out of the sky. / Those trying
to kill SDI remind me of the definition of a cynic: "The man who
knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. " / We
will push forward with SDI for the best of all reasons: When it
comes to national defense, finishing second means finishing last.
You see, I remember. I know what veterans have fought for.
I know the price you yourselves have paid. To weaken our
putatrisk
defenses in an unpredictable world today is to smear/your
sacrifice in the war-torn world of yesterday. / I haven't done
that -- never will. You deserve a President who knows that
giving peace a chance doesn't mean taking a chance with peace.
Whatever the cost to me, I'm going to do what's right for
America. / Now that America's moral values -- liberty, honor,
personal responsibility -- are victorious around the globe -- why
in the world would we abandon them at home? //
We can not. As long as I am President, we will not. Let
the other side support values that are trendy and transitory.
I'm going to defend the values of those who fought in the swamps
and the deserts / those who lie in Arlington / those who endured
the wounds of war so that liberty might live. // Fellow
veterans, thank you for your support. Together, we'll keep a
sure compass. We'll put our ship of state in finest sailing
trim. We'll navigate our way to shining new horizons of renewal.
May God bless you all -- and the country we all fought to
preserve -- the United States of America.
WHITE HOUSE COMMCTR
MON 03 AUG 92 18:55
PG.01
UNCLASSIFIED
WHITE HOUSE
SITUATION ROOM
PRECEDENCE:
RELEASER: Ohiony
PRIORITY
DTG: 031806ZAM692
MESSAGE NO. 05 CLASSIFICATION UNCLASSIFIED
PAGES 8
FROM ED WALTERS
456-7750
111½
(Name)
(Phone Number)
(Room No.)
MESSAGE DESCRIPTION
DISABLED VETERANS
LOCATION
DELIVER TO
AFI
STEVE PROVOST
CHRISTINA MARTIN
=
REMARKS:
Photocopy-Preservation
44
UNCLASSIFIED
WHITE HOUSE COMMCTR
MON 03 AUG 92 18:56
PG.02
(Smith/Walters)
August 3, 1992
RENO
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: DISABLED VETERANS
RENO, NEVADA
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5, 1992
3:00 P.M.
It is a pleasure to renew old ties -- and greet new friends.
I want to thank Cleveland Jordan for that introduction. Thanks
to all of you who represent America's disabled veterans, their
families, and survivors -- fully 2.2 million strong. /
( (Before I came here, one of my grandkids asked how much
bravery I needed to fight in the war. / I said: "Almost as much
bravery as it takes for a Navy man to address an audience of
people from the Army, the Air Force, and the Marines. ) //
In that spirit, I bring you best wishes from my best friend.
( (Barbara and I were talking about coolness under fire. I said
the more I'm criticized, the more I turn it into humor. She
said, "At this rate, you'll soon be funnier than Jay Leno. )
Last September, Barbara and I were honored to attend your
Salute to the Persian Gulf. Today, I'm proud to salute the
American Veteran. / The American Vet deserves safe streets / a
sound economy / a world at peace. / You also believe -- and I
agree: America should serve those who also served their country.
That is why my Administration has never wavered: We must,
and will, ensure veterans' access to quality health care. / Two
years ago, we unveiled a National Commission to outline the
future structure of VA medical facilities. I recall telling Ed
WHITE HOUSE COMMCTR
MON 03 AUG 92 18:57
PG.03
2
Derwinski: Our plan must not allow the closing of a single,
solitary medical center. //
Today, I can report to you: Not one VA hospital has been
closed because of review or lack of services. / What's more, we
have created specialized centers, funded new outpatient clinics,
and boosted our VA budget almost a billion dollars per year. By
putting veterans first -- we keep America first. I will continue
to fight for those who've fought from Verdun to Kuwait City. //
This year we hear a lot about change. And, sure, there are
I believe that chause natual, and essential
things I'd like to change. Though maybe a better word is renewal
wive
-- because no one knows better than the American veteran: The
have
the
changes we need must be based on principles that never change. 11
clument
Like you, my parents brought me up to understand that
obehange.
mankind's fundamental moral standards were established by
we've
Almighty God. / Our common 1aw, our Constitution, and our Bill even
head
of Rights are firmly rooted in this tradition the Judeo-
Christian tradition. / Only recently have we seen the rise of
theraphone the
legal theories and practices that reject our tradition. It's a
otchager
although
deeply disturbing trend and it is diametrically opposed to my
Iran't
idea of the kind of change that's good for our country. /
geting that
Last month on a stage 2,700 miles from here, there was
another convention -- very different from this one. Now, I efir tical
didn't hear any of those speeches. I was up in the mountains formaly
fishing -- wher the air was clear, not hot. / But I understand
topher
one of the speakers, known for his florid language, called me
this rufer ever
woldof
"the captain of the ship of state." He didn't mean it as a
Rohn
Like you, my penerty taught ML very pretty back ruless,
clan't lie, know the difference Seturn right and wrong
take responsibility to fo you Pulves' and Credit mill
WHITE HOUSE COMMCTR
MON 03 AUG 92 18:57
PG.04
Younger Iree my job as mar MOC Plan menagiy Phu Very the
3
dantotbeth ever problem scutty
a personal fore
50th
compliment -- but believe me: As a Navy man surrounded by fellow nates
vets the term suits me just fine. 11
Whoever RYCH chosen ore to pilot the ship of state must have a
reliable moral compass. // ((This leads me to a remarkable
while wife Lould that canner
woman. well Three years ago; I was on my way to address your
convention. You know what changed my plans. / It concerned a
husband, a father, an American hero. With us today is the wife
of Colonel Rich Higgins. Major Robin Higgins, on behalf of every
American, I admire you from the bottom of my heart. )) //
Like all of you, Colonel Higgins knew that the things worth
living for were also worth dying for. / I mean things like duty
/ honor / fidelity to country. / These are the values for which
you took up arms -- and bore our burden -- in the Argonne / in
Midway / Da Nang / the Persian Gulf. // Any President must
uphold them -- for as I see it, my job is more than managing the
economy, or even serving as Commander in Chief. It is to also
serve as moral leader of the Nation. An America without personal
responsibility is not America at all. /
Eight months ago, I stood aboard the USS Arizona in the
quiet of Pearl Harbor, and thought of heroes who didn't just
believe in good versus evil -- they lived it. / They would be
appalled by how this year a mother abandoned her baby in the
restroom of a Connecticut mall -- and how some want legislation
to help return that baby to his mother. / Yet the breakdown in
responsibility runs the spectrum: It's also present among those
WHITE HOUSE COMMCTR
MON 03 AUG 92 18:58
PG.05
4
who flaunt their wealth -- and who flout the law. Crime isn't
clean just because the crook wears a white collar. //
Americans will make a choice this year about economic
growth, and about keeping America safe and strong. But the
choice is about more than that: It is about renewing moral
strength, as well. Principles don't change from one day to the
next. Principles aren't driven by polls. Principles endure. /
This year, one side offers real change to make America One Nation
under God. The other wrote a 10,000 word platform and never once
mentioned the one word which counts most: God. /
You can see the differences of philosophy reflected in our
policies. As a baseball umpire might put it, "You make the call."
Consider our system of welfare. In too many cases, it's
holding people down -- not lifting them up. The key to reform is
personal responsibility. Yet on the other side of the debate are
interests that want to protect bureaucracy and spending -- even
if it means saying no to unwed mothers who want to get married.
It's time the system said yes: Yes to people like Sandra
Rosato, who worked and saved money for college because she didn't
want to leave a legacy of welfare for her kids. / The system
said her family couldn't continue to get benefits while she saved
money for school. She saved $4,000. I call that amazing. The
welfare bureaucrats? They called it fraud. / Something is wrong
here. That's why I aim to shake up the top-down bureaucratic way
of welfare and let our states find new ways that reward people
like Sandra. Let's reward work and responsibility. /
WHITE HOUSE COMMCTR
MON 03 AUG 92 18:59
PG.06
5
Next, let's take education. / We know that renewing
education depends on giving parents real freedom and real
responsibility to choose their kids' schools. The other side
tries to posture on behalf of parents -- but I don't think
they're fooling anyone. / Remember how Henry Ford used to tell
his customers they could have any color Model T they wanted -- as
long as it was black. The other side says parents can choose any
school for their kids -- as long as it's run by the government.
My plan is different -- it's called the G.I. Bill for
Children. Like the original G.I. Bill, my new bill offers
scholarships or vouchers for students to take to any qualified
school -- private, public, or religious. My plan preserves
religious freedom. So can another issue where there's a Grand
Canyon of a divide. According to the Gallup Poll, America is the
most religious Nation on earth. Sadly, one side this year thinks
it's fine to give condoms in school but not to say a prayer. I
disagree. So I again call on Congress to pass a Constitutional
Amendment restoring voluntary prayer to the classroom. Let's
bring the Faith of our Fathers back to our schools. 11
Whatever the issue, the choice is clear. Who do you trust
to change America -- to renew timeless values like personal
responsibility? Who do you trust: The side with the courage to
stand for what may not be popular -- but is right? or the side
which talks a good game -- mouths the right rhetoric about values
-- but whose record, and example, make a mockery of their words?
WHITE HOUSE COMMCTR
MON 03 AUG 92 19:04
PG.01
6
Nowhere is trust more important than in the area I call real
peace -- the triumph of democracy, not merely the absence of war.
// Ask those who served from the Sedan to Saigon. You know that
real peace stems not from a care-free bus ride in the warmth of
the summer sun -- but from soul-searching walks in the shade of
peril. / The Soviet bear may be dead -- but there are a lot of
wolves left around the world. 11
That's why we need a President who knows what I learned in
World War -- and what Saddam Hussein learned last year: America
stands for the rule of law against the law of the jungle. /
Above all, it's why need a President who knows: If the best way
to ensure war is for America to be militarily weak -- the best
way to ensure peace is for America to be militarily strong.
This year one side says, almost unbelievably: America is
"ridiculed" around the world. / Our side says: Look at what
America has achieved over the last 3 and 1/2 years. / We helped
a wall crumble in Berlin. From Kuwait to Panama, helped free
those once enslaved. Helped Communi become a four-letter word:
D-E-A-D. Let me put it plain: You
e not wounded in vain.
You helped end the Cold War -- and
rica won. / America has
changed the world -- just as we're now ready to change America.
Here's a story about how we'll change it. One hundred and
eighty-eight days after Pearl, I enlisted in the Navy. It was the
day I graduated from high school, and Henry Stimson, then
Secretary of War, gave the Commencement Speech. He spoke words
that describe the American character: About how the American
WHITE HOUSE COMMCTR
MON 03 AUG 92 19:04
PG.02
7
soldier -- and I quote -- should be "Brave without being brutal,
self-confident without boasting, being part of an irresistible
might without losing faith an individual liberty."
For more than 200 years, America's veterans have engraved
that passage on America's soul. / Our task is now to help the
military build on the beginnings of the past 3 and 1/2 years.
Yes, our armed forces will be smaller -- thanks to less threat in
Europe and less fear of war. Yet our defense capacity will be
even greater, and here's why: Our victory in the Cold War allows
us to reduce defense spending -- but our commitment to vigilance
means we will not reduce our resolve. //
Earlier this year I cut our long range defense budget
prudently, sensibly. Apparently, those words don't appear in the
other side's dictionary. It's as if they never heard of the
strategy -- "Peace through Strength" -- which has helped reshape
the entire world. The other side proposes fully $60 billion in
defense cuts beyond what we deem responsible. On the Hill, its
lackeys want to gut our ability to update the ABM Treaty / harm
troop readiness by stealing $7 billion from operation and
maintenance / and, yes, to ravage SDI.
Here is my answer: I'm going to keep America safe -- keep
America strong -- make sure the defense budget is more than a
piggy bank for people who want to get busy beating swords into
pork barrels. / When the other side says: We're better off
without defenses -- I say: Remember the lessons of Desert Storm.
// When the Scuds came raining down, thank God we didn't have to
WHITE HOUSE COMMCTR
MON 03 AUG 92 19:05
PG.03
8
rely on some abstract theory of deterrence. Thank God we had the
technology to shoot those Scuds out of the sky. / Those trying
to kill SDI remind me of the definition of a cynic: "The man who
knows the price of everything and the value of nothing." / We
will push forward with SDI for the best of all reasons: When it
comes to national defense, finishing second means finishing last.
You see, I remember. I know what veterans have fought for.
I know the price you yourselves have paid. To weaken our
defenses in an unpredictable world today is to smear your
sacrifice in the war-torn world of yesterday. / I haven't done
that -- never will. You deserve a President who knows that
giving peace a chance doesn't mean taking a chance with peace.
Whatever the cost to me, I'm going to do what's right for
America. / Now that America's moral values -- liberty, honor,
personal responsibility -- are victorious around the globe -- why
in the world would we abandon them at home? //
We can not. As long as I am President, we will not. Let
the other side support values that are trendy and transitory.
I'm going to defend the values of those who fought in the swamps
and the deserts / those who lie in Arlington / those who endured
the wounds of war so that liberty might live. 11 Fellow
veterans, thank you for your support. Together, we'll keep a
sure compass. We'll put our ship of state in finest sailing
trim. We'll navigate our way to shining new horizons of renewal.
May God bless you all -- and the country we all fought to
preserve -- the United States of America.
Document No 342480
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE: August 3, 1992
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
10:00 A.M., TUES. /
AUGUST 4, 1992
SUBJECT: PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: DISABLED VETERANS RENO, NEVADA, WEDNESDAY,
AUGUST 5, 1992
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
HORNER
SKINNER
MCBRIDE
SCOWCROFT
MOORE
DARMAN
PETERSMEYER
BRADY
PORTER
BROMLEY
PROVOST
CALIO
SMITH
DEMAREST
YEUTTER
FITZWATER
FINDLAY
GRAY
KAUFMAN
HOLIDAY
McGROARTY
REMARKS:
Please provide comments on the attached directly to Dan McGroarty,
Room 122, x2930, with a copy to this office NO LATER THAN 10:00 A.M.,
TUESDAY, AUGUST 4, 1992. THANK YOU.
RESPONSE:
PHILLIP D. BRADY
Assistant to the President
and Staff Secretary
Ext. 2702
(Smith/Walters)
August 3, 1992
2 AUG 3 pl: 48
RENO
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: DISABLED VETERANS
RENO, NEVADA
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5, 1992
3:00 P.M.
It is a pleasure to renew old ties -- and greet new friends.
I want to thank Cleveland Jordan for that introduction. Thanks
to all of you who represent America's disabled veterans, their
families, and survivors -- fully 2.2 million strong. /
( (Before I came here, one of my grandkids asked how much
bravery I needed to fight in the war. / I said: "Almost as much
bravery as it takes for a Navy man to address an audience of
people from the Army, the Air Force, and the Marines. ") ) //
In that spirit, I bring you best wishes from my best friend.
( (Barbara and I were talking about coolness under fire. I said
the more I'm criticized, the more I turn it into humor. She
said, "At this rate, you'll soon be funnier than Jay Leno. ")
Last September, Barbara and I were honored to attend your
Salute to the Persian Gulf. Today, I'm proud to salute the
American Veteran. / The American Vet deserves safe streets / a
strong family valued.
sound economy / a world at peace. / You also believe -- and I
agree: America should serve those who also served their country.
That is why my Administration has never wavered: We must,
and will, ensure veterans' access to quality health care. / Two
years ago, we unveiled a National Commission to outline the
directed
future structure of VA medical facilities. I recall telling Ed
2
that
Derwinski: Our plan must not allow the closing of a single,
solitary medical center. //
Today, I can report to you: Not one VA hospital has been
closed because of review or lack of services. / What's more, we
have created specialized centers, funded new outpatient clinics,
and boosted our VA budget almost a billion dollars per year. By
putting veterans first -- we keep America first. I will continue
to fight for those who've fought from Verdun to Kuwait City. //
This year we hear a lot about change. And, sure, there are
things I'd like to change. Though maybe a better word is renewal
--- because no one knows better than the American veteran: The
changes we need must be based on principles that never change. //
Like you, my parents brought me up to understand that
mankind's fundamental moral standards were established by
Almighty God. / Our common law, our Constitution, and our Bill
of Rights are firmly rooted in this tradition -- the Judeo-
Christian tradition. / Only recently have we seen the rise of
legal theories and practices that reject our tradition. It's a
deeply disturbing trend -- and it is diametrically opposed to my
idea of the kind of change that's good for our country. /
Last month on a stage 2,700 miles from here, there was
another convention -- very different from this one. Now, I
didn't hear any of those speeches. I was up in the mountains
fishing -- where the air was clear, not hot. / But I understand
one of the speakers, known for his florid language, called me
"the captain of the ship of state." He didn't mean it as a
3
compliment -- but believe me: As a Navy man surrounded by fellow
vets -- the term suits me just fine. //
Whoever is chosen to pilot the ship of state must have a
reliable moral compass. // ( (This leads me to a remarkable
woman. Three years ago, I was on my way to address your
convention. You know what changed my plans. / It concerned a
husband, a father, an American hero. With us today is the wife
of Colonel Rich Higgins. Major Robin Higgins, on behalf of every
American, I admire you from the bottom of my heart. )) //
Like all of you, Colonel Higgins knew that the things worth
living for were also worth dying for. / I mean things like duty
/ honor / fidelity to country. / These are the values for which
you took up arms -- and bore our burden -- in the Argonne / in
Midway / Da Nang / the Persian Gulf. // Any President must
uphold them -- for as I see it, my job is more than managing the
economy, or even serving as Commander in Chief. It is to also
serve as moral leader of the Nation. An America without personal
responsibility is not America at all. /
Eight months ago, I stood aboard the USS Arizona in the
quiet of Pearl Harbor, and thought of heroes who didn't just
believe in good versus evil -- they lived it. / They would be
appalled by how this year a mother abandoned her baby in the
restroom of a Connecticut mall -- and how some want legislation
to help return that baby to his mother. / Yet the breakdown in
responsibility runs the spectrum: It's also present among those
4
who flaunt their wealth -- and who flout the law. Crime isn't
clean just because the crook wears a white collar. //
Americans will make a choice this year about economic
growth, and about keeping America safe and strong. But the
choice is about more than that: It is about renewing moral
strength, as well. Principles don't change from one day to the
next. Principles aren't driven by polls. Principles endure. /
This year, one side offers real change to make America One Nation
under God. The other wrote a 10,000 word platform and never once
mentioned the one word which counts most: God. /
You can see the differences of philosophy reflected in our
policies. As a baseball umpire might put it, "You make the call."
Consider our system of welfare. In too many cases, it's
holding people down -- not lifting them up. The key to reform is
personal responsibility. Yet on the other side of the debate are
interests that want to protect bureaucracy and spending -- even
if it means saying no to unwed mothers who want to get married.
It's time the system said yes: Yes to people like Sandra
Rosato, who worked and saved money for college because she didn't
want to leave a legacy of welfare for her kids. / The system
said her family couldn't continue to get benefits while she saved
money for school. She saved $4,000. I call that amazing. The
welfare bureaucrats? They called it fraud. / Something is wrong
here. That's why I aim to shake up the top-down bureaucratic way
of welfare and let our states find new ways that reward people
like Sandra. Let's reward work and responsibility. /
5
Next, let's take education. / We know that renewing
education depends on giving parents real freedom and real
responsibility to choose their kids' schools. The other side
tries to posture on behalf of parents -- but I don't think
they're fooling anyone. / Remember how Henry Ford used to tell
his customers they could have any color Model T they wanted -- as
long as it was black. The other side says parents can choose any
school for their kids -- as long as it's run by the government.
My plan is different -- it's called the G.I. Bill for
Children. Like the original G.I. Bill, my new bill offers
scholarships or vouchers for students to take to any qualified
school -- private, public, or religious. My plan preserves
religious freedom. So can another issue where there's a Grand
Canyon of a divide. According to the Gallup Poll, America is the
most religious Nation on earth. Sadly, one side this year thinks
it's fine to give condoms in school but not to say a prayer. I
disagree. So I again call on Congress to pass a Constitutional
Amendment restoring voluntary prayer to the classroom. Let's
bring the Faith of our Fathers back to our schools. //
Whatever the issue, the choice is clear. Who do you trust
to change America -- to renew timeless values like personal
responsibility? Who do you trust: The side with the courage to
stand for what may not be popular -- but is right? Or the side
which talks a good game -- mouths the right rhetoric about values
-- but whose record, and example, make a mockery of their words?
6
Nowhere is trust more important than in the area I call real
peace -- the triumph of democracy, not merely the absence of war.
// Ask those who served from the Sedan to Saigon. You know that
real peace stems not from a care-free bus ride in the warmth of
the summer sun -- but from soul-searching walks in the shade of
peril. / The Soviet bear may be dead -- but there are a lot of
wolves left around the world. //
That's why we need a President who knows what I learned in
World War -- and what Saddam Hussein learned last year: America
stands for the rule of law against the law of the jungle. /
Above all, it's why need a President who knows: If the best way
to ensure war is for America to be militarily weak -- the best
way to ensure peace is for America to be militarily strong.
This year one side says, almost unbelievably: America is
"ridiculed" around the world. / Our side says: Look at what
America has achieved over the last 3 and 1/2 years. / We helped
a wall crumble in Berlin. From Kuwait to Panama, helped free
those once enslaved. Helped Communism become a four-letter word:
D-E-A-D. Let me put it plain: You were not wounded in vain.
You helped end the Cold War -- and America won. / America has
changed the world -- just as we're now ready to change America.
Here's a story about how we'll change it. One hundred and
eighty-eight days after Pearl, I enlisted in the Navy. It was the
day I graduated from high school, and Henry Stimson, then
Secretary of War, gave the Commencement Speech. He spoke words
that describe the American character: About how the American
luing hear
stick Togetha
7
soldier -- and I quote -- should be "Brave without being brutal,
self-confident without boasting, being part of an irresistible
might without losing faith an individual liberty."
For more than 200 years, America's veterans have engraved
that passage on America's soul. / Our task is now to help the
military build on the beginnings of the past 3 and 1/2 years.
Yes, our armed forces will be smaller -- thanks to less threat in
Europe and less fear of war. Yet our defense capacity will be
even greater, and here's why: Our victory in the Cold War allows
us to reduce defense spending -- but our commitment to vigilance
means we will not reduce our resolve. //
Earlier this year I cut our long range defense budget
prudently, sensibly. Apparently, those words don't appear in the
other side's dictionary. It's as if they never heard of the
strategy -- "Peace through Strength" -- which has helped reshape
the entire world. The other side proposes fully $60 billion in
defense cuts beyond what we deem responsible. On the Hill, its
lackeys want to gut our ability to update the ABM Treaty / harm
troop readiness by stealing $7 billion from operation and
maintenance / and, yes, to ravage SDI.
Here is my answer: I'm going to keep America safe -- keep
America strong -- make sure the defense budget is more than a
piggy bank for people who want to get busy beating swords into
pork barrels. / When the other side says: We're better off
without defenses -- I say: Remember the lessons of Desert Storm.
// When the Scuds came raining down, thank God we didn't have to
8
rely on some abstract theory of deterrence. Thank God we had the
technology to shoot those Scuds out of the sky. / Those trying
to kill SDI remind me of the definition of a cynic: "The man who
knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.' " / We
will push forward with SDI for the best of all reasons: When it
comes to national defense, finishing second means finishing last.
You see, I remember. I know what veterans have fought for.
I know the price you yourselves have paid. To weaken our
defenses in an unpredictable world today is to smear your
sacrifice in the war-torn world of yesterday. / I haven't done
that -- never will. You deserve a President who knows that
giving peace a chance doesn't mean taking a chance with peace.
Whatever the cost to me, I'm going to do what's right for
America. / Now that America's moral values -- liberty, honor,
personal responsibility -- are victorious around the globe -- why
in the world would we abandon them at home? //
We can not. As long as I am President, we will not. Let
the other side support values that are trendy and transitory.
I'm going to defend the values of those who fought in the swamps
and the deserts / those who lie in Arlington / those who endured
the wounds of war so that liberty might live. // Fellow
veterans, thank you for your support. Together, we'll keep a
sure compass. We'll put our ship of state in finest sailing
trim. We'll navigate our way to shining new horizons of renewal.
May God bless you all -- and the country we all fought to
preserve -- the United States of America.
why any
- -14ukH dogether