Orlin Wagner STF

KANSAS CITY, Mo.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–

Kansas City Marriott Downtown

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much, Sam, for the warm welcome. It’s almost enough to make me want to run for office again. (Laughter.) I said, “almost.” (Laughter.) But I’m delighted to be here today and I want to thank Sam for his kind words and for the invitation. And I also want to thank the other elected officials we have with us, the state senators and representatives, who have taken time to join us today.

I’ve been in your fine city many times over the years. But whenever I come back to Kansas City, I can’t help but remember a very exciting week in 1976, when we had the Republican convention here and a great battle between President Gerald Ford and Governor Ronald Reagan. It was the last time Governor Reagan lost anything — (laughter) –but he made up for it later; four years later, we were all Reaganites. Sam explained to me as we were coming in this morning in my car, and I was talking about the ’76 convention, that in those days he was in the seventh grade. (Laughter.) It sort of put me in my place.

But anyway, we love Kansas City; it’s a great place. And over the years, we’ve had great support here. And we do deeply appreciate everything that you folks have done for us. And I bring good wishes this morning to all of you from the President of the United States, George W. Bush.

This morning at the White House, the President announced his nominee for Attorney General of the United States. He is Judge Michael Mukasey, who served many years on the federal bench, most recently as the Chief Judge of the district court in Manhattan. He is familiar with the Department of Justice and served several years before that as Assistant U.S. Attorney.

Widely respected across the political spectrum, he’s a man of integrity and judgment, and in his long career he’s shown a commitment to equal justice and faithful adherence to the Constitution and the laws of the land. The office of Attorney General of course has special significance in this time of war. The nation’s top law enforcement officer has a duty to ensure that the rights and freedoms of the American people are protected, and that includes freedom from the fear of terrorist attack. Judge Mukasey is a fine public servant who knows from experience the challenge that terrorism presents to our country. He has presided over some of the most significant terrorism prosecutions in the history of the nation. We look forward to this good man’s confirmation and to his stewardship of the Department of Justice.

Standing here today with Sam Graves and so many of our friends and supporters of course, I’m reminded that the President and I have received great support over the years from the people of Missouri. We campaigned hard across the state, and the voters here played a vital role in our two great victories on the Bush-Cheney ticket. And we’ll always be grateful for the people of the state of Missouri.

Sam mentioned that I served in the Congress for — elected six times. And of course Wyoming has a small delegation; there’s only one congressman. (Laughter.) But it was quality — (laughter) — but I have great respect and admiration for a member like Sam who does a superb job. And of course we’re all here today to make certain he gets reelected this year. Read more…

Related:

KMBC-TV Video Report: Click here

Prime Buzz: Take the money and run

Politico: Graves raises $275K at Cheney fundraiser

AP: Cheney touts surge in fundraising speech for Rep. Sam Graves

Comments

comments