[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book II)]
[October 20, 2006]
[Pages 1891-1893]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks at a National Italian American Foundation Dinner
October 20, 2006

    Ian [Ken],* thank you for that kind 
introduction. But what you forgot to tell the people was that my 
mother said, ``Listen, son, I know you're going 
to be going over there this evening. Remember your father has already spoken, so keep your remarks short.'' 
[Laughter]
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    *White House correction.
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    I thank you for your kind words about my mother and father. I am real 
proud they're with you today. He is a remarkable guy and--[applause]. 
The only mistake you made was not to insist that Laura spoke instead of me. [Laughter] She's doing great. She 
said, ``Look, you keep it short too, because the food is on the table.'' 
[Laughter]
    But thanks for letting me come by to say hello. I'm honored to be 
with you. I love to pay homage to the Italian Americans that have made 
our country so great. And that's precisely what you do. The National 
Italian American Foundation is an important organization because it 
reminds people of the great Italian heritage of many of our citizens. It 
also heralds the great diversity of our country. So thanks for what 
you're doing. Thanks for letting me come by to say hello.
    I'm honored to be here with the Ambassador from the great country of Italy. Mr. Ambassador, 
it's good to see you, sir. I am proud to say that Italy is a strong ally 
of the United States of America.

[[Page 1892]]

    I see we've got some of the third branch of Government with us, 
Justice Scalia and Justice Alito. Thank you all for being here. I know that you 
are paying Alito an honor, and I tell you, he paid this country an honor 
by agreeing to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States. I make a 
lot of decisions as your President, and one of the finest decisions I 
made was to ask this man to serve.
    And I understand you're honoring Frankie Valli. Sorry I'm not going to be around to hear you, but 
rest assured, I've heard plenty of you when I was growing up. [Laughter] 
Congratulations to both you men. You 
picked fine winners here. Thanks for letting me come and pay homage to 
them as well.
    I'm proud to be with Secchia--Peter Secchia. See, he picks up the 
phone, calls the Oval Office, and says, ``Man, you're the only sitting 
President who's never come to this organization.'' He said, ``You better 
get over here tonight.'' [Laughter] I said, ``All right, Secchia.'' But 
I'm proud to call you friend.
    You know, the story of this country is a story of immigrants, and 
we've always got to remember that. And some of the greatest stories of 
our country are the result of your ancestors who came to America and 
realized the big dream of our country. And what this country must always 
do is be a land of dreamers and doers, is to reward hard work and honor 
faith and family. And the Italian Americans inspire that greatness of 
America every day through your acts of kindness and generosity and 
through your contributions to the country.
    You know, the list of Italian Americans that have made a significant 
contribution to our country is long. I mean, Tommy Lasorda, Yogi Berra, and for you Colt 45 fans--that's the old Houston 
baseball team--``Hollywood'' Kenny Aspromonte. Where are you, Aspro? Yes, sir.
    I'm sorry tonight that one outstanding Italian American can't join 
you, but he'll be joining me tomorrow at a meeting in the White House, 
and that's Peter Pace. Peter ``Pac''--
[laughter]--four-star general in the United States Marine Corps, 
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. The reason I bring him up and the reason 
I'm meeting with him--first, there's no finer American than Peter Pace. 
He's an outstanding American, an outstanding Italian American.
    I bring it up because we are in a titanic struggle between 
extremists and radicals who cannot stand the way of life of America. 
They don't like the thought that people from different backgrounds are 
able to live under a nation and work together and achieve greatness. 
They can't stand the thought of free societies flourishing in their 
midst.
    And generations of Italian Americans before this generation have 
served with such valor to make sure freedom still stands, and now 
another generation of Americans is challenged. There are many Italian 
Americans who wear our uniform today, brave men and women who have 
volunteered in the great challenge of the 21st century, which is to 
protect our country from terrorist attack and, at the same time, spread 
the great blessings of liberty so that a generation of Americans can 
grow up in peace.
    Taking the inspiration of those who have come before us, there's no 
doubt in my mind that this generation of Americans will succeed. We 
won't falter in the face of danger. We'll be steadfast in our resolve to 
protect you. We will be confident in the power of liberty to transform 
hostile regions into hopeful regions. And when we persevere, someday 
somebody will step up here to this mike, years from now, and say, 
``Thank goodness a generation of Americans did their duty for the sake 
of the security of the United States and the peace of the world.''
    So I come before you with a lot on my mind. But one of the things 
that's on my mind is how grateful I am to be the President of such a 
fabulous country, a country full of spirited, entrepreneurial, decent, 
compassionate people.

[[Page 1893]]

    I hope you enjoy your evening tonight. Thanks for letting me come 
by. God bless you. God bless America.

Note: The President spoke at 7:43 p.m. at the Washington Hilton. In his 
remarks, he referred to A. Kenneth Ciongoli, chairman, and Ken 
Aspromonte, member of the board of directors, National Italian American 
Foundation; Italy's Ambassador to the U.S. Giovanni Castellaneta; 
entertainer Frankie Valli; former U.S. Ambassador to Italy Peter F. 
Secchia; and baseball Hall of Famers Tommy Lasorda and Yogi Berra. A 
tape was not available for verification of the content of these remarks.