    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2008, Book II)]
    [October 4, 2008]
    [Pages 1270-1271]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks to the White House Press Pool in Midland, Texas
    October 4, 2008

        It's an amazing experience to come back to a place where you were
    raised. Laura was raised in Midland; I was raised
    in Midland. I was--this is one of the three homes I lived in, and I kind
    of remember it. [Laughter] The bedroom--actually, I do remember the wood
    on the wall that--in the bedroom.
        You know, I love Midland and Texas. We've got a lot of friends here.
    I learned

    [[Page 1271]]

    a lot of values that I hold dear here. It's good to see mom's--Laura's mom here. And
    it's the first time I've been back here since I've been the President,
    and it was just a very heartwarming experience.
        You know, I've told my friends here, I said, you know, I'm not going
    to change as a person because of politics of Washington--that's what I
    said when I left. And I think they appreciate that. I want them to know
    that, you know, even though I had to deal with a lot of tough issues,
    that I'm still the same person that they knew before, and that, you
    know, I'm wiser, more experienced, but my heart and my values didn't
    change.
        And so it's great to see our friends. You know, we got a couple more
    hard months to go, and obviously we've got to deal with this financial
    situation. Congress took a big step in the direction of at least giving
    us the tools necessary to bring some stability into the marketplace. Got
    to get credit flowing of course so that people feel comfortable about
    conducting business. And so it's--there's a lot of work to be done. But
    it's--in the meantime, it's good to come back here to where it all
    started for us.
        Anyway, thank you all. You're welcome to pay the fee to go in and
    see the house. [Laughter]

    Note: The President spoke at 1:30 p.m at the George W. Bush Childhood
    Home Presidential site. In his remarks, he referred to his mother-in-law
    Jenna Welch.