    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1995, Book II)]
    [July 17, 1995]
    [Pages 1099-1101]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at the Unveiling Ceremony for the Official Portraits of
    President George Bush and Barbara Bush
    July 17, 1995

        Thank you. Thank you very much, Mr. Breeden, for your kind remarks
    and for your essential work on behalf of the White House and the history
    of this country.
        We're delighted to be here with President and Mrs. Bush today and
    Vice President and Mrs. Quayle, all the Members and former Members of
    Congress, the members of the Bush administration, and the friends of
    George and Barbara Bush and especially the family members. We welcome
    you all here to the White House.
        It's impossible to live in this wonderful old place without becoming
    incredibly attached to it, to the history of our country and to what
    each and every one of these rooms represent. In a way, I think every
    family who has ever lived here has become more and more a part of our
    country's history, just for the privilege of sleeping under this roof at
    night. And so perhaps the most important thing I can say to President
    and Mrs. Bush today is, welcome home. We're glad to have you back.
        I want to say, too, that we thought that we ought to have this
    ceremony in the East Room. This has always been the people's room. In
    the 19th century, it used to get so crowded at receptions that one of
    the windows over here was turned into a door so people could get out if
    they couldn't bear the crowds anymore. There are so many here today,
    perhaps we should have done it again. But we thought the air-
    conditioning made it advisable for us to all stay put.
        Many of you know that it was in this room that Abigail Adams used to
    dry the family laundry when the room was nothing more than a brick
    shell. You may not know that the great explorer Meriwether Lewis set up
    camp here, surrounded by canvas tarps, books, and hunting rifles in the
    day when he was Thomas Jefferson's secretary. John Quincy Adams
    frequently would come here to watch the Sunrise after he finished his
    early morning swim in the Potomac. That also is something we're
    considering taking up if the heat wave doesn't break.
        The portraits that we add here today celebrate another chapter to
    our rich history and particularly to the rich history of the East Room
    where they will remain for a few days before they are properly hung. I
    managed to get a glimpse of these portraits, and I must admit that I
    think the artist did a wonderful job, and we're all in his debt. But I
    also want to say, President Bush, if I look half as good as you do when
    I leave office, I'll be a happy man. [Laughter]
        I want to again compliment Herbert Abrams, the artist. He also
    painted the portrait of President Carter. So once again, President Bush
    has set another outstanding example of bipartisanship.
        These portraits, as has already been said, will be seen by millions
    of Americans who visit here, reminding them of what these two great
    Ameri-

    [[Page 1100]]

    cans stood for and for what they have done to strengthen our country.
    The portraits in the White House are more than likenesses. They tell the
    story of the promise of one American life and, in so doing, the promise
    of all American life. They offer a lesson, an example, a challenge for
    every American to live up to the responsibilities of citizenship.
        As Americans look for ways to come together to deal with the
    challenges we face today, they can do well in looking at the lives of
    President and Mrs. Bush. They have been guided by the basic American
    values and virtues of honesty, compassion, civility, responsibility, and
    optimism. They have passed these values on to their family and on to our
    American family as well. And for that we should all be profoundly
    grateful.
        Mrs. Bush's portrait will hang adjacent to the Vermeil Room on the
    ground floor corridor, taking her place in history in the line of
    America's First Ladies. One role of the First Lady is to open the doors
    to the White House. Mrs. Bush will be in the hearts of Americans forever
    for the gracious way in which she opened so many doors, not just to this
    house but to a world of endless possibility through reading. Her
    campaign for literacy exemplified our country's great spirit of
    voluntarism and our primary concern for the potential of every
    individual American. Her life of helping others has brought recognition
    to all those Americans, especially to American women, who have seen
    unmet needs in their communities and reached out to meet them. We cannot
    thank her enough.
        President Bush's portrait will hang out here in the Grand Foyer,
    across from the portrait of President Franklin Roosevelt, the Commander
    in Chief he served in World War II. It will stand as a reminder of
    George Bush's basic integrity and decency and of his entire adult
    lifetime devoted to public service. Most of all, it will stand as a
    testimony to a leader who helped Americans move forward toward common
    ground on many fronts. We see this clearly in the causes George Bush led
    us in as President, causes that aimed at improving the lives not just of
    Republicans but of all Americans.
        He made education a national priority when he hosted the education
    summit in 1989, something I will never forget and always be especially
    personally grateful for, because he understood that a solid education is
    essential to every American's ability to meet the challenges of the 21st
    century.
        He led us to a new dedication to service and extolled the real
    heroes in America, the ordinary Americans who every day go about solving
    the problems of this country in courageous, brave, and quiet manners.
    The Points of Light initiative held up the best in America, reminded us
    of what we can do when we truly work together. And I can say that it was
    the one thing he did that he personally asked me to continue when I took
    this office, and I was honored to do it because it was so important. And
    it remains important to the United States today.
        He signed the Americans with Disabilities Act, something that has
    now acquired broad support among people of all parties and all walks of
    life and which has made a real difference to the quality of life of
    Americans who are now making larger contributions to the rest of us. And
    he supported and signed the Clean Air Act, which is terribly important
    today in preserving the quality of American life.
        He also led our Nation and the world in the Gulf War alliance, in an
    example of contributions and cooperations in the aftermath of the cold
    war that I believe will long be followed.
        Finally, since he has left this office, he has continued to be an
    active and aggressive citizen for what he believed in. He worked here to
    help us to pass NAFTA, something for which I am profoundly grateful. And
    just the other day, he earned the gratitude of all Americans who believe
    in law and order and believe in civil citizenship when he defended the
    honor and reputation of law-abiding law enforcement officers and
    Government employees. For all these things, all Americans should be
    grateful to George Bush.
        For President and Mrs. Bush, love of country and service to it have
    always meant the same thing. We honor them both today for their
    leadership, their character, and their concern for their fellow
    citizens.
        On November 2, 1800, the day after his very first night in the White
    House, John Adams wrote to his wife, ``I pray Heaven to bestow the best
    of blessings on this house and on all that shall hereafter inhabit it.
    May none but honest and wise men ever rule under this roof.'' In the
    case of George Bush, John Adams' prayers were surely met.

    [[Page 1101]]

        It is my great honor and pleasure now to unveil the official
    portraits of President and Mrs. Bush.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:19 a.m. in the East Room at the White
    House. In his remarks, he referred to Robert L. Breeden, chairman of the
    board, White House Historical Association.