    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2007, Book I)]
    [February 19, 2007]
    [Pages 159-161]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Honoring President George Washington's 275th Birthday in Mount
    Vernon, Virginia
    February 19, 2007

        Thank you all for coming. Laura and I are
    honored to be with you in this historic place on this special
    anniversary. I feel right at home here. After all, this is the home of
    the first George W. [Laughter] I thank President Washington for
    welcoming us today. He doesn't look a day over 275 years old. [Laughter]
        We're really glad you're here. I look out and see a lot of the kids
    who are here today. When I was your age, I was a little fellow from
    Midland, Texas, and my grandmother brought me here. And then Laura and I brought our
    daughters here. And the reason I bring this up,
    this is a good place for Americans to come and bring your families. And
    we welcome you here today.
        You know, we're celebrating around the country President's Day, but
    the folks that work here call it Washington's birthday. We've been
    celebrating this holiday for more than two centuries, and this morning
    we continue this tradition by honoring a man who was our first
    President, the Father of our Country, and a champion of liberty.
        I appreciate Gay Gaines and the--regent
    of Mount Vernon Ladies Association. I appreciate Jim Rees, who is the executive director. I thank Togo West, who is the chairman of the Mount Vernon Advisory
    Committee. I appreciate the military who have joined us. General, thank
    you for being here today with us. I thank the members who work hard to
    make sure that Mount Vernon is preserved for the future. And I thank all
    of--you all for being here.
        You know, George Washington was born about 80 miles down the river
    from Mount Vernon in the year 1732. As a young man, he went West and
    explored the frontier, and it changed his life. As he grew older, he
    became convinced that America had a great westward destiny as a nation
    of free people, independent of the empires of Europe. George Washington
    became the central figure in our Nation's struggle for independence. At
    age 43, he took command of the Continental Army. At age 51, he was a
    triumphant hero of the war. And at age 57, he was the obvious and only
    choice to be the first President of the United States.
        With the advantage of hindsight, it is easy to take George
    Washington's successes for granted and to assume that all those events
    were destined to unfold as they did. Well, the truth is far different.
    America's path to freedom was long, and it was hard, and the outcome was
    really never certain. Honoring George Washington's life requires us to
    remember the many challenges that he overcame and the fact that American
    history would have turned out very differently without his steady
    leadership.
        On the field of battle, Washington's forces were facing a mighty
    empire, and the odds against them were overwhelming. The ragged
    Continental Army lost more battles than it won, suffered waves of
    desertions, and stood on the brink of disaster many times. Yet George
    Washington's calm hand and determination kept the cause of independence
    and the principles of our declaration alive.
        He rallied his troops to brilliant victories at Trenton and
    Princeton. He guided them through the terrible winter at Valley Forge.

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    And he marched them to Virginia for the war's final battle at Yorktown.
    In the end, General Washington understood that the Revolutionary War was
    a test of wills, and his will was unbreakable.
        After winning the war, Washington did what victorious leaders rarely
    did at the time: he voluntarily gave up power. Many would have gladly
    made George Washington the king of America. Yet all he wanted to do was
    return here to Mount Vernon and to be with his loving wife Martha. As he
    wrote with satisfaction to his friend Lafayette: ``I am become a private
    citizen on the banks of the Potomac and under the shadow of my own vine
    and my own fig tree.''
        George Washington's retirement did not last long. In the years after
    the Revolution, America's freedom was still far from secure. There were
    uprisings and revolts. States argued over their borders. And under the
    Articles of Confederation, the Federal Government was virtually
    powerless. With the United States in crisis, George Washington was
    called back to public life to preside over a convention of the States.
    And the result was the United States Constitution and a new executive
    office called the Presidency.
        When the American people chose Washington for the role, he
    reluctantly accepted. He wrote a friend: ``My movement to the chair of
    government will be accompanied by feelings not unlike those of a culprit
    who is going to the place of his execution.'' George Washington accepted
    the Presidency because the office needed him, not because he needed the
    office.
        As President, George Washington understood that his decisions would
    shape the future of our young Nation and set precedent. He formed the
    first Cabinet, appointed the first judges, and issued the first veto. He
    also helped oversee the construction of a new Federal city between the
    Northern and Southern States. The Nation's new Capital would take his
    name, and George Washington hoped it would inspire Americans to put the
    welfare of their Nation above sectional loyalties.
        This son of Virginia had come to see himself first and foremost as
    an American, and he urged his fellow citizens to do the same. More than
    two centuries later, the story of George Washington continues to bring
    Americans together. Every year, about a million people visit Mount
    Vernon to learn about this good man's life. We find the best of America
    in his spirit and our highest hopes for ourselves in his character. His
    honesty and courage have become the stuff of legend. Children are taught
    to revere his name and leaders to look to him for strength in uncertain
    times.
        George Washington's long struggle for freedom has also inspired
    generation of Americans to stand for freedom in their own time. Today,
    we're fighting a new war to defend our liberty and our people and our
    way of life. And as we work to advance the cause of freedom around the
    world, we remember that the Father of our Country believed that the
    freedoms we secured in our Revolution were not meant for Americans
    alone. He once wrote: ``My best wishes are irresistibly excited
    whensoever, in any country, I see an oppressed nation unfurl the banners
    of freedom.''
        President Washington believed that the success of our democracy
    would also depend on the virtue of our citizens. In his farewell address
    to the American people, he said: ``Morality is a necessary spring of
    popular government.'' Over the centuries, America has succeeded because
    we have always tried to maintain the decency and the honor of our first
    President.
        His example guided us in his time; it guides us in our time; and it
    will guide us for all time. Thank you for coming, and may God bless.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:04 a.m. at the Estate Mansion. The
    proclamation of February 16 titled 275th Anniversary of the Birth of
    George Washington is listed in Appendix D at the end of this volume.

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