For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
August 16, 2002
Remarks by the President at the Volunteer Barbecue Lunch
Crawford Community Center
Crawford, Texas
11:15 A.M. CDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, Mary. In case you don't know it, Mary
is the maintenance supervisor at the Crawford Independent School
District. (Applause.) That's right. (Applause.) And when we arrive
here in Crawford, she's got a lot to maintain. (Laughter.) Because as
you can see, we travel with a lot of people.
And Laura and I are here to thank you for helping make our stay and
dealing with these large entourages go well. We appreciate it. We
love to come to Crawford, we view it as our home. As you know, I bring
my office with me, and you all help make the transition from Washington
to the Crawford White House work well. And we understand that. We see
many of you in the vans waiting for us when we come pulling out or
meeting us at the airport there in Waco. We see a lot of you at the
press avails. We see you when you're helping with our guests, our
foreign dignitaries who come to visit.
And all of you are doing a great job. So today what we'd like to
do is to thank you, feed you -- (laughter) -- and photograph you.
(Laughter.)
I get a lot of work done here in Crawford. You know, it's hard for
some to maybe understand, but a decision-making process never ends when
you're the President -- you're constantly being briefed and brought up
to date on this, that, or the other. And I still make decisions here,
I just find that I can -- it's a different perspective when I come
here, out of Washington, D.C., to a place like Crawford, Texas. I'm
reminded of the great values of our beloved Texas and the values of
faith and family and friendship that you find in places like Crawford.
So I never quit being the President, I just have got a different
perspective about things. I might come to the same conclusion on
decisions that I have to make, but I make them in a different
environment. And this is a fabulous environment in which to make
decisions and to meet with people.
We love it here. There's nothing better than to get up early in
the morning, and to go jogging across our ranch, see a couple of deer,
talk to the turkeys. (Laughter.) Watch Barney chase them.
(Laughter.)
But we want to thank you for being good neighbors. We want to
thank you all very much from the bottom of our heart for helping make
our transitions to -- back to home as smoothly as they have gone. We
want you to know that one of these days, we'll be joining you in the
Coffee Shop on a regular basis or eating lunch.
In the meantime, we've got a job to do, and coming here really
helps us do the job that you expect us to do. So Laura and I thank you
from the bottom of our heart. It's great to see you. We look forward
to shaking every hand here, and personally thanking you for all your
hard work.
May God continue to bless America, and may God bless you and your
families. (Applause.)
END 11:17 A.M. CDT
|