For Immediate Release
Office of the First Lady
September 2, 2008

Mrs. Bush's Remarks to Colorado and Idaho Delegations
Brit's Restaurant
Minneapolis, Minnesota

8:58 A.M. CDT

MRS. BUSH: Thanks, everybody. Thank you all. I just wanted to have this chance to drop by and encourage you, encourage you to go back home to Colorado and Idaho and turn everybody out, and carry your states for John McCain and Sarah Palin.

I'm so excited to have this chance to vote for a Republican woman. I didn't think I'd get a chance so soon. (Applause.) And I think Colorado is very, very important, as you know, to this election, and I want you all to work really hard, and let all your -- everyone know. I think John McCain can win Colorado. He's a Westerner. I think he's -- (applause.) He's a neighbor of your state, as well, and I think he has a really good chance there. But I do think we're going to have to work really hard. We can't take Colorado for granted. And so I want to encourage you all to go back home and sign up everybody you know and encourage them to vote for John.

His story is such a great American story, and I think it's a story that will appeal to people from Colorado, who appreciate patriotism and who really understand strength, like all those Western -- Westerners do. And so I want to encourage you to go home and really talk him up and turn everybody out there in Colorado.

I see so many friends as I look around the room. It's fun to see you all. And I want to thank you all also for your support for George and me, and your friendship. And we've had a really unbelievable eight years. We've had a lot of challenges, but we've also had a lot of successes. And one -- just one in the newspaper yesterday was turning over Anbar province to the Iraqi troops, which is pretty terrific. (Applause.)

Later today I'm going to go to the ONE Campaign, which is one of the campaigns that's -- actually one of Bono's, the rock singer's -- U2 singer's campaign about development in countries, reduction of poverty, and treatment of HIV/AIDS and malaria. And as you all know, that's one thing that I've done a lot of when I've traveled to Africa, and that is, been able to express the generosity of the American people through PEPFAR, the President's Emergency Relief for Aids, and PMI, the President's Malaria Initiative, where now almost 2 million people in sub-Saharan Africa are on antiretrovirals, thanks to the generosity of the people of the United States.

So Cindy McCain has already spent her life and her whole career working on these very same issues. Just this summer while she was campaigning with John McCain, she's been to Rwanda. She was in Rwanda with the World Food Program. She's been to Vietnam this summer with Operation Smile, the -- you know, the program that brings doctors to repair cleft palates for children. She's been to Kosovo. She just got back from Tbilisi, Georgia, where she was with the World Food Program after the Russians bombed Georgia.

And I'm just so proud of her. I think she'll make such a really beautiful face for the United States -- (applause) -- literally, because she is a beautiful woman, but also because of her care and her concern and her real expertise in helping developing countries. And I think that all of PEPFAR and PMI and what Cindy McCain will be able to do are the things that let people around the world know what Americans are really like.

And so, thank you all. Thanks for working hard. Tonight I think we're going to get to have a real night at the convention, and thank you all for your understanding yesterday as we -- everybody came from all over the country, all the delegates, for a fun party last night for the opening, and instead, of course, we all kept our eyes on the Gulf Course, as we should have and as I know everyone understands. But tonight I think we're going to get to go back to the regular program.

So I want to encourage everybody to go home, redouble your efforts, carry Colorado and Idaho -- (applause) -- for John McCain and Sarah Palin. (Applause.) Thank you, all. God bless you, all. Thank you for your friendship. Thanks a lot.

END 9:03 A.M. CDT