[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2007, Book II)]
[November 5, 2007]
[Pages 1422-1427]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks on Presenting the Presidential Medal of Freedom
November 5, 2007

    The President. Good morning. Laura and I are 
thrilled to welcome you to the White House. We welcome the Members of 
Congress, the members of the Cabinet, and other distinguished guests. 
It's an honor to be with the Medal of Freedom recipients as well as 
their family members and friends. We're sure glad you're here.
    The Medal of Freedom is the highest civil honor that a President can 
bestow. By an Executive order of John F. Kennedy, the medal is designed 
to recognize great contributions to national security, the cause of 
peace and freedom, science, the arts, literature, and many other fields. 
The eight men and women came to this distinction by very different 
paths. Each of them, by effort and by character, has earned the respect 
of the American people and holds a unique place in the story of our 
time.
    Our first honoree, Dr. Gary Becker, once 
said: ``Many intellectuals, many economists use obscure language when 
they write. Sometimes it's a way of disguising that they are not saying 
a heck of a lot.'' [Laughter] This economist, however, is different. 
Gary Becker's many books and articles and his 19 years as a weekly 
columnist have provided--proved him to be a thinker of originality and 
clarity.
    Dr. Becker has shown that economic 
principles do not just exist in theory. Instead, they help to explain 
human behavior in fields well beyond economics. He has shown that by 
applying these principles to public policy, we can make great strides in 
promoting enterprise and public safety, protecting the environment, 
improving public schools, and strengthening the family. Dr. Becker has 
explained, as well, the real value of investing in human capital. He 
knows full well that an educated and well-trained workforce adds to the 
vigors of our economy and helps raise the standard of living for all of 
us.
    This longtime professor at the University 
of Chicago has helped train hundreds of talented economists. He has been 
a wise and challenging presence in the lives of his students, and they 
remain devoted to him. One close friend said, ``A 15-minute conversation 
with Gary Becker can change your thinking forever.'' He is without 
question one of the most influential economists of the last hundred 
years. With today's honor, he is one of only two persons to have 
received both the Nobel Prize in Economics and the Medal of Freedom. The 
other was the late Milton Friedman. And I know that today Dr. Friedman 
would be very proud of his friend and student and colleague, Mr.--or Dr. 
Gary Becker. Congratulations.
    The Medal of Freedom for Oscar Elias Biscet will be accepted this morning by his son Yan 
Valdes. His daughter Winnie is also present. Dr. Biscet is not with us today 
because he is a political prisoner of the regime in Havana. This 
ceremony at the White House is being broadcast live into Cuba. To the 
citizens of that land, I send the respect and good wishes of the United 
States.
    Oscar Biscet is a healer 
known to 11 million Cubans as a physician, a community organizer, and an 
advocate for human rights. For two decades, he has told the world what 
he has seen in Cuba: the arrogance of a one-party state; the suppression

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of political dissent; the coercion of expectant mothers. For speaking 
the truth, Dr. Biscet has endured repeated harassment, beatings, and 
detentions. The international community agrees that Dr. Biscet's 
imprisonment is unjust, yet the regime has refused every call for his 
release.
    To the Cuban dictatorship, Dr. Biscet is a dangerous man. He is dangerous in the same way 
that Martin Luther King, Jr., and Gandhi were dangerous. He is a man of 
peace, a man of truth, and a man of faith. In captivity for most of the 
last 8 years, he has continued to embody courage and dignity. His 
example is a rebuke to the tyrants and secret police of a regime whose 
day is passing.
    Dr. Biscet is also a young 
man. God willing, he'll soon regain his freedom, as justice demands. He 
deserves to be reunited with his wife Elsa and 
all their family. And the land they call home deserves to be free. When 
that day arrives, the peoples of Cuba and the United States will stand 
together as free men and women, and the liberated country will honor a 
great man with a mighty heart, Oscar Elias Biscet.
    When tyrannies fall, it's often the prisoners and exiles who are 
called forth to lead their people. We've seen this in our own time, in 
the lives of President Havel and President 
Mandela and Prime Minister 
Maliki and, in the Republic of Liberia, 
President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
    All of her life, President Sirleaf 
has been a pioneer. The daughter of a school teacher in Monrovia, she 
crossed the ocean as a young woman and earned three degrees in the 
United States. She has been a business executive, a development expert, 
a public official, and always a patriot. She loves Liberia, and she 
loves all its people. After a cabal seized power and plunged that 
country into years of upheaval and corruption and civil war, Ellen 
Johnson Sirleaf stood up for the democratic rights of her fellow 
citizens. She never wavered, even though the consequences were house 
arrest, foreign exile, death threats, and imprisonment.
    When free elections returned to Liberia, the voters made history. 
They chose her to be the first woman ever elected to lead a nation on 
the continent of Africa. She was 
inaugurated last year, with Laura and Secretary 
of State Condoleezza Rice as proud 
witnesses. I remember asking Laura and Condi what kind of person I'd be 
dealing with. They said to expect a woman of depth and ability who know 
how to get things done. They were right. See, when the President comes 
to the Oval Office, she walks in with a to-do list. [Laughter]
    The President has the tough mind 
of a natural-born executive and the gentle instincts of a mother. Not 
surprisingly, the Liberian people have given her two affectionate 
nicknames. They call her the ``Iron Lady,'' and they call her ``Ma.'' 
She's begun an age of reform in a country with deep historic ties to the 
United States. As she said to a joint meeting of our Congress: ``Liberia 
will become a brilliant beacon, an example to Africa and to the world of 
what the love of liberty can achieve.''
    Madam President, America is proud 
to stand with Liberia. And today America honors you as a woman of 
courage and a giver of hope. Welcome back to the White House, my friend, 
and congratulations.
    Seventeen years ago, the Federal Government established a research 
project with the ambitious goal of mapping the entire human genome. The 
genome is best described as the code of life, the ``3.1 billion-letter 
instruction book that conveys all kinds of information and all kinds of 
mystery about humankind.'' Those were the words of Dr. Francis 
Collins, Director of the National Human 
Genome Research Institute and the man who led the Federal project to 
full and thrilling success.
    Many discoveries yet to be made and many scientific triumphs yet to 
be achieved will be directly traceable to the work of the Human Genome 
Project. With genetic mapping, researchers know more than ever

[[Page 1424]]

before about the hereditary influences behind cancer and heart disease 
and diabetes and many other conditions. And that understanding holds the 
key to earlier detection of illness, individualized treatments, and even 
lifesaving cures.
    In scope and long-term potential, the Human Genome Project has been 
compared to the Apollo project. And its leader, Dr. Collins, is a well-rounded man. Though he routinely 
works a 90-hour week, he is an accomplished singer and guitarist. 
[Laughter] I know this because I once heard him at the National Prayer 
Breakfast. You see, when a man can get up and sing in front of 3,000 
people at 8 in the morning, there's something special in his DNA. 
[Laughter]
    From his days being home-schooled by his mom on a farm in Virginia, 
Francis Collins has been relentless in 
the pursuit of knowledge. He said: ``One of the strongest motivations of 
humankind is to seek answers to profound questions and [to understand] 
what is both seen and unseen.'' He has brought his extraordinary gifts 
to bear on the technical questions of genetics and on the ethical 
questions as well. Deep scientific understanding can be used for good or 
ill, and a lot turns on knowing the difference. Francis Collins is 
unafraid of the eternal questions, unswayed by fashion, and unwilling to 
overlook the distinction between right and wrong.
    Dr. Collins has often noted that ``at 
the DNA level, we're all 99.9 percent the same. All of us.'' It's a 
reminder that the Human Genome Project, with all the promise it holds 
for tomorrow, also confirms scientifically the timeless wisdom of the 
brotherhood of man. Americans are rightly proud this project succeeded 
in our own country, and we are proud of the wise and humane American 
scientist behind it, Francis Collins.
    Brotherhood is perhaps the greatest theme in the life and character 
of Dr. Benjamin Hooks. The man has always 
had what his friend Dr. King called the strength to love. As a civil 
rights activist, public servant, and minister of the Gospel, Dr. Hooks 
has extended the hand of fellowship throughout his years. It was not an 
always thing--easy thing to do, but it was always the right thing to do.
    Benjamin Hooks grew up in a segregated 
South, where economic advantages and even common courtesies were often 
denied to African Americans. In the Army during World War II, he guarded 
European prisoners of war held in the United States. When it was time to 
get something to eat, whites-only restaurants would serve the prisoners, 
but not Sergeant Hooks. After the war, he wanted to study law, but not a 
single law school in Tennessee would admit a black man. So he went to 
DePaul University in Chicago, then came back home, determined to ``break 
down that segregation, to end those days.''
    He became a lawyer and, in time, was 
also an ordained Baptist minister. He joined the Southern Christian 
Leadership Conference and was an early crusader in that great movement. 
He also rose in the legal profession, becoming the first African 
American ever to serve as a judge of the Tennessee Criminal Court. He 
was named to the Federal Communications Commission by President Nixon.
    The Nation best remembers Benjamin Hooks as the leader of the NAACP. For 15 years, Dr. Hooks was a 
calm yet forceful voice for fairness, opportunity, and personal 
responsibility. He never tired or faltered in demanding that our Nation 
live up to its founding ideals of liberty and equality. His testimony 
had special power--for the words that he spoke and for the example that 
he set as a man of decency and rectitude.
    It's been a great journey, and he's 
traveled with a good and gracious woman at his side, Frances 
Hooks. They're a wonderful team. They've been 
married for 56 years.
    Dr. Hooks once said, ``You've got to 
believe that tomorrow somehow can be and

[[Page 1425]]

will be better than today.'' Because he had that belief, because he held 
on to it, because he acted upon it, an old order has passed away. And 
all Americans can be grateful for the good works and the good life of 
Benjamin L. Hooks.
    The story of an old order and the glimmers of humanity that would 
one day overtake it was unforgettably told in a book by Miss Harper 
Lee. Soon after its publication, a reviewer 
said this: ``A hundred pounds of sermons on tolerance or an equal 
measure of invective deploring the lack of it will weigh far less in the 
scale of enlightenment than a mere 18 ounces of a new fiction bearing 
the title `To Kill a Mockingbird.' ''
    Given her legendary stature as a novelist, you may be surprised to 
learn that Harper Lee, early in her career, 
was an airline reservation clerk. Fortunately for all of us, she didn't 
stick to writing itineraries. [Laughter] Her beautiful book, with its 
grateful prose and memorable characters, became one of the biggest 
selling novels of the 20th century.
    Forty-six years after winning the Pulitzer Prize, ``To Kill a 
Mockingbird'' still touches and inspires every reader. We're moved by 
the story of a man falsely accused, with old prejudice massed against 
him and an old sense of honor that rises to his defense. We learn that 
courage can be a solitary business. As the lawyer Atticus Finch tells 
his daughter: ``Before I can live with other folks, I've got to live 
with myself. The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a 
person's conscience.''
    Years after ``To Kill a Mockingbird'' was put to film, the character 
of Atticus Finch was voted the greatest movie hero of all time. It won 
Gregory Peck the Oscar. He was said to believe the role ``brought him 
closest to being the kind of man he aspired to be.'' The great actor 
counted Harper Lee among his good friends, and 
we're so pleased that Gregory Peck's wife Veronique is with us today. Thank you for coming.
    One reason ``To Kill a Mockingbird'' succeeded is the wise and kind 
heart of the author, which comes through on 
every page. This daughter of Monroeville, Alabama, had something to say 
about honor and tolerance and, most of all, love--and it still 
resonates. Last year, Harper Lee received an honorary doctorate at Notre 
Dame. As the degree was presented, the graduating class rose as one, 
held up copies of her book, and cheered for the author they love.
    ``To Kill a Mockingbird'' has influenced the character of our 
country for the better. It's been a gift to the entire world. As a model 
of good writing and humane sensibility, this book will be read and 
studied forever. And so all of us are filled with admiration for a great 
American and a lovely lady named Harper Lee.
    Bob Hyde is here on behalf of his dad, the 
Honorable Henry J. Hyde, who was not able to 
be with us today. Congressman Hyde spent more than three decades as a 
towering figure on Capitol Hill. But he first name--made his name in 
Washington more than 60 years ago. He was on the Georgetown basketball 
team, and he played in the NCAA eastern championship game in 1943. After 
college and Navy service in World War II, he returned home to Illinois 
and earned a law degree and made his way into politics. This erudite, 
scholarly man has walked with kings and kept the common touch. He won 20 
elections and gave steady service to the people of Illinois for 40 
years.
    In the House, Congressman Hyde rose to the 
chairmanship of two committees: Judiciary and International Relations. 
And from the first day, he was a commanding presence, and he was a man 
of consequence. Colleagues were struck by his extraordinary intellect, 
his deep convictions, and eloquent voice. In committee and in the House 
Chamber, the background noise would stop when Henry Hyde had the floor.

[[Page 1426]]

    He used his persuasive powers for noble 
causes. He stood for a strong and purposeful America, confident in 
freedom's advance and firm in freedom's defense. He stood for limited, 
accountable Government and the equality of every person before the law. 
He was a gallant champion of the weak and forgotten and a fearless 
defender of life in all its seasons.
    Henry Hyde spoke of controversial matters 
with intellectual honesty and without rancor. He proved that a man can 
have firm convictions and be a favorite of Democrats and Republicans 
alike.
    Henry likes quoting the adage, ``Make new 
friends, but keep the old; one is silver, but the other is gold.'' To so 
many on Capitol Hill, Henry Hyde's friendship is gold. They're quick to 
say it's not the same Congress without him, but that we're a better 
country because he was there. And colleagues will always admire and look 
up to the gentleman from Illinois, Henry J. Hyde. And, Bob, please tell your dad a lot of us in Washington love 
him.
    For nearly 30 years, the proceedings of the House of Representatives 
have been televised unfiltered, uninterrupted, unedited, and live. For 
this, we can thank the Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network, or C-
SPAN. And for C-SPAN, we can thank a visionary American named Brian 
Lamb.
    C-SPAN is not what you'd call exciting TV, though some of the call-
in shows do have their moments. [Laughter] It is, however, a tool that 
enlivens democracy and informs and educates citizens of all ages, at all 
hours.
    C-SPAN channels fill 17,000 broadcast hours a year. But you can 
watch for years and never hear anyone say the name Brian Lamb. Even Brian never says it.
    With his low-key manner, this native of 
Lafayette, Indiana, likes to stick with substance. He's not there to 
provide commentary or give much reaction either way. Yet vast numbers of 
Americans consider themselves fans of Brian Lamb. A writer from the 
Washington Post called it a ``cult of 
nonpersonality.'' [Laughter] The truth is, we've all seen him, and he's 
conducted some of the most fascinating interviews we have ever heard. As 
one C-SPAN watcher said, when you listen to 
Brian ``you feel like he's just like you, only smarter.'' [Laughter]
    Brian Lamb has spent most of his life in 
broadcasting, in a career that has taken many turns. The first program 
he ever hosted, back in the Midwest, was called ``Dance Date,'' a side 
we haven't seen much of. [Laughter] Brian Lamb is a Navy veteran, a 
former social aide here at the White House. In fact, when Brian was here 
a few months ago to interview a historian in the Lincoln Bedroom, the 
maitre d' of the residential staff of the White House remembered him 
from those days.
    The network Brian Lamb created has been 
called ``scrupulously nonpartisan'' and ``inherently patient.'' 
Committee hearings and campaign events and conferences and rallies are 
shown from beginning to end, without editorial comment or 
interpretation. C-SPAN has no agenda and only one assumption: That 
interested viewers are intelligent and can make up their own minds about 
what they see and what they hear.
    An informed citizenry has been the strength of America since the 
days of the New England town hall. C-SPAN has revived the town hall 
spirit for a modern, continental nation. For his enormous achievement 
and his personal modesty, for his high standards and his contribution to 
our democracy, America is grateful to Mr. Brian Lamb.
    Now I call on the military aide to 
read the citations for the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

[At this point, Lt. Cmdr. Robert A. Roncska, USN, Navy Aide to the 
President, read the citations, and the President presented the medals.]

    The President. Thank you all for coming. Laura and I now invite you to a reception here in the State 
Dining Room. I hope

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you've enjoyed this ceremony as much as I have. May God bless you all. 
Thank you.

Note: The President spoke at 10:01 a.m. in the East Room at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to President Fidel Castro Ruz of 
Cuba; former President Vaclav Havel of the Czech Republic; former 
President Nelson R. Mandela of South Africa; and Prime Minister Nuri al-
Maliki of Iraq.