    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2008, Book II)]
    [January 15, 2009]
    [Pages 1571-1573]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on Presenting the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the
    Department of State
    January 15, 2009

        Thank you all. I got 5 days left; be seated. [Laughter]
        Madam Secretary, thank you very much
    for your kind introduction, and thank you for these beautiful reminders
    of how fantastic it's been to work with you.
        By the way, these are going to be at Southern Methodist University--
    [laughter]--proudly displayed at the Presidential Center I will build to
    remind our country of the timeless values of freedom and liberty. And I
    am honored to take them back to Texas. I'm honored to take my wife back to Texas too. [Laughter]
        The award you gave Laura, Condi, is well deserved in my unobjective opinion. She
    has been awesome First Lady. And I'm proud to have been here in
    Washington. And you've been an awesome friend and a great Secretary of
    State.
        You know, people--I tell people all the time, they ask me about
    Condi, and I say, ``She's like my sister.''
    We've been through a lot together. [Laughter] And one of the things
    about her is that she has never lost her great optimism. She's plenty
    tough when she needed to be tough; she's plenty charming when she needs
    to be charming. But during the darkest of days, she always had a sense
    of optimism and constantly reminded me of what is possible and what will
    happen if we don't lose confidence in fundamental truths. History will
    say that Condi Rice was one of the great Secretaries of State our
    country has ever had.
        And I thank my friend John Negroponte. I call him ``Ponte''--you better call him--[laughter]--Mr.
    Secretary. He has done a lot of hard work on behalf of the country, and
    he has really done it well, a variety of jobs that have required skill
    and dedication and courage, and each job he's handled with a lot of
    class, he really has.
        I want to thank the Ambassadors who have joined us. Thanks for
    coming. Appreciate your service to your countries. And I want to thank
    all those who work here, veterans and rookies alike. [Laughter] This is
    a fabulous Department and a vital part of making sure this country
    remains secure in the long run. And it's been a joy to work with you.
        Tonight I'm going to give a farewell address to the American people.
    It's going to be a short one. [Laughter] But it's got a lot of meaning
    to it, as far as I'm concerned. I'm going to urge our Nation to continue
    to engage the world with confidence, confidence in the transformative
    power of freedom and liberty.
        These are the ideals that gave birth to our own Nation, these
    universal ideals gave birth to America. And over the past 8 years,
    together we have worked to advance these ideals. And every member of
    this Department can be proud of the results.
        In the Middle East, we stood with dissidents and young democracies.
    Sometimes that was not easy to do, but we stood strong with those young
    democracies. We outlined a vision of two democratic states, Israel and
    Palestine, living side by side in peace and security.
        In Asia, we deepened our alliances with old friends, Japan and South
    Korea, and we strengthened ties with China. I'm not so sure if this is
    historically accurate, but we may be the only administration that has
    had really good ties with Japan, South Korea, and China all at the same
    time. And we opened a new historic and strategic partnership with India.
        In Europe, we expanded NATO to include new democracies from the
    Baltics to the Balkans. We work in a multilateral fashion to deal with
    issues like Iran and North Korea.

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        In Africa, we helped resolve old conflicts and formed new
    partnerships to confront hunger and disease and poverty. I'm often
    asked, you know, ``How come you, from Texas, care about Africa?'' And I
    remind people--I'm reminded of one of my first conversations with
    Condi. And she said, ``If I'm going to work
    with you, I want you to make sure you focus on Africa.'' She gets a lot
    of credit for the focus on Africa.
        I also acted on this timeless belief: To whom much is given, much is
    required. We have been given a lot in our country. And it's not only in
    our strategic interests that we deal with hunger and disease, it is in
    our moral interest that we do so as well. In the Western Hemisphere, we
    expanded trade and helped our fellow democracies deliver prosperity and
    social justice to their people. And around the world, we built a
    coalition of more than 90 nations to fight terror and advance the cause
    of freedom in the great ideological struggle of our time.
        In short, we've made our alliances stronger, we've made our Nation
    safer, and we have made the world freer. The record is a testament to
    all those who have served, including our outstanding Foreign Service
    officers. This is a profession that requires commitment and sacrifice.
    When you volunteered for the Foreign Service, you agreed to put the
    needs of your country before your own and your family. You agreed to
    spend years away from home, and you knew that your service might just
    put you in harm's way.
        Today we send our thoughts and prayers to all the men and women
    representing America in distant lands, and we pledge that we will never
    forget the brave souls who did not come home.
        As President, I have entrusted the Foreign Service with our Nation's
    most critical diplomatic missions. I have relied on your expertise, your
    advice, and your good judgment. I will always be grateful for your valor
    and your professionalism.
        Members of the Foreign Service bring this valor and professionalism
    to their work every single day. And there is one man who embodies these
    qualities above all: Ambassador Ryan Crocker. Over the years, Ryan has earned many honors, including the
    Presidential Meritorious Service Award and the rank of Career
    Ambassador. Today I have the privilege of honoring Ambassador Crocker
    with the highest civil award I can bestow, the Presidential Medal of
    Freedom. [Applause] Okay. It has not been bestowed yet. [Laughter]
        The son of an Air Force officer, Ryan Crocker has never been your typical diplomat. For social
    engagements, he likes to tell guests, ``No socks required.'' [Laughter]
    For language training, he once spent time herding sheep with a desert
    tribe in Jordan. For sport, he has jogged through war zones and run
    marathons on four continents. And for assignments, his preference has
    always been anywhere but Washington. [Laughter]
        During his nearly four decades in the Foreign Service, Ryan
    Crocker has become known as America's
    Lawrence of Arabia. His career has taken him to every corner of the
    Middle East. His understanding of the region is unmatched. His exploits
    are legendary. He has served as ambassador to five countries. He has
    repeatedly taken on the most challenging assignments.
        The man has never run from danger. As a
    young officer during the late 1970s, Ryan catalogued Saddam Hussein's
    murderous rise to power. In 1983, he survived the terrorist attack on
    the American Embassy in Lebanon. In 1998, as the Ambassador to Syria, he
    witnessed an angry mob plunder his residence.
        After any one of these brushes with danger, most people would have
    lost their appetite for adventure. Not Ryan Crocker. In the years since September the 11th, 2001, I have asked
    Ryan to hold numerous posts on the frontlines of the war on terror, and
    he has stepped forward enthusiastically every time.

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        When the American Embassy in Kabul reopened in the beginning of
    2002, Ryan Crocker was our first envoy. When
    we liberated Iraq and removed the thug Saddam Hussein from power in
    2003, I sent Ryan to help lead the reconstruction efforts. When the
    American Embassy in Pakistan needed new leadership, Ryan Crocker was put
    in charge. In 2007, I asked Ryan to return for a final mission to Iraq
    as America's Ambassador.
        Two years later, Iraq is becoming a rising democracy, an ally in the
    war on terror, an inspiring model of freedom for people across the
    Middle East. When the story of this transformation is written,
    historians will note the extraordinary partnership between two
    exceptional men: General David Petraeus
    and Ambassador Ryan Crocker. As the General
    carried out a surge of military forces to improve security, the
    Ambassador led a civilian surge to improve everyday life. In December,
    after months of intense negotiations, the world saw the culmination of
    Ambassador Crocker's masterful diplomacy: two historic agreements for
    long-term cooperation between the United States and Iraq.
        This is not the first time that Ambassador Crocker has executed a brilliant diplomatic maneuver in Baghdad.
    During a rotation at the American Embassy nearly 30 years ago, he
    persuaded a young Foreign Service officer named Christine Barnes to be his wife. [Laughter] They have traveled the
    world together, and as Ryan prepares to retire from the Foreign Service,
    we wish the two of them many years of happiness.
        General Petraeus recently said this
    about his retiring colleague: ``It was a
    great honor for me to be his military wingman.'' And today it is my
    great honor to present the Presidential Medal of Freedom to one of the
    finest Foreign Service officers in American history, Ryan Clark Crocker.
    And now the military aide will read the citation.

    Note: The President spoke at 11:14 a.m. In his remarks, he referred to
    Gen. David H. Petraeus, USA, commander, U.S. Central Command, in his
    former capacity as commanding general, Multi-National Force--Iraq.
    Following the President's remarks, Lt. Cmdr. Clay Beers, USN, Navy Aide
    to the President, read the citation. The Office of the Press Secretary
    also released a Spanish language transcript of these remarks.