Thats what I admire most about the President: He is a man of perseverance. Hes a man of inner strength. Hes a leader who doesnt flinch, who doesnt waiver, and does not back down.
My fellow Americans -- My fellow Americans, make no mistake about it: Terrorism is more insidious than communism, because it yearns to destroy not just the individual, but the entire international order. The President did not go into Iraq because the polls told him it was popular. As a matter of fact, the polls said just the opposite. But leadership isnt about polls. Its about ma -- Its about making decisions you think are right and then standing behind those decisions. Thats why America is safer with George W. Bush as President.
He knows -- He knows you dont reason with terrorists. You defeat them. He knows you cant reason with people blinded by hate. You see, they hate the power of the individual. They hate the progress of women. They hate the religious freedom of others. And they hate the liberating breeze of democracy. But ladies and gentlemen, their hate is no match for Americas decency.
We are -- We are the America that sends out the Peace Corps volunteers to teach our village children. We are the America that sends out the missionaries and doctors to raise up the poor and the sick. We are the America that gives more than any other country to fight AIDS in Africa and the developing world. And we are -- And we are the America that fights not for imperialism but for human rights and democracy.
You know, when the Germans brought down the Berlin Wall, Americas determination helped wield the sledgehammers. And when the lone, young Chinese man stood in front of those tanks in Tiananmen Square, America stood with him. And when Nelson Mandela smiled in election victory after all those years in prison, America celebrated, too.
We are still the lamp lighting the world, especially [for] those who struggle. No matter in what labor camp they slave, no matter in what injustice theyre trapped, they hear our call; they see our light; and they feel the pull of our freedom.
They come here as I did because they believe. They believe in us. They come because their hearts say to them, as mine did, "If only I can get to America." You know, someone once wrote: "There are those who say that freedom is nothing but a dream." They are right. Its the American dream.
No matter the nationality, no matter the religion, no matter the ethnic background, America brings out the best in people. And as Governor -- as Governor of the great state of California, I see the best in Americans every day -- I see the best in Americans everyday -- our police, our firefighters, our nurses, doctors, and teachers, our parents.
And what about the extraordinary men and women who have volunteered to fight for the United States of America. I have such great respect for them and their heroic families.
Let me tell you about a sacrifice and the commitment that I have seen firsthand. In one of the military hospitals I visited, I met a young guy who was in bad shape. Hed lost a leg; he had a hole through his stomach, and his shoulder had been shot through, and the list goes on and on and on.
I could tell that there was no way he could ever return to combat. But when I asked him, "When do you think youll get out of the hospital?" He said to me, "Sir, in three weeks." And you know what he said to me then? He said he was going to get a new leg, and then he was going to get some therapy, and then he was going to go back to Iraq and fight alongside his buddies. And you know what he said to me then? You know what he said to me then? He said, "Arnold, Ill be back!"