President George W. Bush makes remarks at the Max M. Fisher National Republican Award Dinner at Laurel Manor in Livonia, Michigan, on June 25, 2008.
President Bush: I know that you're concerned about rising gasoline prices, and so am I. I've repeatedly proposed ways to boost America's domestic oil supply. The Democrats have rejected virtually all of them.It puts them in an interesting position. They say they want lower prices at the pump, but they're against measures that would actually do that. You might say when it comes to energy policy, the Democrats in Congress are running on empty. (Laughter and applause.) …
Republicans aspire to build a society where every human being is welcomed in life and protected in law. We funded crisis pregnancy centers and supported parental notification laws.
We outlawed the cruel practice of partial-birth abortion, and we defended this good law all the way to the Supreme Court -- and we won. (Applause.)
And that victory shows how important it is to put good judges on the bench. Republicans have made it-- they made it clear what our view is about the judiciary, the role of our courts in our democracy. We believe that judges should strictly interpret the law, and not legislate from the bench. We need more judges like Justice Sam Alito and Chief Justice John Roberts. (Applause.)
And we recently received a fresh reminder of the importance of the courts. A bare majority of five Supreme Court Justices overturned a bipartisan law that Congress passed and I signed to deliver justice to the detainees at Guantanamo Bay. With this decision, hardened terrorists now enjoy the same legal rights previously reserved for Americans.
This is precisely the kind of judicial activism that frustrates the American people. And the best way to change it is to put Republicans back in charge of the United States Senate, and John McCain in the White House. (Applause.)