Colin Powell's Speech at the Republican Convention in 2000
/Originally published by ABC NEWS July 31, 2000, Monday
Copyright 2000 American Broadcasting Companies, Inc.
ABC NEWS
SHOW: ABC 2000: THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION (10:00 PM ET)
PETER JENNINGS, anchor:
Welcome back to our prime time convention coverage of the Republican
convention here in Philadelphia. Down, honest Democratic city, for the
most part. If you'd been around here earlier today, you'd have seen all
the engineers and the unions with T-shirts on saying they were
Republicans for a week. But there is a real enthusiasm and an unusual
sense of inclusion, at least on the floor of this Republican convention
so far as we take another look at it. In just a moment, the party's
going to hear from Colin Powell, who is, as I said, the highest ranking
African-American in the party. Just a short while ago, we took note
again that Kweisi Mfume, the head of the NAACP, wanted to speak at the
Republican convention here and he was turned down so they could come
here and be seen, they'd be very welcome to that, but not necessarily
heard. And they wanted us to say tonight, as they want everybody to
understand tonight, that they had been officially insulted.
But now George W. Bush, out on the campaign trail, to interview Colin Powell--introduce Colin Powell.
Governor GEORGE W. BUSH: The crowds have been big and the enthusiasm
even bigger. Now I'm in Westerville, Ohio and I cannot wait to stand
before you on Thursday night and tell America how I want to use these
good times for great purposes. Tonight, you heard from the best speaker
in our family, my wife Laura. Watching her speak tonight, seeing her
grace and strength, reminded me just how much I love her. It also
reminded me of a true story. When I asked Laura to marry me, not on our
first date, by the way, but pretty shortly thereafter, she was a public
school librarian, as you just learned. She knew I was getting ready to
run for the United States Congress and she said she would marry me so
long as she never had to give a speech. I know you're as glad as I am
that she didn't hold me to that promise. Laura's been a fabulous first
lady of Texas. One of the very best reasons I can think of to vote for
me for president is to have Laura Bush as first lady of the United
States of America.
We've welcomed many distinguished guests to our home in Austin, Texas,
during the last few years, including our next speaker, one of the most
respected and admired men in America. General Colin Powell is working
to open the door--General Powell is working to open the door of
opportunity to every child in America as chairman of America's Promise.
He's rallying a new set of troops, the caring citizens of our country,
and encouraging them to become mentors and role models for our young
people. General Powell served as Ronald Reagan's national security
advisor and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under President
George Bush. And I hope his greatest service to America might still lie
ahead. Please join me in welcoming General Colin Powell.
JENNINGS: This is the second time that General Powell has been given
this very prominent position to talk to a Republican convention. As
Michel Martin, our correspondent on the floor, pointed out a little
earlier, there are a great many more African Americans, black Americans
here, many more minorities here than there were four years ago.
Question for many people here is whether or not the Republican Party
does, in some way, use General Powell to send a message of
inclusiveness that he may or may not wholeheartedly agree with, which
is one of the things you will want to listen to and for this evening.
General COLIN POWELL (Retired, Former Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff):
Thank you, thank you. Thank you. All right, thank you. Thank you very
much, ladies and gentlemen. Oh, thank you for that very, very warm,
warm welcome. It's a great pleasure to be with you all this evening.
Ladies and gentlemen, my fellow Republicans, it's a wonderful evening
here tonight. And President and Mrs. Bush, a special, special good
evening to you, sir. Good to be with you again. And I'm very pleased to
be here with my old boss, Dick Cheney, and Lynn Cheney. I used to call
him Mr. Secretary, and soon I'll be calling him Mr. Vice President. I
like that.
I want to thank Governor Bush for that very, very kind introduction and
I am deeply honored again to have the privilege of addressing a
Republican National Convention. In San Diego in 1996, I followed former
first lady Nancy Reagan to the lectern after her moving tribute to
President Reagan. I am delighted this time to follow Laura Bush, a lady
of passion, dedication and grace. She will be a great first lady. Do
you agree with me or not? She'll be great.
During the almost seven years since I retired from the Army, I've
traveled all across America. I've seen people hard at work providing
for their families, giving of themselves, taking care of each other.
I've seen them creating wealth for the nation, I've seen an economy
transforming itself, to seize the promise of the information
revolution. I've met so many of our fellow citizens who believe in
America to the depths of their heart and who are doing everything they
can in their communities to make our nation that more perfect union
spoken of in our Constitution. I've been moved yet again to stand in
awe of the American dream, which was given birth in this city over 200
years ago, a dream that I have been privileged to live. I've met so
many young people who believe in a dream. They're on a road to success,
they're being raised in strong families, going to good schools, going
to the finest universities, graduating and then going on to find their
place and fortune in this blessed land of ours. Even the youngest of
them, still in elementary school, are getting ready for the future,
using computers, logging on to the Internet, while still enjoying the
magic of childhood by curling up with a Harry Potter book.
There is so much that is so good and right in America tonight, my
friends, that we ought to be very, very proud of this wonderful country
of ours. And yet--and yet I cannot ignore and we cannot ignore other
things I've seen in my travels. I've seen poverty, I've seen failing
communities, I've seen people who've lost hope. Tragically, I've seen
too many young Americans who are overwhelmed by the daily struggle just
to survive. I've seen kids destroying themselves with drugs, kids who
see violence and crime as their answer to hopelessness, kids who no
longer believe in themselves and who don't see a reason to believe in
America. I've seen kids in utter despair. I've visited kids in jail
doing adult time for the crimes they've committed. They are part of a
growing population of over two million Americans behind bars. Two
million convicts, not consumers. Two million Americans who are paying
for their crimes, are not paying taxes, are not there for their
children and are not raising families. Most of them are men and the
majority of those men are minorities. The issue of race still casts a
shadow over our society. Despite the impressive progress we have made
over the last 40 years to overcome this legacy of our troubled past, it
is still with us. So, with all the success we've enjoyed, and with all
the wealth we've created, we have much more work to do and a long way
to go to bring the promise of America to every single American.
And with all we have to do on our national agenda, I am convinced that
to deliver on that promise, we must begin with our children. So many of
the problems we worry about go back to how we raised our children. The
problem is as simple and as direct as this. We either get back to the
task of building our children the way we know how or we're going to
keep building jails in America, and it's time to stop building jails in
America and get back to the task of building our children! Listen.
Listen. And listen, listen, listen very carefully. Our children are not
the problem. They are our future. They are America's promise. The
problem is us, if we fail to give them what they need to be successful
in life, the burden is on us, not on our children. That mission--that
mission of providing for our children has become the passion of my life
because what I've seen over the last several years convinces me of the
following truths: one, that if you want to solve our drug problem, you
won't do it by trying to cut off supply and arresting pushers on the
street corners alone. It will only be solved when we place into the
heart of every child growing up in America the moral strength never to
fall for the destructive lure of drugs. The strength only--we will only
solve and cure this plague of drugs is when we have given to each and
every one of our children the strength to just say, and you've heard it
before, just say no, not me, I won't do it. I've got too much to live
for, I'll never do drugs. And that's what we owe our children, to give
them that strength to fight against the the scourge of drugs.
I believe--I believe that if you want to solve the problem of violence
and crime in our streets, it begins with us, teaching children to value
life, their own and others, and to have respect for themselves and to
have respect for others. If you want young people to become
contributing citizens and not convicts, then early in life, we must
give them the character and the confidence they need to succeed in this
exciting new world that we are laying out before them. And it begins in
the home. It begins with caring, loving parents and family members who
pass on the virtues of past generations, who live good lives which
serve as models for their children. Children learn from watching the
adults in their family in their lives.
Graphics:
Colin Powell
Born in Harlem, New York Raised in the South Bronx, New York Degree in
Geology from CCNY MBA George Washington University Served 2 tours of
duty in Vietnam Awarded: 2 Purple Hearts, Bronze Star, Soldiers Medal
and the Legion of Merit 1972 awarded White House fellowship
Gen. POWELL: And where the family is broken or where the family is not
up to the task, the rest of us must step in to help as mentors, tutors,
foster parents, friends to kids who desperately need responsible adults
to show them the way. Tens of thousands of our neighbors have already
stepped forward. Tens of thousands who realize that our children are a
gift from God, not only to their parents, but to all of us. They belong
to us all. We are all responsible for them.
We need to provide a safe place for those kids to learn and to grow.
More clubs and after-school programs to protect them from the dangers
that exist in our society and on our streets. We need to surround them
with more adults in these clubs who will keep them in play. We are
obliged to make sure that every child gets a healthy start in life.
With all of our wealth and capacity, we just can't stand by idly. We
must make sure that every child in America has access to quality health
care. We owe them nothing less. It has to be done. It is our
responsibility to do that for our children.
As we are giving these necessities and other necessities to our
children, let's ask them to also give something back to the community
of which they're a part. Early in life, help them learn of the joy that
comes from giving to others. Help them learn that through service to
others, service to community, they will put virtues in their heart that
will make them absolutely beautiful adults when they grow up and that
what's important in life is giving to others, not whether you're
sneakers cost more than someone else's sneakers. That's the kind of
value and virtue we have to put into the heart of our children. Let our
children be part of the solution. With character in their hearts, with
nurturing adults in their lives, our youngsters will be ready for the
schooling that will give them the education needed to win those jobs of
the future.
There's work for all of us here to do, parents, aunts, uncles,
teachers, the government at all levels, the private sector, our great
non-profits, our houses of worship, all joining in the crusade to point
kids in the right direction of life. And tonight, we focus on
education, the keystone to it all. Governor Bush has rightly made
children and education the centerpiece of his campaign for president.
You heard him say it earlier. We can't leave any child behind! Every
child--every child deserves and must receive a quality education
because when you give a quality education to a child who believes in
himself or herself, then even with the bleakest beginning in life, that
child can make it. And once that child makes it and gets out into the
workplace and is earning a decent living, you have broken the cycle of
poverty and failure for that family forever. Education is the key to
breaking that cycle of poverty and failure.
So many--so many, many of our public schools are doing a fine job
preparing our youngsters. I have been given no greater honor than to
have had four public schools named after me, an honor that is greater
than any medals I have received. In those four schools and so many
others that I've visited, you've never seen better facilities, you've
never seen more dedicated teachers, you've never seen more involved
parents. It makes your heart pound with pride to see those great
schools that we have in America. But I've also seen too many schools
that are failing. They are trapped in fossilized bureaucracies,
bureaucracies that have low expectations for children and consequently
set low standards for them. These schools are failing our children and
they must be fixed and they must be fixed now!
You know, if we truly believe, if we truly believe they're all our
children, that all of us must be willing to spend more to repair our
schools and spend more to pay our teachers better, then we must also be
open to new ideas. Let's not be afraid of standardized testing for
students. Let's not be free--afraid of testing teachers'
qualifications. Let's not be afraid of charter schools. Let's not be
afraid of using private scholarship money to give poor parents a choice
that wealthy parents have. Let's not be afraid of home schooling. Let's
experiment prudently with school voucher programs to see if they help.
What are we afraid of? Let's use innovation and competition, good old
American innovation, good old American competition, to help give our
children the best education possible. Why? You know, we invite skilled
workers to come to America from all over the world to fill the good
jobs that are waiting here. I think that's great. Immigration is part
of our life's blood, it's part of the essence of who we are as
Americans. I am the son of immigrants. But I also want our kids here
educated and trained for those jobs. We owe it to them and we've got to
get on with the task right now.
Governor Bush has shown in Texas, in just a few short years, what can
be done for education. As governor, he ended social promotions for
kids. He increased state funding by $ 8 billion. He put next textbooks
in every school in the state of Texas. He strengthened standardized
testing in all Texas public schools. He insisted on teacher competency
and he expanded the charter school movement. Seventeen thousand Texas
kids are now in charter school. Seventy-eight percent of those kids are
minorities. Their parents had a choice and they decided what was best
for their children. And the results, the results in Texas have been
dramatic. The number of students in Texas passing all parts of the
standardized tests since 1994 when Governor Bush came into the office,
the number has increased by 51 percent. Even--even more exciting, even
more exciting, the number of minority students passing the tests has
increased by 89 percent. That's what we can do for our children. He
hasn't stopped there. He hasn't stopped there. To insure diverse
college population with the loss of Affirmative Action, Governor Bush
has guaranteed acceptance at public universities to the top 10 percent
of every high school graduating class in the state. And above all,
above all, he has insisted on accountability for results. That will
tell us whether we're getting our money's worth.
You see, Governor Bush--Governor Bush has shown us that it works. It
all comes together. Governor Bush doesn't just talk about reform, he
reforms and he has done it in Texas with education. Governor Bush now
offers the leadership that he has demonstrated in Texas to the nation.
In pursuing educational reform as well as in all other parts of his
agenda for Texas, Governor Bush has reached out to all Texans, white,
black, Latino, Asian, Native American. He has been successful in
bringing more and more minorities into the tent by responding to their
deepest needs. Some call it compassionate conservativism. To me, it's
just caring about people. I believe he can do the same thing as
president. I'm convinced he'll bring to the White House that same
passion for inclusion. I know that he can help bridge our racial
divides. I know that.
Recently--recently, Governor Bush addressed the annual meeting of the
NAACP. He spoke to the delegates about his plans for housing and health
and educational programs to help all Americans. He also spoke the truth
to the delegates when he said that the party of Lincoln has not always
carried the mantle of Lincoln. I talked with him again today and I know
that with all his heart, Governor Bush welcomes the challenge. He wants
the Republican Party to wear that mantle again. But he knows, and I
know, and all of you must know that it's going to take hard work. He
knows that that mantle will not simply be handed over, that it will
have to be earned. The party must follow the governor's lead in
reaching out to minority communities and particularly the
African-American community, and not just during an election year
campaign. My friends, if we're serious about this, it has to be a
sustained effort. It must be every day and it must be for real. The
party must listen to and speak with all leaders of the black community,
regardless of political affiliation or philosophy. We must understand,
my friends, we must understand that there's a problem for us out there.
We must understand the cynicism that exists in the black community. The
kind of cynicism that has created, when, for example, some in our party
miss no opportunity to roundly and loudly condemn Affirmative Action
that helped a few thousand black kids get an education, but you hardly
hear a whimper when it's Affirmative Action for lobbyists who load our
federal tax code with preferences for special interest. It doesn't
work. It doesn't work. You can't make that case. Overcoming the
cynicism and mistrust that exists and raising up that mantle of
Lincoln's about more--it's much more about than just winning votes. It
is about giving all minorities a competitive choice. They deserve that
choice. And if we give them that choice, it will be good for our party,
but above all, it will be good for America, and we need to work to give
them that choice.
Good for America. That must be the measure for all that we do. I
believe that's the measure that Governor Bush will use to guide his
actions as president. Whether it's economic policy or military strategy
or seeing what we can do to make our American family more inclusive, he
will always try to do that which is good and right for America.
JENNINGS: Colin Powell, coming here to speak on behalf of Governor
Bush, certainly hitting lots of Mr. Bush's campaign themes, including
the promise of America to every American and taking an opportunity
there to make the point that he made at the convention four years ago.
He doesn't want to hear the whining and the complaining and the booings
he heard four years ago when he talks about issues that are dear to his
heart but not necessarily a part of the Republican Party platform.