    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2007, Book II)]
    [July 17, 2007]
    [Pages 975-976]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on Presenting the Congressional Gold Medal to Norman E.
    Borlaug
    July 17, 2007

        Thank you all. Madam Speaker, thank you.
    Madam Speaker, Mr. Leader, members of the
    congressional leadership, members of the Iowa delegation, fighting Texas
    A&M Aggies, Dr. Borlaug, and his family.
        All around us are testaments to our Republic's young and storied
    history. Yet sometimes it takes a ceremony like this to remind us what a
    special place America is.
        Ours is a land of hope and promise and compassion. And we see that
    compassion and promise in the man we honor today, a farmboy, educated in
    a one-room schoolhouse, who left the golden fields of Iowa to become
    known as ``the man who fed the world.''
        Many have highlighted Norman Borlaug's achievements in turning
    ordinary staples such as wheat and rice into miracles that brought hope
    to millions. I particularly appreciated the story about a former Vice
    President and fellow Iowan named Henry Wallace, who once came to observe
    Norman's grain experiments up close. The Vice President looked around
    and then asked why a good Iowa boy like Norman wasn't working on
    something to do with corn. [Laughter]
        Norm Borlaug's life has taken him from laboratories in America and
    Mexico to dusty villages throughout the developing world. He has
    consulted with Presidents and Prime Ministers in important countries
    like Pakistan and India. He's helped inspire students at Texas A&M,
    where an institute bearing his name is dedicated to completing his
    life's work. To this day Norman leads an active life--listen to a
    friend. He said, ``Norman spends half his year in Texas, half his year
    in Mexico, and the other half wherever else he's needed.'' [Laughter]
    That is interesting math. I was going to say that I bet some of us wish

    [[Page 976]]

    we could use that kind of math during the budget process here in the
    Capitol. [Laughter] I'm afraid sometimes we do.
        What that friend meant was that Norman Borlaug has lived his life
    with urgency. He has long understood that one of the greatest threats to
    global progress is the torment of human hunger, and we've seen that
    plague haunt history many times. Famine in the mid-1800s forced hundreds
    of thousands of Irish citizens to take a sad and desperate journey to
    America and turned the Atlantic Ocean into what an Irish poet called ``a
    bowl of bitter tears.'' More than a century later, wrenching images of
    emaciated children in Ethiopia rallied the world to the tragedy of
    famine. Hunger continues to cast its miserable shadow across much of the
    developing world, robbing villages of children and forcing human beings
    to make desperate and daily searches for food and clean water.
        Wealthy and prosperous nations have a moral obligation to help poor
    and struggling people find their own paths to progress and plenty. To
    whom much is given, much is required, and we've been given a lot here in
    America. It's the calling of our conscience, and it's a compelling
    national interest. A quote that Dr. Borlaug made reference to when he
    received the Nobel Prize says it well: ``You can't build peace on empty
    stomachs.''
        In the past half-century, we have seen a glimpse of the world that
    is yet to come. Since the end of the World War II, the advance of trade
    and technology has lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty.
    That's really the triumph of human liberty stretching across natural
    boundaries. It is a tribute to innovation and entrepreneurship. And
    these are the characteristics that can be found in the very best of our
    citizens, such as the man we honor today.
        When Dr. Borlaug received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from one
    of my predecessors, Gerald Ford, the citation noted that Norman's work
    ``has pushed back the shadow of hunger on this planet and given us
    precious time to force its final retreat.'' That final retreat will come
    only as long as we hold in our hearts the revolutionary spirit of men
    like Norman Borlaug, whose Green Revolution brought hope to troubled
    corners of the world, where grateful villagers still praise his name.
        The most fitting tribute we can offer this good man is to renew
    ourselves to his life's work and lead a second green revolution that
    feeds the world. And today we'll make a pledge to do so.
        Dr. Borlaug, I thank you for your vision and dedication. I thank you
    for leading a life of great purpose and achievement. I thank you for
    proving to Americans that what we learned as children is still true,
    that one human being can change the world. May God bless you, sir. May
    God continue to bless our wonderful country.
        And now I ask the Speaker and Senator
    Reid to join me for the gold medal presentation.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:53 a.m. in the Rotunda at the U.S.
    Capitol.