Dallas, Texas Remarks at a Dallas County Democratic Committee Voter Registration Rally.

Senator Bentsen, Lieutenant Governor Hobby, Congressman Jim Mattox, Congressman Martin Frost—I see a lot of campaigners in here for him—Chairman Billy Goldberg, Commissioner Ray Orr, Chairman David Carlock, who's done such a good job in preparing for this event, Chairman Estil Vance, and many other great Democrats:

I want to ask you one question. How many of you believe we're going to whip the Republicans in November? [Applause] Right on. Absolutely. And the reason for that is that the Democratic Party—what we have done, what we are doing, what we will do—is compatible with the finest ideals of the American Nation of which we are so proud.

The Democratic Party believes that our Nation ought to stay at peace through strength. Our Nation will stay strong. I know how Texans feel and what you believe in and what your commitments are. and I know the depth of your patriotism and the height of your aspirations for our country.

Ours is a nation that has always believed in a strong defense, and for 8 years, before I was elected President with your help, we saw a steady downward trend in our Nation's commitment to defense. Our Nation must be strong in its ability to preserve freedom, because that is the best way for us to stay at peace—for all those who believe in us, our allies and our own people, and all those who might want to challenge us to know that any challenge would be doomed to failure, because America is so unified and so strong. And that's the way the Democrats are going to keep this country.

I might point out that we have dealt with some very difficult issues. We've not only been satisfied with peace for ourselves; we've tried to strengthen NATO, we've tried to bring in the Middle East two nations and their people, who have hated each other for more than 30 years, to sit down in a spirit of friendship and cooperation around the bargaining table and work out their apparently insurmountable differences between them.

We've opened up new friendships with more than a fourth of the total population on Earth—the People's Republic of China. At the same time, we have kept our trade going and building and our friendships firm with the people of Taiwan. We've had good relationships to the north with Canada and to the south with Mexico. We've treated the Latin American countries as our equals, because they are.

And we've respected the rights of all people throughout the world. Our commitment to human rights will never change, and that's what we believe in.

And I would like to point out to you that with the exception of eight brave Americans who gave their lives in an accident in the desert of Iran, we have not had a single American life lost in combat since I've been President, and I pray God we'll keep it that way.

Let me point out, too, that my ancestors and your ancestors have always been willing to invest themselves in peace. Today is the first day of registration for our young men, to make sure that in the future, if we are challenged, we will be able to defend ourselves. We do not anticipate departing from a full-volunteer military force. We are registering today just in case we are challenged in the future. But that's the best way to make sure that we will be strong.

Our Nation is not only strong militarily; we are strong economically. As a matter of fact, all of you know that our country is the strongest nation militarily, economically, politically, and I believe, morally and ethically as well. We believe in and fight for our principles, and they'll never change.

As you know, we had an OPEC oil embargo against us beginning in 1973, and all the way through until 1977, the previous Republican administration did absolutely nothing to protect our Nation from its overly dependent posture and vulnerability about a 12,000-mile uncertain pipeline from one of the most troubled areas of the world. Under the leadership of men like Martin Frost, Jim Mattox, Lloyd Bentsen, the Congress has now put into effect a sound energy policy for our country. And already, in just a short 3 years, we have reduced the amount of foreign oil that we import every day by 1 1/2 million barrels. We're making progress. We're going to continue, with the help of Texas.

I think the American people—even including the Communist Workers Party, who is shouting back here in the audience-recognize that our Nation is one that believes in human beings. We make our major investment in people, because we are a party not only of competence and commitment but we are also a party of compassion. We believe that when God makes a human being and gives that person a certain amount of talent aud ability, that that talent and ability ought to be nourished and improved and each citizen of this great country ought to have a chance to stand on one's own feet, to make one's own judgments, and to bear part of the responsibilities of full citizenship. We don't believe in permanent dependence on the Federal Government. We believe in helping people, with a hand, to stand on their own feet.

And the last thing I would like to say to you is this: The Democratic Party, in the finest sense of the word, believes in people. We don't forget who put us in office, and we don't forget who can take us out of office if we don't measure up to your expectations. As you all remember, 5, 6, 7, 8 years ago, our Nation was embarrassed by divisive war; we were embarrassed in the Oval Office itself by Watergate. The people felt that they could not trust public officials. The truth was not always told to you even by the highest officials in our own Government. That time has changed.

I don't claim to you that the Democratic Party is perfect; I don't claim to you even that the United States of America is perfect. But we always strive to face issues without fear. We are not afraid of open debate. We are not afraid to let differences be aired. We are not afraid to analyze our own thoughts and our own failures and our own troubles, and we are never afraid to strive to overcome those obstacles and overcome those difficulties and answer those tough questions, together as a united people. As a matter of fact, at this time, even though we do face problems with unemployment and inflation and sometimes energy shortages, compared to previous people, generations before us, even compared to some previous years in our own lives, we are blessed far beyond any other people on Earth.

I've been to Berlin, and I've seen the Berlin Wall. On one side are Communists in East Berlin. The wall was not built to keep people from going into East Germany; the wall was built by the East Germans as a prison for their own people, because they want to escape from communism and come to the United States.

And there's also a Communist government not very far from our own shores in Cuba. You don't see a bunch of boats lined up in the United States for people trying to escape to Cuba, right? And there's a Communist government in Southeast Asia, the Vietnamese, occupying Kampuchea—hundreds of thousands of people trying to escape from communism to freedom.

And the same applies in Afghanistan, where the Soviet Union has invaded a small, relatively defenseless, deeply religious country that was no challenge to anyone. Nine hundred thousand freedom loving people have escaped Afghanistan into Pakistan and Iran. They're escaping from communism to freedom, not from freedom to communism.

So, in spite of the fact that we are not a perfect nation, we've got a lot to be thankful for. And as we read in the newspapers and watch the television and listen to the radio, we hear about the arguments and the debates; we hear about the temporary inconveniences; we hear about the disappointments; we hear about the questions that haven't yet been answered; we hear about the problems that we've not yet solved; and we hear about the obstacles that we've not yet overcome. But our Nation has never failed to answer a question, to solve a problem, or to overcome an obstacle when our American people were united and when we saw the obstacle clearly and the goals we wanted to reach.

We live in the greatest nation on Earth. And with your help and all those who believe in the principles of our Nation and our Democratic Party, we're going to be an even greater nation in the future with a tremendous victory in November.

Thank you very much. God bless you all. Thank you.