For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
May 09, 2002
Remarks by the President at Ted Stevens for Senate Reception
Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue Law Firm Building
Washington, D.C.
6:25 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all very much. I'm honored to be here
with the Alaskan of the century -- just wondering which century.
(Laughter and applause.)
It's a high tribute to be called the Alaskan of the century, and
he's well on his way for laying the foundations to becoming the Alaskan
of this century. (Applause.)
I really am honored to be here with Ted. I appreciate a lot about
him. I appreciate he's a straightforward fellow. (Laughter.) There's
no question, you know where he stands -- (laughter) -- in the great
Alaskan and, for that matter, the great Texan tradition. There's no
-- as we say down home, there's no bull about him. And that's good.
And that's good.
That's good for the Senate, that's good for the people of Alaska
and, more importantly, it's good for the United States of America. It
is essential that this man be reelected senator from the state of
Alaska. (Applause.) And if all goes well, he'll be the President Pro
Tem of the United States Senate as well. (Applause.)
I want to thank his patient wife, Catherine. (Applause.) We both,
the senator and I, both married above ourselves. (Laughter.) I'm
sorry Laura's not here. She's a fan of the Stevenses. She is in New
York City -- actually, she's in New Haven today helping one of our
daughters move out of her dorm room. But she sends her best.
Like Ted, I am really proud of my wife. She's done a fabulous
job. She's been a great First Lady. (Applause.)
I appreciate Ted's love of his children. When I was in Alaska
last, I had the honor or meeting some of Ted's offspring. The state
senator, I had a chance to meet. And tonight I had a chance to meet
Beth as well, and it's great to see you. I'm glad you're here, Beth.
Thank you for coming. (Laughter.)
It's also great to be here with the Governor of the -- or at
least the next Governor of the state of Alaska, Frank Murkowski.
(Applause.) I appreciate Frank's leadership, and I also really
appreciate Don Young. He too is a straightforward Alaskan who makes a
big difference. (Applause.)
It's about as fine a congressional delegation as there is. It's
100 percent good. (Laughter.) I know there are a lot of Senator
Steven's colleagues here, and I want to thank his fellow senators for
coming. I also appreciate George W. being here, the Mayor of
Anchorage, George Wuerch. (Laughter and applause.) Mr. Mayor, you're
kind to come down, as are all the folks from Alaska who traveled a long
way to be here. It's a great testimony to this good man.
I also want to thank Jimmy Hoffa for being here. It's a big deal
for Jimmy to be here, and it shows what kind of leader Ted Stevens is.
(Applause.) We were there in line, somebody said, well, you know this
guy represent -- Jimmy said he represents the greatest generation,
and he does. Just this week I had the honor of renaming the Old
Executive Office Building for Dwight David Eisenhower. I guess it
shall be called the Ike. (Laughter.) But in the front row was Ted
Stevens. Not only had he served in the Eisenhower administration, he
also served our nation as a C-46 and C-47 pilot during that war. This
is a man who has paid his dues to his country, a man who loves America
and loves what America stands for, and a man who serves ably in the
United States Senate. (Applause.)
During a time of threat to the United States, it gives me great
comfort to know that up there on Capitol Hill is a person who
understands that America must be ready and prepared, that we've got to
give our troops the best equipment, the best training, and the best
pay. And, as the ranking member of the Defense Appropriations
subcommittee, the United States military has got a great friend in Ted
Stevens. (Applause.)
As well, I appreciate his understanding that the strategic threats
to the United States are changing. And in order to protect our nation
and our friends from blackmail or from the attack by a nation that
harbors weapons of mass destruction, this good country must develop a
missile defense system. Ted Stevens understands that.
It's important to have an advocate for the defenses of the United
States and our alliance and what we stand for in the United States
Senate. And Ted clearly can see the future and, for that, I'm
grateful. And so will the nation be grateful. Future generations of
Americans will be grateful when we finally develop a missile defense
system that will protect us and protect our friends from an accidental
launch or, more significantly, blackmail at the hands of one of these
rogue nations that harbors and develops weapons of mass destruction.
So, Mr. Senator, thank you for that as well. (Applause.)
There's a lot of thought up here in Washington about national
defense, as there should be. After all, we are at war. And one of my
concerns, and one of the Senator's concerns is the fact that our nation
relies upon too much energy from nations that sometimes don't like us,
that we're dependent on foreign sources of energy. And we don't
necessarily have to be that dependent, because we've got vast reserves
in the great state of Alaska. And, for the good of our national
security and for the good of our economic security, we must develop
those reserves in an environmentally friendly way, and this man
understands that. (Applause.)
Now, there's going to be a lot of issues we're faced with, and one
of the reasons I want to make sure that we reelect Ted and take control
of the Senate is because I want the good people that I send up as
judges to get a fair hearing and to get a timely vote. We have a
vacancy crisis in America, and we need a Senate that is able and
willing to respond to that vacancy crisis.
I want my nominees to be given a fair hearing and an up or down
vote, quickly, for the sake of the United States of America and our
judiciary. (Applause.)
I can talk a lot of issues, but there's nothing more important than
the security of this country. It's an unimaginable honor to walk in
that Oval Office every morning, as you can imagine. By the way, that's
after I have gotten the First Lady her coffee. (Laughter.) And after
Spot and Barney and I take a stroll on the South Lawn. Spot was born
in the White House during 41's era, and so she's quite familiar with
the surroundings, and she's welcome into the Oval Office with me, about
6:50 a.m. in the morning.
Barney, on the other hand, at the age of one-and-a-half, is not
allowed on the new carpet. (Laughter.)
But I walk in there and I sit at this magnificent desk; Ted Stevens
has seen it a lot, he's seen other Presidents use this desk as well.
It's a desk that was used by Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin Roosevelt,
John Kennedy, Ronald Reagan -- a lot of Presidents have used it.
Kind of settle in there, and the first thing I look at is a threat
assessment to the United States of America; the fact that these
killers -- and that's all they are, they're nothing but a bunch of
cold-blooded killers -- are interested in hurting America. It's a
reminder that my main job -- and the truth of the matter, it's the
job of the United States Congress -- is to come together, Republicans
and Democrats, to unite to make sure that our country is as secure as
it can possibly be.
We've got a good homeland defense strategy. We're working on ways
to get money into the hands of the first responders, the brave police,
fire, and EMS crews around the country. We've got a bioterrorism
initiative. I'm about to sign a new border security initiative that
passed the House and the Senate; it's a good piece of legislation. Our
law enforcement teams are talking like they've never talked before.
You just need to know that any time we get any kind of hint or
evidence that somebody may be thinking about doing something to
America, we're reacting. We're reacting within the guidelines and the
confines of the United States Constitution, but we're reacting. We're
chasing down every single hint.
But the best way to secure the homeland, the best way to make sure
our children can grow up in a safe America, the best way to protect
civilization itself, is to chase the killers down one by one and bring
them to justice. And that's precisely what we're going to do.
(Applause.)
I know Ted is just as proud as I am at how our United States
military has responded. We sent them into a tough situation in
Afghanistan, and they and our friends and allies responded
brilliantly. Our military makes us proud. And for those of you who've
got relatives in the military, I want to thank you on behalf of a
grateful nation. And you make sure you thank your relatives on behalf
of Senator Stevens and myself for doing such a fabulous job to defend
freedom.
The other thing I'm proud about our military is that not only did
the accomplish the first stage in the war against terror, which was
upholding the doctrine, if you harbor a terrorist, you're just as
guilty as a terrorist. And we threw out this barbaric regime.
But our troops went into Afghanistan not as conquerors, but they
went in as liberators. We have liberated people. Because you see this
country values the worth of every single individual, regardless of
where they live, regardless of their religion. I am so proud of the
fact that young girls now go to school for the first time in their
lives in Afghanistan, thanks to the mighty United States of America.
(Applause.)
The thing I appreciate about Ted Stevens is, he understands that
we're in for a long struggle, that -- you know, that we don't have a
calendar. I don't have a calendar on my desk, and he doesn't have one
on his desk, that says by such and such a moment we will quit. We're
just going to kind of bail out after a period of time, that's what the
enemy wants.
But much to their chagrin, that's not what they're going to get.
You see, we're relentless, and we're patient. And I've traveled this
country a lot, and I can report to you that we are united because this
country values our freedom. We value freedom. And anytime anybody
threatens that which we hold dear to our heart, freedom, we will
respond. We will respond in a smart, deliberate, but plenty tough
way. (Applause.)
You know, I cannot imagine, I can't imagine what was going through
the minds of the killers when they were plotting the attacks of
September the 11th. They must have thought that we were so
self-absorbed, and so materialistic, so selfish and so weak that all
we'd likely do is file a couple of lawsuits. (Laughter.)
They found out differently, didn't they, Senator? We're not only
staying on course there in Afghanistan, we're denying sanctuary
anywhere they think they can light. Anytime they try to train, we'll
disrupt. Anytime they try to establish a training camp, we'll destroy
it. And we're going to hunt them down one by one. There is no cave
deep enough to hide from the justice of the United States of America.
(Applause.)
Ted Stevens understands that when a nation is called to defend
freedom, that we must not blink. He knows that, and I appreciate that
very much, because I feel the exact same way. And we've been called to
defend freedom. This is our moment in history. And we're not going to
let freedom-loving people down.
Out of this evil, I truly believe, is going to come some great
good. I believe by remaining tough and resolved, by being well
prepared, that we'll achieve peace. And that's my goal. I unleashed
our military to achieve peace, peace all around the world. And I
believe it's possible. Matter of fact, I know it's possible.
And out of the evil done to America is going to come another
incredible good, and that is this country is going to rise up with
great compassion to solve many of the problems we find all around our
country, whether it be in Alaska or Texas or anywhere else. There are
pockets of despair and hopelessness in America. And that's not good
enough for our country.
People often ask me how they can help in the war against terror.
I'll tell you how you can help. You can love a neighbor just like
you'd like to be loved yourself. If you want to join the war on
terror, mentor a child. Find somebody who seems lost and put your arm
around them and say, I love you. If you want to join the war against
terror, simple acts such as walking across the street and telling a
shut-in that you love them -- it's part of this collective effort to
stand squarely in the face of evil.
You see, it's the common good, it's the gathering momentum of
millions of acts of kindness and decency that define the true character
of the face of America. And in turn, we'll say to the evil ones that
attacked us, you will not prevail. Out of this evil will come peace,
and out of this evil will come a more compassionate, more decent, more
hopeful America.
It is an honor for me to be here with a great man. I want to thank
you for helping him get re-elected. I'm proud to call him friend. You
all are proud to call him Senator. And the nation is better off for
it. God bless.
END 6:41 P.M. EDT
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