As Prepared For Delivery

It's great to be with you this morning. And I'm looking forward to taking your questions. But first I want to say a few words about our nation's veterans.

I know what it's like to put your life on the line. I was an infantry company commander in Vietnam, and I came home on a stretcher with four bullet wounds. And I served another thirty years on active duty. I'm proud of the men and women that I served with. And that's why I feel so strongly that we must always take care of our nation's veterans.

When I'm President, I'm going to put the money and leadership into the Veterans Administration, to take care of our homeless vets, to make sure no veteran is waiting three months for a doctor's appointment, and to end the so-called "Disabled Veterans" tax, which discriminates against veterans with disabilities.

My opponents in this race are all good people, and I like and respect them. But because we're asking the people of Tennessee to choose between us, I think we have an obligation to make our differences clear. For example, while I am speaking out on behalf of veterans, John Edwards, one of my opponents, has voted against programs to help our nation's veterans. When veterans were facing deep cuts in health care, John Edwards wasn't there to support them. In 1999, his first year in the Senate, John Edwards was the only Democrat in the Senate who voted against closing corporate tax loopholes to prevent across-the-board cuts to veterans' health care.

That same year, Senator Edwards voted against adding $1.3 billion in desperately needed funding to the Veterans Health Administration. And two years later, he did it again, voting against funding for veterans' medical care.

When the chips are down and the pressure is on, real leaders can't afford to blink. But when it came to deciding between the special interests and our veterans, Senator Edwards blinked. He didn't support our veterans.

Now, I like John Edwards. He's a good man. But our differences are important. I'm a veteran, and to me, leadership means taking care of our veterans all the time - not just when it's politically convenient.

As President, I will put the money and resources into veterans' programs that our veterans deserve. And I'll follow through with what I learned on the battlefield: I'll never, ever leave a comrade behind.