    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book I)]
    [January 4, 2002]
    [Pages 3-5]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on the Unveiling of the President's Portrait in Austin, Texas
    January 4, 2002

        Thank you. Thank you, Laura. You need to
    know, I listen to her every day. [Laughter] Whatever success we've had
    is because she's constantly telling me what to do. [Laughter] I'm proud
    of Laura, and I can't tell you what a great job she has done for
    America--you know that, yourself. But she brings such a steadiness and a
    calm resolve, and I'm really proud of her.
        I want to thank the Governor and the first
    lady. Thank you all very much for your
    hospitality. It's great to see the Lieutenant Governor and Sally, the speaker and Nelda. It's
    good to see you all. I can't help but notice that my friend Jan
    Bullock is here, as well. Jan, thank you for coming.
        We've got all kinds of dignitaries here. I want to thank you for
    taking time out of your day to come and witness my hanging. [Laughter]
    Fortunately, it's my portrait. [Laughter]
        I'm particularly pleased to be here with the artist. Now, I was
    somewhat concerned when Laura told me that
    the Gentlings were
    famous painters of birds--[laughter]--but they would make time to paint
    my picture. [Laughter] Pretty tough old bird here to paint, wasn't I?
    [Laughter] But I appreciate, Scott, your taking time to try to figure me
    out. It's a real pleasure for me to work with you. I know it's a
    challenge from your part, but it looks like you did me justice, and I
    thank you. And it's also good to see your brother, Stuart. The
    Gentlings are a
    part of the really fantastic artistic community we have here in Texas.
    These guys may seem a little odd when you meet them upstairs, but
    they're really good at what they do. [Laughter]
        I've got to tell you, I was talking with Bomerlast night, and we started laughing about all the
    wonderful times we had in this building. And as I look around the room,
    I see many who helped make that happen. This was a joyous 6 years for us
    here. It kind of reminds me of what Harry Truman said. He said, ``I've
    tried never to forget who I was or where I'd come from and where I was
    going back to.'' And that's what this capitol says to us. And so does
    Crawford, by the way. It's our home.
        One of the things that happened here is that we made a lot of
    friends. You know, sometimes in politics, friends are just a fleeting
    memory. But that's not the case for us. Our friends are permanent parts

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    of our life. We don't view such things as political friends. You're
    either our friend, or you're not our friend, no matter what your
    politics are like.
        That's why we have got such fond memories of working with
    Pete and Nelda Laney. Oh, I know he's got the Democrat label, but somehow our
    relationship transcended that. And the same with Bullock. I can't help
    but chuckle about our breakfasts that we used to have in this building,
    Pete, with Bullock. I'd like to share some of the stories with the
    people watching on C-SPAN--[laughter]--but unfortunately, I can't repeat
    them in mixed company. [Laughter]
        But the truth of the matter is, whether it be the speaker or Bullock or Janelle or others, from both parties, we came in this
    building with one desire, to do what's right for Texas. We've got
    political labels around our name, no question about it. But we made up
    our mind to try to figure out what was best for our State and to work
    together.
        And so I went up to Washington with a wonderful sense of being able
    to get things done, because of my relationships and my experience here
    in the State capitol. I still believe that can happen. But sometimes
    Washington needs to figure out that politics isn't what's most
    important; the people are what's most important.
        And so I'm going to take that can-do Texas spirit to Washington for
    however long I'm there and remind people that results are matter--
    results are what matters, not rhetoric; remind people that if you're
    willing to share credit, if you're willing to tell the other person that
    you're going to succeed, as well, amazing things can happen; and remind
    people that our country, just like our State, is much bigger than the
    political process.
        Those are the lessons I learned here in this State capitol. I also
    learned you cannot succeed without a good team around you. There's no
    such thing, in my judgment, as a one-man band when it comes to politics
    or being the Governor or being the President of the United States.
    You're only successful if you're able to convince a lot of good folks to
    join on the team and to empower them to achieve the common objectives.
        And that's exactly what we did here in Austin. I think history will
    show that the staff of Governor George Bush was one of the greatest
    staffs ever assembled. You should be applauding because you're the ones
    who were on the staff, in this room. [Applause] We had fun. We got some
    positive things done for Texas. We worked hard. And it was the memories
    that I'll never forget. And so I want to thank you all who worked on our
    team.
        It should be noted that many of them who were on this team moved to
    Washington: Pinky Allbaugh--[laughter]--he's
    not here, so I can say it--[laughter]--Karen,
    of course; Karl Rove; Gonzales--I see Al is
    here, the chief attorney; Margaret
    Spellings, she's got a new last name
    now--those of us who know her husband are
    somewhat amazed--[laughter]--Albert Hawkins;
    Harriet Miers. These are all the folks that I
    rely on. These are people who have got great judgment and care deeply
    about our country. And America is really better off by the fact that
    they decided to make a huge sacrifice, leave their beloved State, and go
    to Washington, DC.
        We also have got a lot of others up there that many of you knew:
    Ashley, Izzy, Logan--it's such an
    honor for Logan to know that we named one of our cows after him that was
    recently born--[laughter]--Margaret Wilson
    and Stuart Bowen and Vickers Meadows, Pat Wood.
    These are all folks--we worked together here in Austin--who are now
    serving our Nation. And I truly believe America is better off as a
    result of the influx of Texans who showed up.
        I always will remember--and this painting helps remind me of the
    fact that all of us were a part of a larger story, a story much bigger
    than ourselves. Many have

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    come before us, and many will follow. Mine is just one of 46 portraits
    in this Dome, and I'll always be in good company here.
        It is amazing for me to think, when I step back and think this will
    be hanging here forever, along with J. Pinckney Henderson. I didn't know
    Henderson very well. [Laughter] But I did read about Sam Houston or John
    Connolly and the first Texas Governor I ever knew, Allan Shivers. It's
    an honor to be hanging with these men. It's also amazing to think that
    it'll be here for a long, long time. I just hope Governor
    Richards doesn't mind being my neighbor for
    eternity. [Laughter]
        I want to thank you all for coming. It's a day I've really been
    looking forward to for a long time. We look forward to seeing you
    upstairs for the little coffee we're having.
        Again, I remember you; I won't forget Texas. It's a huge honor to be
    the President, by the way. But one of these days I'll be back, settled
    in, sitting on my porch in Crawford, looking for somebody to come and
    recount old war stories with.
        May God bless you all.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:07 a.m. at the Texas State Capitol. In
    his remarks, he referred to Gov. Rick Perry of Texas and his wife, Anita
    Thigpen Perry; Lt. Gov. Bill Ratliffe of Texas and his wife, Sally;
    Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives James E. ``Pete'' Laney
    and his wife, Nelda; Janelle Bullock, widow of former Lt. Gov. Bob
    Bullock of Texas; artists Scott and Stuart Gentling; Texas Secretary of
    State Elton Bomer; Joe M. Allbaugh, Director of the Federal Emergency
    Management Agency; Karen Hughes, Counselor to the President; Karl Rove,
    Senior Adviser to the President; Alberto R. Gonzales, Assistant to the
    President and White House Counsel; Assistant to the President for
    Domestic Policy Margaret Spellings and her husband, Robert; Albert
    Hawkins, Assistant to the President and Secretary to the Cabinet;
    Harriet Miers, Assistant to the President and Staff Secretary; Ashley
    Estes, the President's Personal Secretary; Special Assistant to the
    President Israel ``Izzy'' Hernandez; Presidential Aide Logan Walters;
    Commerce Department Deputy General Counsel Margaret Wilson; Deputy
    Assistant to the President Stuart Bowen; Vickers B. Meadows, Assistant
    Secretary of Housing and Urban Development; Patrick Henry Wood III,
    Chairman, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission; and former Gov. Ann
    Richards of Texas.