    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2007, Book I)]
    [February 3, 2007]
    [Pages 99-100]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Following a Meeting at the House Democratic Caucus Issues
    Conference in Williamsburg
    February 3, 2007

        The President. Speaker, thank you. First of
    all, thanks for the invitation, Madam Speaker and Rahm; thank you very much. I enjoyed sharing ideas with
    Members of Congress.
        One of the things I wanted to tell the members very clearly was,
    one, I appreciate their service to the country. Oftentimes, their
    service and the service that their families provide is taken for
    granted, and I want them to know how much I appreciate a willingness to
    be in politics. Politics is hard. It's hard because of the campaign;
    it's hard, in many cases, because of the travel. These are hard times
    because of the big issues we face. And so thank you for giving me a
    chance to come and share in a recognition that a lot of folks appreciate
    them, including the President.
        Secondly, I enjoyed sharing some priorities. My message really was
    that these are big goals that Democrats care about and Republicans care
    about, and we've got to work hard to find ways to achieve big goals. And
    I also was pleased to take questions, and I thought the questions were
    very good and gave me a chance to share philosophy

    [[Page 100]]

    as well as how I think we can advance some very important issues.
        I've met with the Speaker and
    Congressman Hoyer--Steny--quite a few times
    since I have been the President. We're going to--hopefully, we will--not
    hopefully--we will continue to meet. In my meetings I--look, we don't
    always agree, and that's why we're in different parties. [Laughter] But
    we do agree about our country, and we do agree about the desire to work
    together.
        And so I really appreciate you letting me come by; I really do. I
    felt welcomed. I felt like people understood that I've got pressures on
    me, like I understand they have pressures on them. And I really hope
    that the members out there get a sense that I bear no ill will; I bring
    no animosity about the fact that we may not agree on every position, and
    that I am appreciative of the contributions they make.
        And so thanks a lot for letting me come. I answered five or six
    questions. I was able to shake hands with a lot of members. I got to hug
    a few babies. [Laughter] I kind of remembered--help me remember the good
    old days. [Laughter]
        Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi. Still has the touch.
        The President. Well, I don't know. [Laughter] One of the babies I
    got to hug was the Speaker's grandchild. But it was a--I would define the moment for me as
    relaxed, informative, and enjoyable.
        So thank you very much for having me. I appreciate it. Thank you
    very much.

    Note: The President spoke at 11:47 a.m. in the Burwell Ballroom at the
    Kingsmill Resort & Spa. In his remarks, he referred to Rep. Rahm
    Emanuel, chairman, House Democratic Caucus.