[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1992, Book I)]
[March 11, 1992]
[Pages 415-416]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks at the Swearing-In Ceremony for Andrew H. Card, Jr., as 
Secretary of Transportation

March 11, 1992
    Thank you, Admiral, and all of you. And I feel just as excited as 
you do about this occasion. May I thank Reverend Keller for those 
stirring words, as well as the Coast Guard band and the Hine Junior High 
chorus. And I'm pleased that so many members of the Cabinet and the 
Congress and the White House staff could be with us this morning. We 
have a nice contingent from Massachusetts led by our Lieutenant 
Governor, whom I don't see this minute but who is with us, over here, 
Paul Cellucci, and our State treasurer up there, Joe Malone; longtime 
friends of Andy Card's.
    A special welcome to the former Secretaries who are with us; I've 
seen Sam Skinner and Alan Boyd, perhaps others. But it's just a great 
pleasure to have you all here. I know that Sam, now Chief of Staff, who 
served this Department--oh, I see Bill Coleman sitting over here. Who am 
I missing? Let's get the former Secretaries out there. Well, I think we 
got it, Alan and Bill and Sam Skinner.
    And as I say, I know that Sam shares my great pride for Andy Card 
and this wonderful family of his on this very special day. And since 
this is a real family affair, I think I could speak for all of us when I 
singled out Tabetha for singing the national anthem so beautifully. That 
was first-class work.
    And to those of you who know our new Secretary, you know he doesn't 
seek the spotlight. And I promised I'd keep the pomp and circumstance to 
a minimum, but Andy, I should warn you, it will be necessary to spend 
the next few minutes saying some nice things about you. Andy is one of 
this town's best kept secrets, one of the best liked, most well-
respected members of the team. You know the saying, ``Nice guys finish 
last''? Well, Leo Durocher never met Andy Card. [Laughter]
    And this newest member of my Cabinet can claim a distinguished 
career in public service at both the national and State level. He served 
three tours in the White House, five terms in the Mass House of 
Representatives, with 6 years as a member of the house leadership there.
    Transportation was one of the issues Andy gave great attention to 
during his time in the State legislature. Before he came to public 
service, he was trained and worked as a design engineer. He was talking 
about multimodalism or intermodalism long before it was fashionable. In 
fact, my first meetings with him were usually intermodal campaign 
experiences. [Laughter] He would pick me up at Logan Airport--I'm not 
going to criticize his car, it was a Chevy 
Chevette--[laughter]--and drive me

[[Page 416]]

around the State. One paper called him the ``commuter's friend.'' Well, 
the commuter's friend has found an apt home at the Department of 
Transportation. And I am just totally confident that his service will 
prove as loyal as our friendship, as our enduring friendship.
    I know Andy to be a proven leader and a talented manager, 
experienced, efficient, energetic, a public servant of the first order, 
and above all, a man who gets things done. And that's important. For 
this job it's not enough to know your way around inside the beltway, at 
DOT, or working with the people who built the beltway.
    So, you've got a good leader. And Andy takes his new position at a 
very critical time. This Department bears primary responsibility for 
putting the landmark Surface Transportation Act of 1991 into action, the 
act that Sam, his predecessor, worked so hard on. This act is creating 
jobs today, jobs to upgrade our Nation's highway system, jobs to provide 
for mass transit and meet this country's transportation needs.
    And when I signed the new Surface Act last December, it made 
available some $11 billion to the States. And we directed this 
Department and urged the States to put those dollars to work right away. 
In the nearly 3 months since I signed the act, we've delivered 20 
percent more highway money than during the same period a year ago.
    DOT continues to play a pivotal role helping the airline industry 
adapt to the changes brought on by deregulation, changes which are 
producing economic benefits through more efficient service. DOT also has 
been a faithful supporter of our military and their own transportation 
needs. And with your energy and ability, Andy, I know that this 
Department will continue to ensure that the United States remains a 
world leader in providing safe and efficient transportation.
    To meet each of these challenges, and they are big, Andy will be 
able to call on a really dedicated team of transportation officials in 
the Department. And to each and every one of you who serve over there, 
we are grateful to you. You exemplify the very, very best in public 
service. And I want to salute you along with your new Secretary.
    And now, with all of that said, it is with great pleasure that I 
turn the podium over to Mr. Justice Thomas for the swearing-in of our 
new Secretary of Transportation, Andrew H. Card, Jr. Thank you.

                    Note: The President spoke at 9:04 a.m. at the 
                        National Air and Space Museum. In his remarks, 
                        he referred to Admiral James B. Busey IV, Deputy 
                        Secretary of Transportation, and Tabetha Card 
                        Mueller, daughter of Secretary Card. Supreme 
                        Court Justice Clarence Thomas administered the 
                        oath of office.