For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
April 27, 2001
Remarks by the President at Dedication of Bob Bullock Texas History Museum
Bob Bullock Texas History Museum Austin, Texas
Listen to the President's
Remarks
12:25 P.M. CDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you
all. Thank you all so very much. I appreciate it;
thank you very much. Okay.
Thank you, Governor; and thank you, Jan, very
much for having Laura and me. We're sure glad to be
home. (Applause.) I love my work, I really do; I
love what I'm doing. But I've got to confess, I miss my
friends in Texas, and it's good to see so many of my friends here
today. (Applause.)
It's also good to be here with members of the
Bullock family, and the many whose lives he
touched. Governor Perry, I appreciate the job you're doing
here in Texas. Some of you may recall that I had mixed
feelings about leaving the Governor's Office. But it was
easier knowing that I was leaving the state in pretty darn good
hands. (Applause.)
And when I decided to leave, I joined the
Former Governors Club. I'm your newest
member. But I see three of the members here
today: Governors Briscoe, Smith and Clements, and we're
honored by your presence. (Applause.)
And representing the family of the 36th
President is Lucy Baines
Johnson. (Applause.) Laura and I live in your
former home, and we look forward to the day we can welcome you and your
lovely mom back to Washington. (Applause.)
It's good to be here with the Lieutenant
Governor, and I congratulate him on his promotion. And, of
course, my friend, the Speaker. It's great to see both Nelda
and Pete; we miss you both a lot.
I see a lot of other familiar faces here, as
well, members of the legislature. Some of you
smiling. (Laughter.) Some of those same old
familiar scowls. (Laughter.) And it's good to see
a lot of other folks from back in the days when it seemed like
everybody worked for Bob Bullock.
This is really a fine museum. Laura
and I were honored to be able to tour it. It is
magnificent. Everybody in Texas needs to come and see it.
And so I want to congratulate the members of the Preservation
Board: Clay Johnson and Dealey Herndon and John Nau, who
took the idea from paper to reality. They deserve a lot of
credit for their vision. (Applause.)
In the years to come, visitors will take the
tour we have just taken. They'll view the exhibits. They'll
come upon the statue of the 38th Lieutenant Governor of Texas, and see
it just as the way we saw it today. With time passing, fewer visitors
will know Bob Bullock as we knew him. And we're the lucky ones.
If you knew him, you were very much aware of
this fact: he had a way of making himself
clear. (Laughter.) Nobody ever came out of a
meeting with Bob Bullock thinking, gee, I wonder what's on his
mind. (Laughter.) As a result, many of us knew that Bob
didn't want his name on this building. Well, that's just too
darn bad. (Applause.) We have no choice but to
overrule him.
You see, to a great building like this,
telling the story of Texas and standing right here in the center of our
state's capital, the only name to give it was Bob Bullock. I
can't help thinking how much he would have loved hearing "Hail to the
Chief" played here in Austin. Bob seemed to know my future
before I did. He was among the first people who told me I
was going to be the President. And like always, he made it
sound like an order. (Laughter.)
His confidence meant a lot to me and I've
thought a lot about him when I've sat in the Oval
Office. Along with his predictions, I always got some advice
from Bob. One of the last times we talked he had just seen a
picture of me on a magazine. He took the oxygen mask off and
summoned up some strength in his frail body and he said, you need to
smile more for the cameras. (Laughter.)
I seem to remember a few other occasions when
Bob gave me advice, and I was always glad he did. Many of
his words of advice can't be quoted here -- (laughter) -- really only
meant for mature audiences. (Laughter.)
We all remember Bob's gift for a colorful
image and the fragrant phrase. But we remember the advice,
too, because there was wisdom in it. He spoke with experience and with
conviction and authority. In 1994, people warned me about
him before I even got to Austin. We were men of different
backgrounds and of different political parties, both elected to high
offices in our state. He was the one who had been
around. I recognized that early. He had the kind
of influence you don't get with a title. And no Governor,
and certainly no new Governor, had anything to teach him about getting
anything done.
We know how it turned out. We know
there was a record of shared accomplishment, and a record of shared
credit, as well. Yet, it all could have worked out
differently. It could have been much
different. Had he chosen to, Bob -- and for that matter,
Pete Laney -- could have prevented tax reform or legal reform or
education reform. In the Constitution, I could stop
legislation with a veto. In the capital, Bob Bullock could
stop it with a phone call.
But when he exercised power, it was on
principle. He was a Democrat, and a loyal one. He
was a politician, and a skilled one. He was a competitor,
and a tough one. When I met Bob Bullock, he was set in his
ways. Bob Bullock had decided on his
priorities. He was an American, a Texan, and a Democrat, in
that order. He decided things on merits. He took
his responsibilities as seriously as his power. And that's
what made him an essential ally, a great public servant, and a towering
figure to all who knew him.
In Texas we have a tradition of straight talk
and fair dealing. And Bob Bullock embodied
that. In the last 97 days, I've done my best to take the
values I learned here in Texas to the debates in
Washington. And there's a way yet to go, but I think we're
making some progress. The tone is more civil, the respect is
more widespread. I think Bob Bullock would be
pleased. (Applause.)
Something about politics in this state, in
every generation, a figure comes along who just seems larger than
life. And I'm sure they'll keep coming. But he
was ours, Bob Bullock, and we'll always remember him. He's
been called the last of a breed. And it's true that politics
has changed. Let's just hope it doesn't change too
much. We'll always need his kind of strength and toughness
and shrewd wisdom. These were the outward qualities of a man
who had more kindness and gentleness than he would ever admit. And
that's why we miss him so much, not just because he was a character,
but because he was a charming, loving and loyal friend.
Twenty-two months ago we stood in the rain and
said goodbye to Bob Bullock. Today, under a warm, Texas sky,
we're all here again, to point with pride to a new building and the
fine name upon it. It's a happy moment for us who knew him;
a day to reunite, a day to offer thanks, and a day to smile for the
cameras.
God bless. (Applause.)
12:35 P.M. CDT
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