    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2007, Book II)]
    [July 10, 2007]
    [Pages 925-926]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Following a Tour of GrafTech International Ltd. in Parma, Ohio
    July 10, 2007

        Good, thanks. I'm proud to be with you all. It's great to be at
    GrafTech here in Cleveland. I've come to Cleveland to highlight a couple
    of important issues. First, energy independence is an important part of
    our Nation's future. And one way to achieve energy independence is to
    promote technologies that will enable us to drive our economy without
    the use of Middle Eastern oil, for example. And one such technology is
    hydrogen fuel cells. And GrafTech is on the leading edge of developing a
    technology that will work, that will be competitive with other forms of
    energy, and that will enable us, on the one hand, to be less dependent
    on oil and better stewards on--of the environment.
        And so I'm glad to be with these entrepreneurs, these scientists,
    these thinkers. We've--as part of the hydrogen fuel cell initiative that
    I proposed to the Congress, this company got a grant. And I think it's a
    wise use of taxpayers' money to help the people in this company develop
    this new technology. This forklift right here is powered by a hydrogen
    fuel cell. Doesn't require any oil or products derived from oil, and the
    exhaust from this is water.
        And so we're going to continue to promote these kinds of
    technologies. And so I want to thank you all for having me. I'm about to
    go to a--after lunch, go to a hospital to talk about the need for a
    health care system that is patient-driven. I will resist the idea of the
    Federal Government running the health care system. And I'm going to
    spend some time talking during a town hall meeting about the kinds of
    reforms that we ought to be promoting out of Washington that encourage
    there to be a consumer-driven health care system. I mean, we'll take
    care of the poor, and we'll help the elderly. But we believe health care
    is best run in the private sector, not by the government.
        And finally, I'm going to spend some time talking about the war on
    terror and our need to succeed in Iraq. And I'm going to remind the
    people in the audience today that troop levels will be decided by our
    commanders on the ground, not by political figures in Washington, DC,
    and that we've got a plan to lead to victory. And I fully

    [[Page 926]]

    understand that this is a difficult war, and it's hard on the American
    people. But I will once again explain the consequences of failure to the
    American people, and I'll explain the consequences of success as well.
        And so I thank the people of Cleveland for welcoming me here. I'm
    glad to be in your city. Looking forward to a full day.
        Thank you all.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:59 a.m.