For Immediate Release
Office of the First Lady
October 25, 2006

Mrs. Bush's Remarks at a Michele Bachmann for Congress and Republican Party of Minnesota Breakfast
Minneapolis Marriott Southwest
Minnetonka, Minnesota

10:05 A.M. CDT

MRS. BUSH: Thank you, Michele. Thank for that kind introduction. I'm so thrilled to have this chance to be here with you, and I want to thank everyone here for the warm welcome to Minnesota.

I want to acknowledge a few people in the crowd with us. We have Congressman Gil Gutknecht and Mary, who are here with us. They're going to go on. We're going to go to Rochester and do an event after this. Thank you all for joining us. He's the U.S. Representative from the 1st district in Minnesota. Congressman John Kline, the U.S. Representative from Minnesota's 2nd district, and his wife, Vicky, are here with us. Thank you so much for joining us. Debbie Kennedy, wife of Congressman and Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, Mark Kennedy -- Debbie, thanks so much for joining us. Kathryn Ramstad, wife of U.S. Representative Jim Ramstad from the 3rd district. And former U.S. Senator Rod Grams, candidate for Congress from the 8th district and his wife, Chris, are here with us, as well. Thank you so much for joining us.

And I especially want to recognize Dr. Marcus Bachmann, Michele's husband. When your spouse is in politics, you're involved -- (laughter) -- whether you want to be or not. And we know that successful politicians have spouses who stand with them and are with them all the time. So thank you, Dr. Bachmann, very much for your support. (Applause.)

And Dr. Bachmann is not the only member of the family. Michele's mother and even Michele's in-laws are here, along with three daughters. So thank you all very much for coming. Thank you for your support of Michele.

I'm delighted to be with you today to support Michele Bachmann's campaign for the United States Congress. Michele cares deeply about the people of Minnesota, and in Washington, she'll be a passionate advocate for the people of the 6th district.

Michele will bring to Congress the principles of efficiency and accountability that have defined her public service. She'll ensure that Minnesota's tax dollars are spent wisely and responsibly. During her six years in the State Senate, Michele has consistently supported initiatives to lower Minnesotans' taxes. She authored the Taxpayer Bill of Rights -- legislation that would limit state spending and curb tax increases, helping Minnesotans keep more of hard-earned money.

In Washington, Michele will support President Bush's tax cuts. (Applause.) These tax cuts have fueled our economy, and they've helped add more than 6.6 million new jobs since 2003. Here in Minnesota, your unemployment rate is a low 3.8. Congratulations to all of you. (Applause.) Those 6.6 million new jobs mean that 6.6 million more Americans wake up every morning with the dignity and the sense of purpose that comes with a job.

Michele Bachmann is committed to creating jobs for Minnesota. She's witnessed the challenges facing Minnesota businesses firsthand as her husband Marcus built from scratch a small business that now employs 30 people here in the 6th district. And through her leadership on the State Senate's Jobs, Energy, and Community Development Committee, Michele has improved the business climate for Minnesota entrepreneurs, so they can expand their companies and create more jobs for your state.

Offering young people the hope of good employment is one of the most important things we can do for our children. Another way we can help young people is by steering them away from risky behavior, and guiding them toward the knowledge and the self-respect they need to build successful lives.

Michele Bachmann has a strong record of commitment to young people. Michele is the mother of five children, and she and Marcus have welcomed into their home 23 foster children -- all who have gone on to graduate from high school. (Applause.) And in the State Senate, as a member of the Education Committee, Michele has led the effort to raise academic standards in Minnesota schools, improving opportunities for young people throughout your state. Thank you, Michele, for this very important work. (Applause.)

We all know, though, that the well-being of young people in Minnesota and throughout our country ultimately depends on our government's ability to keep them safe -- by defeating terrorism and increasing liberty abroad.

Michele understands the needs of our troops at this crucial time in our country's history. In the State Senate, she's been a passionate advocate for Minnesotans who've served our country in uniform, sponsoring legislation that kept the state from seizing and closing Washington County's Disabled Veterans' Rest Camp. And in Congress, Michele will be a champion of the men and women of the United States military. (Applause.)

Thanks to our troops, the Iraqi people 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 forbid half of its population from being educated. But now, little girls are in school all over Afghanistan. (Applause.)

All of us are proud of the men and women who are deployed around the world defending our country. Every day, thousands of these young men and women risk their lives overseas to make sure their families, and all of our families, are kept safe in the United States. Their love of our country, and of liberty, never wavers, and neither does their belief in their mission.

Many of these young men and women have given their lives for this belief. Around the country, President Bush and I meet with their families. In military hospitals, we meet with their fellow soldiers who've been wounded in combat. And from all our troops and their families, the President and I hear the same request: that we honor the sacrifice of these men and women by seeing their mission through. They ask the American people to stand with our troops until we've succeeded in securing Iraq, and the Iraqi people have a stable government that's an ally to the United States. (Applause.)

Michele Bachmann appreciates our troops. She understands that this election is critical to the future of our country. And she knows that America faces challenges too important to be reduced to just 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.

The right to have these conversations is part of what makes our country great, and our democracy strong. We must be mindful that people around the world are listening to these discussions. Responsible candidates understand that the men and women of our military are risking their lives for us overseas, and that we must conduct our debate here at home in a way that does not jeopardize our troops in harm's way. (Applause.) It's critical that all of us stand with Michele and our Republican candidates, since they're such a thoughtful and positive part of this dialogue.

Thanks to each and every one of you for your generous support of Michele Bachmann's campaign. And thanks especially to all the volunteers for your hard work making the phone calls and knocking on the doors. You've already done so much to help Michele, and in the next two weeks, she'll need more of your energy and enthusiasm. Go to the phone banks, knock on those doors, and talk to your neighbors about Michele Bachmann and all of Minnesota's great Republicans. They need your support, and our country needs them. (Applause.)

Thanks so much. Thank you all for coming out today. Thank you in advance for all the hard work you're going to do over the next two weeks to make sure Michele Bachmann and all of our candidates are elected on November 7th.

Thank you all very, very much. (Applause.)

END 10:16 A.M. CDT