    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book II)]
    [August 16, 2002]
    [Pages 1424-1425]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at a Volunteer Barbecue Lunch in Crawford, Texas
    August 16, 2002

        Thank you, Mary. In case you don't know it,
    Mary is the maintenance supervisor at the Crawford Independent School
    District.

    [[Page 1425]]

    [Applause] That's right. And when we arrive here in Crawford, she's got
    a lot to maintain--[laughter]--because, as you can see, we travel with a
    lot of people.
        And Laura and I are here to thank you for
    helping make our stay and dealing with these large entourages go well.
    We appreciate it. We love to come to Crawford. We view it as our home.
    As you know, I bring my office with me, and you all help make the
    transition from Washington to the Crawford White House work well. And we
    understand that. We see many of you in the vans waiting for us when we
    come pulling out or meeting us at the airport there in Waco. We see a
    lot of you at the press avails. We see you when you're helping with our
    guests, our foreign dignitaries who come to visit. And all of you are
    doing a great job. So today what we'd like to do is to thank you, feed
    you--[laughter]--and photograph you. [Laughter]
        I get a lot of work done here in Crawford. You know, it's hard for
    some to maybe understand, but the decisionmaking process never ends when
    you're the President. You're constantly being briefed and brought up to
    date on this, that, or the other. And I still make decisions here. I
    just find that I can--it's a different perspective when I come here, out
    of Washington, DC, to a place like Crawford, Texas. I'm reminded of the
    great values of our beloved Texas and the values of faith and family and
    friendship that you find in places like Crawford.
        So I never quit being the President; I just have got a different
    perspective about things. I might come to the same conclusion on
    decisions that I have to make, but I make them in a different
    environment. And this is a fabulous environment in which to make
    decisions and to meet with people.
        We love it here. There's nothing better than to get up early in the
    morning and to go jogging across our ranch, see a couple of deer, talk
    to the turkeys--[laughter]--watch Barney chase them. [Laughter]
        But we want to thank you for being good neighbors. We want to thank
    you all very much from the bottom of our heart for helping make our
    transitions to--back to home as smoothly as they have gone. We want you
    to know that one of these days, we'll be joining you in the coffee shop
    on a regular basis for eating lunch. In the meantime, we've got a job to
    do, and coming here really helps us do the job that you expect us to do.
        So Laura and I thank you from the bottom of
    our heart. It's great to see you. We look forward to shaking every hand
    here and personally thanking you for all your hard work.
        May God continue to bless America, and may God bless you and your
    families.

    Note: The President spoke at 11:15 a.m. at the Crawford Community
    Center. In his remarks, he referred to Mary Keltner, maintenance
    supervisor, Crawford Independent School District, who introduced the
    President.