George H.W. Bush: “We've got two guys here today that are trying to do just that, Paul Harvey and Clyde Whitaker, so help them out. I might…”

“We've got two guys here today that are trying to do just that, Paul Harvey and Clyde Whitaker, so help them out. I might say, if we had more like Trent Lott and Thad Cochran, we wouldn't have this problem of a Congress that obstructs everything we're trying to do. You know, let me be very candid with you, Congress is an institution in gridlock. The liberal Democratic leadership has been in charge--it's hard for these young people to believe--but has been in charge of the House of Representatives for 38 straight years. The gridlocked Democratic Congress has blocked my jobs program, blocked my education program, and blocked the progress of the people of Gulfport, Mississippi. They are caught in a knot of PAC's and perks and privileges and paralysis. Let me give you one example: It took us, with the help of many sons and daughters of Mississippi, 43 days, 43 days to win the Gulf war, while Congress has taken 533 days, and still counting, to give us a national energy policy to cut our dependence on foreign oil. That is gridlock. That is congressional gridlock. As I said, I've ridden station- ary bikes that can move faster than the U.S. Congress. Make no mistake about it: We are not going to let the Clinton-Gore ticket fool the American people. The Clinton-Gore ticket and the gridlocked Congress are totally interlocked. One is C-G, and the other is G-C: Clinton-Gore, gridlocked Congress. But don't let them try to separate themselves from each other. They are one and the same, even though they tried to hide the leaders away at their Madison Square convention. Now, let me give you one example of what I'm talking about. When Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, I turned to the American people--and no area of our country responded better than the people of Mississippi--I turned to the American people and asked for their support, and of course, to our young men and women, for sacrifice, before the Middle East became a nuclear powder keg threatening us all. Mississippi responded, and you made America proud. But many of the liberal Democrats in Congress stood against us. As I said last night, what about the leader of the Arkansas National Guard, the man who hopes to be Commander in Chief? Let me repeat it for you. Two days after Congress voted to follow my lead, my opponent said this, and I want to be fair about it, so I'll give you the exact quotation: ``I guess I would have voted with the majority if it was a close vote, but I agree with the arguments the minority made.'' What kind of message would that send to a man like Saddam Hussein? You talk about wishy-washy indecision that is offered up by both my opponent and the gridlocked Congress; they are one and the same. So if you want to see this country go forward with optimism, first send Bill Clinton back to Arkansas, but just as important, help me shake up that gridlocked Congress and get rid of them. Speaking for this district, you can do it by electing a seasoned leader, General Paul Harvey, to represent you in the Congress. I told the general I was going to make a joke about his providing ``the rest of the story.'' But I'm sure you heard this kind of kidding. I'm sure he's heard it about 3,000 times every day. Our crusade, and it is one, will not be easy. And I know that. But I'm absolutely certain that in November we will prevail. Two weeks ago, they were totally writing off the Bush-Quayle ticket, all those smart talking heads on television. We are going to take it to the American people. We're going to the people with our message. For 9 months the Governor of Arkansas has been distorting my record. I don't care what the polls say, I'm going to take this case to the American people like Truman did, go against the Congress, go against the opponent, say what I'm for. God bless the United States of America. We are going to win this race. Thank you all. Note: The President spoke at 12:25 p.m. in Jones Park. In his remarks, he referred to Gov. Kirk Fordice; Senators Trent Lott and Thad Cochran; Ken Combs, Mayor of Gulfport; and entertainer Ricky Scaggs.”