For Immediate Release
Office of the First Lady
February 18, 2004
Remarks by the First Lady in Media Availability - Rancho Mirage
Rancho Mirage Library
Rancho Mirage, California
2:50 P.M. PST
MRS. BUSH: Thanks so much everybody for coming out today to the
library. I'm here because -- actually, Betty Ford invited me to come
to see the new plans at the new Rancho Mirage Library. So I saw the
model, which I hope you all have seen as well.
I love to come to libraries. I worked as a librarian, I worked as
a librarian in the Houston Public Library, so I have a special fondness
for public libraries. And I know that when a community like this
invests in a library, then they're showing everyone that ideas and
books are important to the community. So I love to come out here and
support that.
Q I was going to ask you first in english and then in espanol,
por favor. (Speaking Spanish) -- what is the President doing so the
Hispanic community get -- (speaking Spanish).
MRS. BUSH: Well, he's working very hard in every community, but
particularly he's interested in the Hispanic community. We're from a
state that shares a very long border with Mexico. We are very aware of
all of the issues that have to do with our two countries, our border,
with immigration, with the economies and how important it is for both
economies -- ours and the economy in Mexico -- to be strong so that
people can find work.
Q How about the guest work, the one to implement?
MRS. BUSH: He has proposed, but that is not the law. And I really
want you to get the message out to people that that was the President's
proposal. Because I hope there won't be scams on illegal immigrants,
thinking that that has already become the law. That's his proposal and
it's a way to try to deal with the large number of illegal immigrants
that are in the United States who, right now, really don't have any
rights; they're afraid to go to the police if they suffer a crime
because they're illegal, and they think they'll be deported. So it
would be a way to try to address that; to also let American companies
hire workers when they need workers.
But he'll be working with the Congress to see if something like
that can pass. And I do think there is one bill that some Congress
people have proposed that has that idea.
Q Do you think this is all a political restitution?
MRS. BUSH: Pardon me?
Q Do you think this is a political -- to get the Latino vote?
MRS. BUSH: No, I think it's a human rights issue and a way to
address what is a huge inequity in the United States -- and that is
illegal workers who are here and don't really have any rights.
Q Your husband is neck-and-neck in the polls with Kerry. What
sort of hurdles do you think he's going to face with this election
year?
MRS. BUSH: Well, I mean, I think it's going to be a tough election
year, there's no doubt about that. I think it's going to be close.
But I think my husband is going to win. But so far, the Democrats have
been the ones running, of course, with their primaries. They've spent
a lot of money on each of their campaigns, when it's combined, running
against the President. I think once they pick a candidate, then the
real race will start.
Q He's gotten a lot of flack for the economy. What do you say
about that?
MRS. BUSH: Well, I think the economy is improving; it's improving
a lot. And I think there are a lot of indicators that the economy is
improving. So it's just a matter of really trying to make sure
everybody that wants to work can get a job.
Q Mrs. Bush, welcome to Palm Springs. As you know, Palm
Springs has a very large gay population, some of whom went up to San
Francisco to get married this weekend. And you commented on it before,
I was wondering if you could share your thoughts about gay marriage in
the United States?
MRS. BUSH: Well, the President said today, I think in a press
conference, that it's troubling to him that what's happening in San
Francisco is actually against the law, because of the Defense of
Marriage Act; and that he thinks it's an issue that needs to be debated
and discussed, and not really an issue for the Massachusetts supreme
court to choose, or for the mayor of San Francisco, for that matter --
that it's an issue for all Americans to debate and come to terms with
and discuss.
Q Mrs. Bush, your visit here to Coachella Valley, it's nice to
have you here.
MRS. BUSH: Thank you.
Q Is this going to help the Republican vote, do you believe,
your visit coming here?
MRS. BUSH: Well, I hope so. (Laughter.) I hope it will turn out
the Republican vote.
Q My mother is a Christian school teacher and they pray for you
every day before they start class. Another thing, have you contacted
Governor Schwarzenegger, and are you guys planning on implementing any
new reading programs in California?
MRS. BUSH: Well, I visited a reading program today at Limerick
Elementary School in Los Angeles. It's a Title I school, and they are
using part of the monies that come out of the No Child Left Behind Act,
the Reading First money, to train their teachers in Los Angeles with
the new proven research-based methods on how to teach reading.
They also have in -- nearly every LA school they said had this,
elementary school -- a reading support teacher who works with all the
other teachers in the school. And then they had a really great
program, two reading teachers who devoted all their time to teaching
reading to the children in the school who needed the most help. The
children were referred by their teachers, in consultation with what
their test scores were.
And I saw that today. This school happened to be a lot of children
who had english as a second language, and that was part of their
reading program. It's a really terrific program.
Q Mrs. Bush, you've traveled through so many different schools
across the United States, what is the most memorable statement that a
child has made to you?
MRS. BUSH: Well, that's interesting. I'll have to say the most --
the school that I remember the most was the school that was in the
shadow of the World Trade Center. They had been evacuated, and they
had actually run -- the few children that were still left at school,
because most of the parents had already come to the school during the
day and picked up their children, and so you can imagine the few
children that were left who didn't know why their parents hadn't
already come to pick them up, were very fearful. And they had run to
the next closest school, which was about two miles away.
When I went to visit them first they were still in that school,
they were doubling-up in a school while the site of their school was
cleaned up. And then the next time I went back, a few months later,
they were back in their own school.
But the things that those children said and the fears that they had
on those days are what I'll never forget.
Q How is your literacy campaign being met? And how is the
success, how are you doing with that?
MRS. BUSH: Well, we're getting the word out, I think, to people
that -- number one, to parents, that parents really need to be focused
on literacy, themselves, at home; that if they read at home, their
children are much more likely to read as well; and if they read to
their children, then their children start school with a much bigger
vocabulary.
But I think we're also, all over the United States, school
districts are really paying attention to reading. Because if you can
read, you can do every subject. But if you can't read, then you're
really at a huge disadvantage. And tomorrow I'm going on to Las Vegas
to talk about intermediate reading programs. This is money that the
President has proposed in the 2005 budget, to go to middle schools and
high schools for 9th and 10th graders who are several years behind in
reading. That's usually when kids drop out of school, and a lot of
times it's frustration because they can't read; they can't do their
other work, as well, because nearly all of high school work is
dependent on being able to read.
And so I'm going to visit a school in Las Vegas that's doing a
really good job of interceding, or interventions with children, or
students who need extra help in reading so they can catch up; but also
in training people, young people for the jobs of the 21st century. And
so I look forward to that. Then I'm going to end up in Dallas tomorrow
night, and I'll be in Dallas on Friday for -- I'm on the board of my
college that's there, to go to the board meeting, then back to
Washington.
Q California is typically a democratic state. Do you think
having Schwarzenegger in office will change things this year for your
husband?
MRS. BUSH: Well, I hope so. You know, who knows? I don't know,
but I hope so --
Q What kind of role are you going to play in his -- I'm sorry.
How big of a role are you going to play in his campaign this year?
MRS. BUSH: I'm going to continue to campaign like I have been.
I've been doing fundraisers around the country, but once the campaign
really starts I'll do campaign events separately and then with him. I
like to travel with him, especially at the end of the -- you know, that
last month after the convention and after Labor Day, when the campaign
is really in the final part.
This is our last campaign, no matter what happens, and there's
something sort of nostalgic about that, bittersweet.
Q Mrs. Bush, how do you think you have changed in the four
years you've been --
MRS. BUSH: I know I've changed because it's been such a huge
privilege to travel around our country and to see how great Americans
are. Everywhere we go, wherever, in the most unlikely community, you
find really terrific things going on because Americans are so, so
generous and so great.
And I think since September 11th we've also, all of us, seen how
strong the character of the American people is. And I don't know if we
really knew that. I think we looked at my parents' generation, the
Greatest Generation, the ones who fought in World War II and thought
they were strong and they did things we couldn't do. I think we found
out we have a lot of strength, too. It's been a hard way to find it
out, but we have.
Thanks, you all, so much.
Q Do you want to say something in espanol, for we are the only
camera here in espanol?
MRS. BUSH: My espanol -- did you like the way I read about Tomas
and I did use a very good accent. (Laughter.) But my Spanish is not
very good. So thank you all. Muchas gracias. Thanks a lot.
END 3:00 P.M. PST
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