    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2005, Book II)]
    [October 28, 2005]
    [Pages 1622-1625]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on the 40th Anniversary of the President's Commission on White
    House Fellows
    October 28, 2005

        Thanks for coming. Welcome to the White House. I understand you had
    a guest speaker at lunch. [Laughter] You probably wish she was back. [Laughter] I'm honored

    [[Page 1623]]

    to be here, thanks to--as we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the White
    House Fellows program.
        I agreed to do this because I'm a big believer in the White House
    Fellows program. I think it is important, and I think it is a program
    that, when you analyze the results, you'll say, this is--it's made a
    difference in the life of our country. So I want to thank you all for
    coming. It's an honor to share this celebration with you. I view the
    White House Fellows program as an investment in the future of our
    country.
        I've kind of taken advantage of the White House Fellows program.
    I've managed to find a few White House Fellows to serve in my
    Government, starting with the Secretary of Labor, Elaine Chao. Thank you for being here, Madam Secretary. And
    Colin Powell, who will be honored tonight
    with the John W. Gardner Legacy of Leadership Award. Well deserved, I
    might add. [Laughter]
        I also appreciate the Administrator of the EPA for joining us.
    Thanks for coming, Steve Johnson.
        I just said, thanks, to the President's Commission on White House
    Fellows. I guess you all are the deciders who get to be White House
    Fellows? And thanks for serving. It's a--it is an appointment I take
    very seriously. I appreciate you doing it. And I want to thank the
    chairman, Julie Nixon Eisenhower, for
    being the chairman of the Commission. And this is probably familiar
    territory to you here, isn't it? [Laughter] And I thank Janet
    Eissenstat, the director for the
    White House program. Thank you all. I'm also honored that Barbara
    Anderson has joined us, the president of
    the White House Fellows Alumni Association. And mostly, thank you all
    for coming.
        The program began with a good idea. It was: Let's choose a handful
    of outstanding young leaders and bring them to Washington, DC, and put
    them to work at the highest levels of the executive branch and see what
    happens.'' [Laughter] I was pleased to learn this was the vision of John
    Gardner. He outlined the vision in a memo in 1957. But it was
    implemented by Lyndon Baines Johnson, my fellow Texan. [Laughter]
        I don't know if any of the class--the first class of the White House
    Fellows are here. Is somebody here from--you guys don't look old enough.
    [Laughter] Welcome. Glad you're here.
        If I had to just write the program, here's what I'd say would be the
    goals of the program. First, to show people how Government works so as
    to inspire people to become involved in Government. That's what I would
    say. I'd say, try to get people who have got talents and brains and
    desire and ambition and expose them to Government--trying to recruit
    people to participate in Government--at any level, whether it be the
    Federal Government or the school board. That's what I would hope the
    program would do.
        Secondly, I would hope the program would teach somebody how to make
    decisions and how to manage organizations. If a White House Fellow hangs
    around the White House, he'll see decisionmaking. If a White House
    Fellow is involved in the Cabinet, they'll see decisionmaking in
    management. They'll see all kinds of things. And I would hope people
    would learn that in order to make decisions, you got to make decisions
    on principle. You can't be kind of just figuring it out as time goes on,
    you have to stand for something, no matter what the polls or focus
    groups may say. You make good decisions by believing something and not
    trying to find yourself in the midst of the decisionmaking process, I
    guess. And in order to lead, you've got to set clear goals that
    everybody can understand and then not be afraid to hold people account
    as to whether those goals have been met.
        And thirdly, I would hope the White House Fellowship program takes
    really smart, bright, capable people and makes

    [[Page 1624]]

    them understand that there's always a new horizon, that one should never
    be complacent if you've been given a lot of God-given talents, that
    you've got to keep striving for the best.
        That's how I see the White House program. I mean, it's working. And
    the reason I know is I get to--first of all, I know people who have
    graduated from the program, and you've gone on to great success. You've
    taken your talents, and you've succeeded, and you've made a difference
    in your communities. And I want to thank you for that. That's important.
    The truth of the matter is, this country is really strong and vibrant
    because people reach out to succeed, people--ambition is, it seems like
    in America, is something that oftentimes lead to a better tomorrow.
        I particularly think about those who go back to their communities
    and realize that to whom much has been given, much is required and
    become involved in saving people's lives through compassion and changing
    America as a result of putting your arm around somebody who hurts and
    says, ``How can I help? What can I do to make a difference in your
    life?'' It's kind of the--I view the White House Fellows as part of the
    de Tocqueville vision, what de Tocqueville saw about America. It's
    individuals of talent joining together to serve a cause greater than
    yourself and your communities.
        One of my favorite activities as the President is to meet with the
    White House Fellows. I see a couple of my biking buddies back there.
    [Laughter] Sweet Lou. [Laughter] Get back to work, Lou. I don't know
    what you're doing here, Lou. [Laughter]
        I love to sit down with the Fellows and talk about--and answer their
    questions, is really what it's like. And it's an inspiring experience
    for me. The questions are always good and right on target, and it's--I
    learned as much--probably more from them than they do from me.
        And so one time, one of the guys said,
    ``How do you--how can you handle all this business, and what do you
    do?'' And I said, ``Well, one of the things, I like to exercise. I like
    to stay fit as part of a daily routine.'' He said, ``What do you do?'' I
    said, ``Well, I ride mountain bikes.'' And Lou
    happened to be the captain of the Stanford mountain bike--regular bike
    time, but felt like he was strong enough to ride with a 59-year-old.
    [Laughter] And it turns out, he was strong enough to ride. [Laughter]
        At any rate, it's been fun. He's a part of
    Peleton One, and--as was Lauren. I'm not going
    to tell them about the other bikers that didn't quite it make from your
    class, Lou--[laughter]--but I really enjoy it. I got a chance to see the
    caliber and the quality of the people who come to Washington, DC, to
    serve, and I am impressed by the program.
        I guess what I'm telling you is, thanks for being a part of it;
    thanks for seeing to it that the program continues on. I appreciate you
    helping to find people to come to Washington, DC, to be a Fellow. I want
    to thank you for setting a good example for others in the community in
    which you live. And thank you for allowing me to come by and celebrate
    the 40th Anniversary of the White House Fellows.
        Finally, may God bless you all, and may God bless our country.

    Note: The President spoke at 2:44 p.m. in the East Room at the White
    House. In his remarks, he referred to the First Lady, who spoke to the
    Commission earlier in the day; and Louis O'Neill and Lauren Zucker,
    White House Fellows 2004-05.

    [[Page 1625]]