For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
March 4, 2001
Remarks by the President at Christening Ceremony for the USS Ronald Reagan
Newport News Ship Building Yard Newport News, Virginia
2:52 P.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you
all. Thank you very much. Mr. Secretary, thank
you for those kind words. I picked the right man to be the
Secretary
of Defense at this time in history.
Mrs. Reagan, it is an honor to be with
you. Reagan family members, friends of the great President,
Laura and I are honored to be here.
We join with the Governor and Senator of this
state in asking for God's blessings on those who lost their lives
yesterday, and for their families.
Bill, thank you very much for your
hospitality. Secretary Powell and Secretary Abraham, Leader
Lott, Chairman Warner -- I can't tell if you're trying to retire me
early -- (laughter) -- or influence my behavior. (Laughter.)
Senator Allen, Governor Gilmore,
Representative Scott and members of Congress, Justice Kennedy, Admiral
Clark, welcome. But most of all, I want
to welcome the men and women of the United States Navy, including the
officers and crew who will soon be on the Ronald
Reagan. (Applause.)
Looking at the bow of this great ship, we
think of those who will sail
it, and of those who built it, and to this ship, six years in the
making, we have put the finest of American workmanship. On
board this ship we'll put the finest sailors in the
world. And upon this ship we have put the finest of American
names.
Forty-nine years ago, another outstanding
American took that name herself. Mrs. Reagan, I know today
is your 49th anniversary, wedding anniversary. Since your
wedding day, you've seen the name Reagan written large in many places,
from theater marquees to the archways of great
buildings. But there is something especially fitting in the
place it holds
today, on the newest ship, in the greatest Navy in the world.
(Applause.) When we send her off to sea, it is certain
that the Ronald Reagan will meet with rough waters, as well as smooth,
and headwinds as well as fair. But she will sail tall and strong, like
the man we have known.
A man can not be strong forever, but if he is
very fortunate, life will send him a partner to be strong when he is
not. In a life of honors, Ronald Reagan has always valued
one honor above all, the love of Nancy. It
is a love that believes all, hopes all, and endures
all. Mrs. Reagan, anyone who has seen you together knows
how much you mean to him. I want you to know how much your
care and love for him means to America. (Applause.)
It was said of a great architect centuries
ago, if you want to seek his monument, look around you. That
is true of Ronald Reagan. We live in a world shaped in so
many ways by his will and heart. As President, Ronald
Reagan believed without question that tyranny is temporary, and the
hope of freedom is universal and permanent; that our nation has a
unique goodness, and must remain uniquely strong; that God takes the
side of justice, because all our rights are His own gifts.
The strength of these beliefs gave strength to
our allies and hope to political prisoners, and courage to average
citizens in oppressed nations, and leadership to our military and to
our country.
Some achievements fade with the
years. Ronald Reagan's achievements grow larger with the
passing of time. He had a profound vision of America's role
in the world as one of peace through strength. And because
of Ronald Reagan, the world saw America as a strong and peaceful
nation.
Today's world is different from the one he
faced and changed. We are no longer divided into armed
camps, locked in a careful balance of terror. Yet, freedom
still has enemies. Our present dangers are less concentrated
and more varied. They come from rogue nations, from
terrorism, from missiles that threaten our forces, our friends, our
allies and our homeland. Our times call for new
thinking. But the values Ronald Reagan brought to America's
conduct in the world will not change.
So as we dedicate this ship, I want to
rededicate American policy to Ronald Reagan's vision of optimism,
modesty, and resolve. Ronald Reagan's optimism defined his
character and it defined his presidency. More than a habit
of mind, this optimism sprang from deep confidence in the power and
future of American ideals. Great democracies, he believed,
are built on the strong foundation of consent and human
dignity. Any government built on oppression is built on
sand. The future, he proclaimed, belongs to the free.
That belief has lost none of its power to
inspire hope and change. Around the world today, the expectation of
freedom is fed by free markets and expanded by free trade, and carried
across borders by the Internet. And nations that try to restrict these
freedoms are in a losing battle with
liberty.
America, by nature, stands for
freedom. And we must always remember, we benefit when it
expands. So we will stand by those nations moving toward
freedom. We'll stand up to those nations who deny freedom
and threaten our neighbors or our vital interests. And we
will assert emphatically that the future will belong to the free.
At the same time President Reagan understood
that this confidence should never be arrogance. No one was
better at using the bully pulpit of the presidency, but under his
leadership America was never a bully.
One of the ways we show the world we take our
values seriously is to live by them, ourselves. Our nation
cherishes freedom, but we do not own it. While it is the
birthright of every American, it is also the equal promise of the
religious believe in Southern Sudan, or an Iraqi farmer in the Tigress
Valley, or of a child born in China today. We help fulfill
that promise not by lecturing the world, but by leading it.
Precisely because America is powerful, we must
be sensitive about expressing our power and influence. Our
goal is to patiently build the momentum of freedom, not create
resentment for America itself. We pursue our goals; we will
listen to others; we want strong friends to join us, not
weak neighbors to dominate. In all our dealings with other
nations, we will display the modesty of true confidence and strength.
And finally, Ronald Reagan understood that the
advance of freedom depends on American strength. We must
have a military that is second to none, and that includes a Navy that
is second to none. (Applause.)
As has been mentioned, for the last 60 years,
every President has had to ask, where are the carriers? None
has ever been disappointed by the Navy's response. Just a
few weeks ago, I asked the same question, and called upon the Harry S.
Truman in the Persian Gulf. Ronald Reagan built the military
of today, the military that keeps our peace. But we cannot
live forever on that legacy. Our challenge is to build a
military that will deter and win the wars of the future.
Almost 20 years ago President Reagan made his
first visit to an aircraft carrier, the USS
Constellation. He told the sailors how grateful America was
that they were there as a powerful force in an uncertain world.
One hundred thousand tons of American power you see over
here will carry forward this proud tradition. In fact, in
two years, the Reagan will actually replace the U.S. Constellation.
What you don't see is what's different between
those two magnificent vessels. The island on the Reagan's
main deck is almost the same height as
that of its predecessors, but it has one less level. The
empty space will be filled with cables that will tie the ship into a
vast network that connects information and weapons in new
ways. This will revolutionize the Navy's ability to project
American power over land and sea, ensuring access
for all our forces, wherever our vital interests are threatened.
These new capabilities are the future of our
military, not just the Navy, but of all our services. It is
the future of where a revolution in technology will change the face of
war, itself. We'll keep the peace by redefining the terms of
war. We'll change our military, yet we will never forget
that America's strength ultimately depends on the courage and spirit
of the men and women who wear the uniform.
Nearly half our ships are at sea right
now. One-third are forward deployed overseas, taking their
crew away from family and the comforts of home. In our sleep
we don't think about the enemies that the men and women
who wear the uniform deter, the friends they reassure, the freedom in
trade they guarantee. Yet, we rest at night protected by the
security they
provide.
As President, Ronald Reagan understood our
duty to these brave Americans, and so do I. Our men and
women in uniform give America their best, and we owe them our support
in return. These are the defining qualities of Ronald
Reagan, optimism, modesty and strength. They're also the
qualities that will guide America in a new century.
So, today, the Ronald Reagan begins its
journey into the bright and peaceful dawn that President Reagan helped
to bring. All of us here wish the ship Ronald Reagan
Godspeed. And we wish Ronald Reagan God's blessings.
God bless America. (Applause.)
END 3:05 P.M. EST
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