[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2007, Book II)]
[October 25, 2007]
[Page 1389]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks Following a Meeting With First-Responders in Escondido
October 25, 2007

    The President. Thank you all very much for letting us come by to say 
hello to you. I'm proud to be here with the Senator, the Terminator--
[laughter]--do you still get called the Terminator?
    Governor Arnold A. Schwarzenegger. Absolutely, especially my wife. [Laughter]
    The President. You know why we're here--Brian Bilbray, the Congressman from here--we're here to, hopefully, 
inspire you by thanking you from the bottom of our hearts for what you 
do. I'm telling you, there's a lot of folks that live up in these hills 
that have their houses because of you. And they're not in a position to 
thank you, but we are. And so we thank you for helping save lives and 
save property. We thank you for serving our country.
    You know, one of the things I like to do is look in the eyes, to 
make sure you're getting rest, and I know you're not. [Laughter] I hope 
there's enough reinforcements coming to make sure that you get your 
shifts so you can get some sleep, because the citizens are going to 
count on you for you a while.
    These fires are tough, but you know better than anybody how hard it 
is. And so we're here to compliment you on your courage and your 
compassion. I know you're working incredible hours, and you've got 
family members who wonder about you, and so one of the things that we 
can do is also hope you pass on our best regards to your family members. 
I'm confident they're inspired by you, but they're wondering about your 
health and your safety. And so please, when you talk to them, tell them 
the President, the Senator, the 
Governor, the Congressman, but most of all, the folks here in the San Diego 
area and around the State affected by the fires are really appreciative.
    And finally, I'd like to ask God's blessings on you and to protect 
you and guard you. Thanks for being great Americans. God bless.

Note: The President spoke at 12:56 p.m. in the Ray Love Picnic Area at 
Kit Carson Park. In his remarks, he referred to Sen. Dianne Feinstein.