Laura Bush's speech

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the First Lady
(Cincinnati, Ohio)
___________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release October 11, 2006


REMARKS BY THE FIRST LADY
AT A STEVE CHABOT FOR CONGRESS LUNCHEON

Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal
Cincinnati, Ohio

1:02 P.M. EDT

MRS. BUSH: Thank you so much, Congressman. Thank you, Steve, thank you for the very, very nice introduction and the warm welcome to Ohio. I want to thank Steve's wife, Donna, as well, who stood up a minute ago for us.

When your spouse is in politics, you're involved whether you want to be or not. So we know that successful politicians have families like Donna and Steve's mother, who stand with them and stay with them through every one of these campaigns, and really are the ones who are the support -- emotional support that they need when, like Steve talks about, you're in a campaign and you're being characterized in a way that you're not. So thank you, Donna, very much for your support for your husband. (Applause.)

I'm delighted to be with all of you today to support Steve Chabot's campaign for the United States Congress. A lifelong resident of Cincinnati, Steve cares deeply about the people of Ohio. And during his 12 years in the House, Congressman Chabot has distinguished himself as a passionate advocate for the families of the First District.

Steve is keeping Ohio's families safe through his support for Cincinnati's law enforcement. During his five years on the Cincinnati City Council, Steve worked closely with the police department to develop strong anti-crime initiatives -- programs that still protect Cincinnati from crime today.

In Congress, through his leadership on the House Judiciary Committee, Steve offered the Crime Victims Rights Act, the first federal legislation to define the rights of Americans affected by crime and to give the federal authorities the power to protect those rights. Thank you very much for that, Steve.

As Chairman of the House Subcommittee on the Constitution in the 109th Congress, Steve's leadership helped pass the Voting Rights Reauthorization Act, which President Bush signed into law this July. The fairness with which Congressman Chabot conducted hearings on the bill, and his commitment to protecting Ohioans' and Americans' civil rights have won him praise from both sides of the aisle.

Congressman Chabot is helping Ohio's families by ensuring that their tax dollars are spent wisely and responsibly. He supports the Presidential Line Item Veto, which will help eliminate unnecessary spending from the federal budget. Steve also supports President Bush's tax cuts, which have fueled our economy and have helped add 5.7 million new jobs since 2003. And that means 5.7 million more Americans wake up with the dignity and the sense of purpose that comes with a job.

There are few people more dedicated to creating jobs in Ohio than Congressman Chabot. Through his leadership on the House Small Business Committee, Steve has improved the business climate for Ohio entrepreneurs so that they can expand their companies and create more jobs for your state. He supports faith-based programs that offer job training to people on welfare, helping them learn to provide for themselves and their families. And in the 109th Congress, Steve supported the Job Training Improvement Act, legislation that provides counseling, skills training and information about the job market to help unemployed Americans get back to work.

Offering young people the hope of good employment is one of the most important things we can do for our children. Congressman Chabot has a long record of commitment to children and to young people. In Congress, he supported legislation to keep harmful drugs out of Cincinnati and other communities, and away from Cincinnati's young people. After college, while he was going to law school, Steve was a teacher at St. Joseph's Catholic Elementary School, just a few blocks from here. As a Congressman, he still loves visiting local schools, where he teaches children about being good citizens. And through his work to reduce the cost of student loans and to increase funding for Pell Grants, Steve is helping young people throughout Ohio realize the dream of a college education.

We all know, though, that the well-being of young people ultimately depends on adults' ability to keep them safe, as we've been reminded in recent weeks by the school shootings in Colorado, Wisconsin, and just recently in Pennsylvania. Families across the country are saddened and troubled by these attacks.

Yesterday the White House, in partnership with the Department of Education and the Department of Justice, hosted a National Conference on School Violence. The conclusions drawn from the conference will help affected communities heal in the wake of these tragedies, and will equip Americans with the information they need to ensure that their children can learn in safety.

But keeping young Ohioans safe also requires protecting them from foreign threats, by defeating terrorism and increasing liberty abroad.

Steve Chabot understands the needs of our troops at this crucial time in our country's history. He's introduced and helped pass legislation that improves benefits for service members' spouses and children. And in the House, Steve is a champion of the men and women of the United States military. (Applause.)

With us today are family members of four young men who were killed while serving in uniform. I've just met Shauna and Billie Moore, who lost their husband and son, Army Sergeant Benjamin Moore, when he died in a training accident at Fort Hood in 2003. I met Kathryn Dyer, the mother of Lance Corporal Chris Dyer; Carolyn and Greg Cifuentes, the parents of Corporal Michael Cifuentes; and Pat Murray and Ken Kreuter, the parents of Lance Corporal David Kreuter. Chris, Michael and David were killed by a roadside bomb while serving in Iraq in August 2005. They were members of the Ohio Marine Reserve Regiment that lost 20 young Marines in the same week last August. Every one of us salute these young men and their families, and we give their families our deepest respect and honor. (Applause.)

Thanks to the men and women in uniform, the people of Iraq are now free from the oppression of Saddam Hussein and are working to build a democratic future for their country. And in Afghanistan, women and girls can now be educated. It's hard for us to imagine a country that would prohibit half of its citizens from being educated. But now, little girls are in school all across Afghanistan.

All of us are so proud of the men and women who are deployed around the world defending our country overseas to make sure that our families are kept safe here in the United States.

Congressman Chabot's dedication to the people of Ohio, and his achievements, remind us of why he must be reelected to the United States Congress. Steve understands that America faces challenges too important to be reduced to simple politics.

President Bush has an ambitious agenda for the rest of his time in Washington, and he takes his responsibility to the American people very seriously.

Ending our dependence on foreign oil, reforming our immigration system, rebuilding the Gulf Coast, and keeping our country safe from terrorism are not easy tasks, but they're absolutely vital goals. To accomplish them, we must have serious national conversations, conducted with civility and respect. And Steve Chabot is a positive and powerful part of that dialogue.

This is just one reason why Steve is a wonderful leader for Ohio. When you look through his distinguished record of public service, you'll find many more.

Thank you all very much. Thank you for coming out to support Steve. Thank you for your generous support for his reelection. I urge you to redouble your efforts between now and November to make sure Steve Chabot is reelected to the United States Congress. Thank you all very much. (Applause.)

END 1:13 P.M.