    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2001, Book II)]
    [November 20, 2001]
    [Pages 1436-1438]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on the Dedication of the Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice
    Building
    November 20, 2001

        Thank you all. Please be seated. Joe, thank you for those stirring words. There's nothing quite
    like the eloquence of a loyal son. I want to welcome you and all your
    brothers and sisters and your mom; Senator
    Kennedy. I want to thank the Attorneys
    General who are here. I want to thank our current Attorney
    General. Thank you for being here, Director. I
    want to thank the Members of the Congress who are here, the Senators and
    Members of the House of Representatives for coming, both Republicans and
    Democrats. I want to thank Administrator Perry; ladies and gentlemen.
        I'm so very pleased to be with you in giving this building a great
    American name.

    [[Page 1437]]

    Seventy-nine Americans have held the title of Attorney General, and 25
    of them worked in this building. But in the history of this Department
    and in the memory of our country we hold a special place for Robert
    Francis Kennedy.
        He first worked here 50 years ago, as Joe said. Just out of law
    school at the University of Virginia, he reported here every morning to
    the Criminal Division. He was 26, married, the father of one, a baby
    girl who is now the Lieutenant Governor of the State of Maryland.
        Ahead of him were many more accomplishments and a lot more children.
    [Laughter] There's no doubt in my mind that he would look upon his sons
    and daughters and his grandkids with such incredible pride.
        America first saw him and heard his voice in the mid-fifties when he
    was minority counselor to the Senate committee investigating organized
    crime. There was something about him that no one could miss, an intense
    intelligence present, a voice that could quiet a room. As a friend has
    remembered him, Robert Kennedy was not a hard man, but he was a tough
    man. He valued bluntness and precision and truth. Those under
    investigation learned those qualities firsthand.
        In the eyes of John F. Kennedy, no man ever had a more faithful
    brother. During his Presidential campaign, he said, ``I don't know what
    Bobby does, but it always seems to turn out right.'' We are told that
    after the election the younger brother wasn't sure he wanted to join the
    Cabinet, and he said so to the President-elect. Robert tried to make the
    case explaining why he should not become Attorney General. There was no
    reply. The President-elect simply left the room and casually returned a
    few minutes later to say, ``So that's it, General. Let's go.''
    [Laughter]
        To this day, visitors to the West Wing, seeing the Rose Garden and
    the Colonnade, instantly think of the pictures of the two brothers
    together. And from this day, his birthday, everyone who enters this
    building or passes by will think of Robert F. Kennedy and what he still
    means to this country.
        He was not our longest serving Attorney General, yet none is more
    fondly remembered. And few have filled their time here with so much
    energy or seen events of such consequence. He was at his brother's side
    during the 13 days in October 1962, where he was firm and discerning and
    calm.
        In this building, he set to work on what would become the Civil
    Rights Act of 1964. Here, he gave the orders sending 500 U.S. marshals
    to protect the Freedom Riders. He stood for racial desegregation. And to
    those on the other side of the issue, he said this: ``My belief doesn't
    matter. It's the law. Some of you may believe the decision was wrong.
    That doesn't matter. It is the law.''
        With us today are some of the people who worked for our 64th
    Attorney General, each of whom counts it as an experience of a lifetime.
    They still look up to him. Time has done nothing to weaken their loyalty
    to the valiant and idealistic man they knew and followed. Robert Kennedy
    was a serious man, concerned with serious things. And he loved his
    friends. He was a strong man who understood weakness, a man who knew
    privilege but also suffering. He fought to gain power, chose to use it
    in the defense of the powerless.
        To millions who never knew him, he's still an example of kindness
    and courage. America today is passing through a time of incredible
    testing. And as we do so, we admire even more the spirit of Robert
    Kennedy, a spirit that tolerates no injustice and fears no evil. That's
    how this country sees him.
        But today and every November 20th, a large and loving family thinks
    of the dad they miss. Some of you know your way around this building
    because he brought you here. As Joe said, the Attorney General's
    conference room was then his office

    [[Page 1438]]

    and a playroom. And as the photos displayed here make it clear, he also
    enjoyed one of my favorite perks of office--you get to bring your dog to
    work. [Laughter]
        Of all that he left behind, nothing brings Robert Kennedy more
    clearly to mind than his good wife. In the
    first year of their marriage, he recorded his feelings by quoting the
    Book of Ruth: ``Whither thou goest, I will go, and we will be together
    forever.''
        For 33 years, Ethel Kennedy has walked
    with grace and dignity, faithful to God and to the memory of her
    husband. Any tribute to Robert Kennedy must also be a tribute to Mrs.
    Robert Kennedy. She shares in all his achievements; she's added many of
    her own. Mrs. Kennedy, America honors you as well.
        This great building, and all who work here, serve the public in the
    cause of justice. It now bears the name of a good and decent man, truly
    devoted to justice. On behalf of the people of the United States, I
    proudly dedicate the Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building.

    Note: The President spoke at 2:37 p.m. in the Great Hall of the newly
    designated Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building. In his
    remarks, he referred to Joseph P. Kennedy III, who introduced the
    President, and Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend of Maryland.