    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book II)]
    [August 28, 2006]
    [Pages 1556-1557]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Following a Lunch Meeting With Community Leaders in Biloxi,
    Mississippi
    August 28, 2006

        Listen, Laura and I are pleased to be down
    here again, and we want to thank a lot of the community leaders from the
    gulf coast region of Mississippi for sharing their thoughts and their
    concerns and their hopes and their aspirations.
        I was just commenting upon how clean the beaches look, and that
    wasn't a given a year ago. Those beaches were cluttered with debris and
    garbage, the great, beautiful beaches here had been destroyed. And now
    they speak to the hope of this part of the world.

    [[Page 1557]]

        There's still a lot of problems left, Governor, but the people down
    here need to know the Federal Government is committed to working with
    you and the local people, and that, even though we've been through about
    one year together, one year doesn't mean that we'll forget. As a matter
    of fact, now is the time to renew our commitment and to let the people
    down here know that we will stay involved and helping the people of
    Mississippi rebuild their lives.
        The truth of the matter is, the ultimate future for this region down
    here depends on the people of Mississippi. It requires the spirit and
    the courage of the people of this part of the world to rebuild, and I'm
    confident that's going to be the case.
        We saw that spirit right after the storm hit, and we still see that
    spirit. And so I want to thank the good folks for letting us come by and
    say hello. We value our friends down here, and we really appreciate the
    good people of the gulf coast of Mississippi for what you stand for.
        Governor, thank you; appreciate you.

    Note: The President spoke at 12:39 p.m. in the Biloxi Schooner
    Restaurant. In his remarks, he referred to Gov. Haley R. Barbour of
    Mississippi.