    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book I)]
    [May 9, 2002]
    [Pages 763-767]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at a Reception for Senator Ted Stevens
    May 9, 2002

        Thank you all very much. I'm honored to be here with the Alaskan of
    the Century--just wondering which century. [Laughter] 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.
        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--[laughter]--you know where he stands, 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.
    And if all goes well, he'll be the President pro tem of the United
    States Senate as well.

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        I want to thank his patient wife, Catherine. 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.
        I appreciate Ted's love of his children. When I was in Alaska last,
    I had the honor of 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. I appreciate Frank's leadership, and I also really
    appreciate Don Young. He, too, is a
    straightforward Alaskan who makes a big difference. 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 Stevens' 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] 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. 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,
    loves what America stands for, and a man who serves ably in the United
    States Senate.
        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.
        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.
        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

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    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.
        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.
        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
    in the morning. Barney, on the other hand, at the age of 1\1/2\, 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 coldblooded killers--are
    interested in hurting America. It's a reminder that my main job--and the
    truth of the matter, 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 anytime 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 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.
        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
    they 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

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    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.
        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, that 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.
        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.
        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 reelected. I'm proud to call him friend. You all
    are proud to call him

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    Senator. And the Nation is better off for it.
        God bless.

    Note: The President spoke at 6:25 p.m. in the L. Welch Pogue Room at the
    offices of the Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue law firm. In his remarks, he
    referred to Senator Stevens' son, Alaska State Senator Ben Stevens, and
    daughter, Beth Stevens; and James P. Hoffa, general president,
    International Brotherhood of Teamsters.