    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2007, Book II)]
    [August 4, 2007]
    [Pages 1042-1043]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Following a Tour of the Interstate 35W Bridge Damage in
    Minneapolis, Minnesota
    August 4, 2007

        On behalf of the citizens of America, I bring prayers from the
    American people to those who suffered loss of life as a result of the
    collapse of the 35W bridge here in the Twin Cities. I bring the prayers
    of those who wonder about whether they'll ever see a loved one again.
        First, I want to thank the Governor
    and the mayor and the
    Senators, Members of the Congress for working
    in a coordinated way to respond to this tragedy. I have met with the
    chief of police and the sheriff, rescue workers, people who represent men and women
    who are working as hard as they possibly can to save life and to find
    life, to go under these murky waters to find the facts.
        And it's going to take a while, but I have been impressed by not
    only their determination but have been impressed by their compassion. I
    have met people that were on the bridge; I met a man who was on the bridge when it collapsed. His instinct
    was to run to a schoolbus of screaming children and to help bring them
    to safety.
        We have an amazing country, where people's instinct, first instinct,
    is to help save life. There's--a lot of people's first instincts here in
    the Twin Cities was to save the lives of somebody who was hurting. And I
    know the people of this community thank those--their fellow citizens who
    did that.
        I'm here with the Secretary of Transportation because our message to the Twin Cities is, we want to get
    this bridge rebuilt as quick as possible; that we understand this is a
    main artery of life here; that people count on this bridge and this
    highway system to get to work. There's a lot of paperwork involved with
    government. One of our jobs is to work with the

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    Governor and the mayor and the Senators and the Members of the Congress to cut through that
    paperwork and to see if we can't get this bridge rebuilt in a way that
    not only expedites the flow of traffic but in a way that can stand the
    test of time.
        I make no promises on a timetable. I do promise that Mary
    Peters, the Secretary of Transportation, is
    going to be in charge of this project. I do promise she's going to
    listen to the local authorities to find out what the folks here need. I
    do promise that when she sees roadblocks and hurdles in the way of
    getting the job done, she'll do everything she can to eliminate them.
        Out of these tragedies can come a better life. And I, having visited
    with the people here, believe that not only are they committed to a
    better life, not only are they committed to turning something ugly into
    something good, but it's going to happen.
        So I'm proud to be with you. Thank you for your leadership. God
    bless the people of this part of the world. Thank you.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:40 a.m. at the Lower Street Anthony
    Falls Lock and Dam, St. Paul District. In his remarks, he referred to
    Gov. Timothy J. Pawlenty of Minnesota; Mayor R.T. Rybak of Minneapolis,
    MN; Sens. Norm Coleman and Amy Klobuchar; Timothy Dolan, chief,
    Minneapolis Police Department, MN; Richard W. Stanek, sheriff, Hennepin
    County, MN; and Gary Babineau, a truckdriver from Blaine, MN, who helped
    rescue schoolchildren trapped by the bridge collapse.