[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2005, Book II)]
[November 7, 2005]
[Page 1671]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks in a Discussion on Panama's Future in Panama City
November 7, 2005

    Mr. President, thank you for your 
invitation. I told the President earlier I was really looking forward to 
stopping here in Panama for a variety of reasons. First, I'm proud of 
the job he's done. He's fought corruption. He's been a strong fiscal 
steward of the people's money. This economy is growing.
    Secondly, I wanted to see the Panama Canal. It's a marvel. It's a 
fantastic opportunity to see this great engineering feat. And at my 
press availability today, I said how proud I was of the people of Panama 
for managing this canal in a professional way, for the good of commerce 
around the world.
    Thirdly, I think it's very important for us always to reconfirm the 
importance of democracy in our hemisphere. And Panama is a strong 
democracy, a democracy that believes in the freedom to worship, the 
freedom to speak, the freedom of the press, the notion that everybody 
has got a voice. And so it's an opportunity to say thank you for those 
of you who are working so strong to make sure your democracy flourishes.
    So Laura and I are really thrilled to be 
here. It's been a magnificent trip. I'm sorry it's not longer. I told 
the President, after I'm President, 
I'll come back and go fishing with him. [Laughter] In the meantime, 
thanks for having us. I'm proud to be here.

Note: The President spoke at 11:30 a.m. at Salon Miraflores. The Office 
of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of 
these remarks.