[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book I)]
[February 8, 2002]
[Pages 201-203]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Remarks at a State of Utah Olympic Reception in Salt Lake City
February 8, 2002
Thank you. Well, Mike, thank you very
much. That's a powerful introduction. It must have been the choir.
[Laughter]
It's such an honor to be here. Laura and I have really been looking
forward to this spectacular day. I want to thank Mike for your efforts,
your hard work to show really the very best of America to the whole
world. I want to thank Jackie as well.
Mike and I both married above ourselves. [Laughter]
It's an honor to be here with many distinguished citizens of our
country, the Utah congressional delegation. Senator Hatch and Senator Bennett, thank
you both for being here. We had the opportunity of flying down on Air
Force One together. These two men love Utah a lot. I want to thank
members of the congressional delegation. Congressmen Matheson, Hansen, and Cannon, thank you all for being here as well.
I appreciate the mayor. I also
appreciate members of my Cabinet, Secretary of State Colin Powell--members of one of the finest teams a President has
ever assembled have joined us. Thank you all for coming.
I want to thank Mitt Romney for being such a
strong leader, for really kind of willing these games to go forward. I
appreciate Jacques Rogge for being here, as
well. Thank you, sir. It's my honor to have welcomed you to the--one of
the greatest offices on the face of the Earth, the Oval
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Office. I loved our visit then. Thank you for coming. Thank you,
Sandy, as well.
Kofi, it's great to see you, sir, the
Secretary-General of the United Nations who does such a fine job of
promoting peace and the world interests.
I've put together an official delegation to the Olympics, really
fine people--a few reprobates with them. [Laughter] Thank you all for
coming. I'm honored that my sister has joined
the delegation as well. As you know, I love my family a lot, and I love
my little sister. She's my favorite one, even though she's my only one.
[Laughter]
I want to thank all the citizens who have worked so hard to put
these games on. You know, as I flew into Salt Lake City, I saw such a
majestic part of our country, such a beautiful part of the American
landscape. The State of Utah is the perfect site for these games. It's
the perfect site because of her beauty. It's the perfect site because of
her people. It's the perfect site because of the rich history of this
State, from the early Native Americans who gave Utah its name to the
mountain men and later settlers who carved cities and towns into this
rugged landscape. It was here in Utah that America was connected from
east to west by the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1869.
It is here today that the world is united, in Utah.
It's such an honor to host the Olympics in any year, but it is even
more significant in this year. Following the attacks of September the
11th, people from around the world expressed their sympathy and their
strong support for our country, and for that we are grateful. They
understand that America stands for a great cause, and that is freedom.
We love, we cherish, and we will defend freedom at any cost.
This commitment to freedom is inscribed in our Nation's founding
documents. The first of those documents, the Declaration of
Independence, is right here in Utah in the State Capitol and will be
available for viewing throughout the games. The Declaration is here
thanks to a program created by Norman Lear.
Norman and I don't always agree on politics, but we agree that the
Declaration of Independence is fundamental to our Nation. And I want to
thank Norman Lear for his vision of providing this document for not only
the people of the world to see but for our fellow Americans to review
when they come to these great games.
I hope people do come and read the document because they'll
understand why we're so insistent upon defending our values. We defend
liberty and freedom for everyone, not just a few, not just people in
Utah but everybody who lives in this country and everybody who lives
around the world. These are rights we hold self-evident. These are
timeless ideals.
People may wonder, if they don't understand America, ``Well, why
have we reacted with such determination and patience and resolve?'' It's
because we believe so strongly in these ideals, liberty and freedom, and
we know it is what will make the world live in peace, if we embrace
those ideals without falter.
And the Olympics give the world a chance, in the midst of a
difficult struggle, to celebrate international peace and cooperation.
America's athletes will compete hard and, I know, will make us proud.
But at the end of every event, the competitors will join to honor the
winners, no matter their nationality. And they will stand at attention
to honor the flags of many nations, which will be flying in pride and
flying in peace.
For centuries, the Olympics have reinforced an important lesson.
It's an important lesson for today. No matter how wide our political or
cultural differences may be, some things are valued and enjoyed the
world over. All people appreciate the discipline that produces
excellence, the courage that overcomes difficult odds, the character
that creates champions. The feelings and emotions that drive the
Olympics are not expressed in any one language; they're
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expressed with tears and smiles of joy and of pride.
The world has shed many tears, tears of sorrow, over the past 5
months. It now gives the people of the United States and the State of
Utah great pride to host these games, which will provide lasting
memories of laughter and triumph for people of every nation.
I want to thank you all. Thank you so very much on behalf of our
Nation for bringing western hospitality to this global tradition.
May God bless you all, and may God bless the United States of
America.
Note: The President spoke at 2:56 p.m. in the Rotunda at the Utah State
Capitol. In his remarks, he referred to Gov. Michael O. Leavitt of Utah
and his wife, Jacalyn S.; Mayor Ross C. Anderson of Salt Lake City; Mitt
Romney, president and chief executive officer, Salt Lake Organizing
Committee for the 2002 winter Olympic games; Jacques Rogge, president,
International Olympic Committee; Sandy Baldwin, president, U.S. Olympic
Committee; Secretary-General Kofi Annan of the United Nations; Dorothy
Koch, the President's sister; and Norman Lear, founder, People for the
American Way. He also referred to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, which
performed earlier.