On the recordOctober 31, 1992
Let me end on a very serious note, because on Tuesday we've got serious business. We have the privilege of going to the polls. And yes, I do believe character matters, not just because of the plans you make but because of the crises that you never foresee. The world is a much safer place today. And I am very proud that these kids here go to bed at night without the same fear of nuclear war that their parents had. I am very proud that there is democracy and freedom around the world where there used to be imperial communism. But let me tell you this: We've got to stay strong. The Soviet bear may be gone, but there's wolves out there in the woods. And you'd better have a leader who you can trust when it comes to making tough decisions. We have reached historic decisions to reduce and indeed eliminate nuclear weapons. But they've yet to be implemented. And just yesterday or the day before I talked to Boris Yeltsin, and I was reminded of how uncertain things can be in foreign lands. Imagine a year from today, if you pick up your newspaper in front of you and you see that there is a crisis around the world, imagine reading about an upheaval somewhere, or about a terrorist dictator getting ahold of a nuclear weapon. And then the question of character and trust becomes very, very important. And you have to ask yourself, do you want a leader that has proven himself in mettle, whether in battle or in making tough decisions, or do you want a leader about whose character we don't know near enough and who has no experience? I say choose experience and character. You know, when the next crisis occurs, whether it's domestic or international, the entire world is going to be looking to the American President. And Governor Clinton said in the debate, he said it's not the character of the President, he said, it's ``the character of the Presidency.'' Wrong. They are interlocked. We are judged by the character of the person in the White House and, to some degree, by the family in the White House. And thank God we have Barbara Bush. And in this one, I think we've got a great First Lady. We've got a great First Lady. Audience members. Barbara! Barbara! Barbara!
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