    [Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 11 (Monday, March 22, 1999)]
    [Pages 458-461]
    [Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    <R04>
    Remarks on Presenting the Presidential Medal of Freedom
    to George J. Mitchell

    March 17, 1999

        The President. Well, thank you very much. I am very grateful for
    your warm reception. I take it you had a good time inside. [Laughter]
    You not only put me out of the White House, you put all of yourselves
    out, too, because we wanted to be here where we could sit as one, to
    participate in this very important ceremony.
        I thank you, Taoiseach, Celia. I thank all the party leaders who are
    here: Mr. Trimble, Mr. Mallon, John Hume, Gerry Adams, all the others. I
    thank Mo Mowlam for her tireless work. And the members of the Irish
    Government who are here, I thank all of them.
        Mo Mowlam has got a great sense of humor, so I'm going to tell you a
    story she told me upstairs, and I'll never live over it, I know. But she
    said one night she spent the night here with Hillary and me, and she got
    in rather late. We stayed up rather later speaking. And then she went to
    sleep, and something happened, and she had to get on the phone early in
    the morning, London time, which is in the middle of the night our time.
    And the operator called back and said that she was having trouble
    finding Secretary Mowlam; she was in Mr. Lincoln's bedroom. [Laughter]
    She said it was quite obvious the operator did not know who Mr. Lincoln
    was or that he had been deceased for quite some time. [Laughter] But she
    at least felt that she was in good company. [Laughter]
        I would like to thank the members of our administration who are here
    and the rather astonishing number of Members of Congress who are here.
    I'd like to ask all the Members of the United States Congress who are
    here to please stand, wherever you are. [Applause] Thank you. Many have
    come with their spouses. Congressman King came with about 15 members of
    his family--[laughter]--represents about 5 percent of the total brood.
    [Laughter] We're delighted to see them all.
        I'd also like to say a special word of welcome to Senator Mitchell
    and to Heather and to all of George's family and friends who are here.
    As all of you know, in addition to the entertainment, which we'll talk
    about in a moment, our primary purpose here is to give me the
    opportunity, in front of the Irish-American community and so many of our
    friends from Ireland, north and south, to present the Presidential Medal
    of Freedom to Senator George Mitchell. [Applause] Thank you.
        I really don't know if this is going to mean anything to George
    anymore; he's gotten so many honors lately. He can't walk two blocks
    down any street without someone throwing some sort of trophy at him--
    [laughter]--Irish-American of the Year, Honorary Degree from Dublin's
    Trinity College. He even got an honorary knighthood from the Queen of
    England. George Lucas offered to give him ``the Force''--[laughter]--but
    he said ``the Force'' was already with him. [Laughter]

    [[Page 459]]

        Few Americans have served with such distinction in so many different
    capacities: prosecutor, judge, Senator, Presidential envoy, chair of
    Northern Ireland's historic peace talks. His, as most of you know, is a
    great American story. His father, born to Irish immigrants, adopted by
    Lebanese immigrants; his mother herself born in Lebanon. She worked a
    night shift at a textile mill; his father cleaned the buildings at Colby
    College. They stressed education and hard work, and George supplemented
    his scholarships with jobs as steward, dorm proctor, construction
    worker, night watchman, truck driver, and insurance adjustor.
        Now we all know why he fought so hard for the working people of our
    country. At one time or another, he did everything that they do all day,
    every day.
        I've heard George say on more than one occasion that his favorite
    part of being a Federal judge was administering the citizenship oath to
    new American citizens. He said he was very moved when one of them told
    him, ``I came here because in America, everybody has a chance.''
        Well, this son of immigrants has done his dead-level best to make
    sure that in our country everybody does have a chance. And he replaced a
    remarkable man, Senator Edmund Muskie, in the Senate and in just 8 years
    became the majority leader.
        In our time together, he pushed through crucial laws that enabled us
    to turn around our horrendous deficit, get our budget in order, and
    start to grow our economy again, to give tax breaks to working people,
    to broaden voter registration, to give 20 million people, now, access to
    the family and medical leave law, to put 100,000 police on the street,
    protect religious freedom, clean up the environment, stand up for our
    veterans. That's just a few of the things that he did.
        When he announced his retirement, it was a bittersweet moment, for
    friends and colleagues wished him well but also knew we would miss him
    dearly in this town. And I devised a scheme, the dimensions of which
    George would only later appreciate. [Laughter] I think it is the only
    time in our long relationship where I outsmarted him, instead of the
    other way around. [Laughter]
        I asked him to take a small, part-time commitment as my special
    economic adviser to Northern Ireland. [Laughter] Then the British and
    Irish Governments stepped in and asked him to chair talks on disarmament
    and then on bringing a comprehensive peace after a generation of
    bloodshed. The small, part-time commitment became more all-consuming
    than being Senate majority leader. I got even with him for leaving me.
    [Laughter]
        He drew up principles of nonviolence, aimed at preventing further
    tragedies while the talks proceeded. In building common ground among
    longtime antagonists he was a patient listener when he needed to be and
    a decisive leader when he had to be. He earned the respect of all
    parties for fairness, integrity, and judgment. And he built the trust
    necessary to move toward an agreement.
        Through more than 100 trips across the Atlantic, shall I say that
    again?--through more than 100 trips across the Atlantic, he continued to
    press ahead in the cause of peace. Northern Ireland learned what its
    sister and brothers knew from endless nights of cribbage, what his
    college basketball teammates saw from their tenacious starting guard,
    what his fellow legislators learned on the Senate floor and on the
    tennis court, and what I learned as his friend and colleague: Don't be
    fooled by the calm demeanor; this guy is a ferocious competitor,
    determined to succeed.
        During the course of this endeavor, George and Heather's son,
    Andrew, was born. George thought of Andrew, and also of the 61 children
    born in Northern Ireland on the same day. He wanted to champion their
    future as well, to give them the same chance for a good life he wanted
    for his own son.
        What motivated George brought to mind for me a letter I read last
    summer at Omagh when, together, we met with survivors of the bombing
    there. It was sent to our then-Ambassador to Ireland, Jean Kennedy
    Smith, who is also with us tonight, and thank you, Jean.
        I want to read this to you so you will understand from a personal
    point of view why I'm giving this medal to George tonight and why

    [[Page 460]]

    I want every person who is a part of this process to leave here tonight
    determined to get over this last hurdle and to remember that we do not
    have a day to waste. Easter is coming again. Good Friday is coming
    again.
        We have to give an accounting of ourselves. So remember this: ``Dear
    Ambassador, you may not know me. You may not even get this letter. But
    after yesterday's tragedy, I wanted to do something. I'm 29 years old,
    an Irishman to the very core of my being. But throughout my life, there
    has never been peace on this island. I never realized how precious peace
    could be until my wife gave birth to our daughter, Ashleen, 20 months
    ago. We don't want her to grow up in a society that is constantly
    waiting for the next atrocity, the next batch of young lives snuffed out
    by hatred and fear.
        ``Ashleen's name means `vision' or `dream,' and we have a dream of
    what Ireland might be like when she grows up. Ireland could be a place
    where dreams would come true, where people would achieve things never
    imagined before, where people would not be afraid of their neighbors. We
    know America has done much for Ireland and all we ask is that you keep
    trying. Please keep Ireland in mind because Ashleen and all Irish
    children need to be able to dream.''
        Well, my thanks go to the Taoiseach, to Prime Minister Blair, to Mo
    Mowlam, the leaders of the parties, our Government, but especially to my
    good friend George Mitchell, who never meant to sign on for quite the
    job he got but who did it as an act of love and devotion.
        George, thank you for your service to our Nation. Thank you for your
    wisdom. Thank you for being so tenacious. Thank you for your friendship
    and for being a truly fine human being.
        Major Everhart, read the citation.

    [At this point, Maj. Carlton Everhart, USAF, Air Force Aide to the
    President, read the citation. The President then presented the medal,
    and George Mitchell made brief remarks.]

        The President. Thank you, George, for your service and your remarks
    tonight.
        You know, when you stay in this work as long as Senator Mitchell and
    I have, you're not often moved by what other people in public life say.
    And even sometimes when you're moved, you doubt the ability of one
    person's words to move another. Tonight I think I can speak for all of
    us when I say we were genuinely moved by what George Mitchell said.
        And I believe I can speak for all of us who are not parties and will
    have no direct say, that we hope and pray that they were moved and
    emboldened and redetermined by Senator Mitchell's words. I will say what
    I have said from the beginning: The United States will support all sides
    in Ireland that take honest steps for peace. And I hope and believe that
    the necessary steps can be taken before we pass another Good Friday.
        Thank you very much.
        Now, enough of this really too serious stuff. Now we're going to
    have St. Patrick's Day fun. Let me begin by thanking the performers who
    already have been entertaining you here and in the White House. Let me
    mention them all, and then I think we should give them a round of
    applause: the Irish Fire band and dancers from the O'Hare School of
    Irish Dance; the Culkin School of Traditional Irish Dance and The Next
    Generation Band; the harpists, Ellen James and Michael O'Hanlan; the
    Prince George's County Police Pipe Band; and the U.S. Marine Band Irish
    Ensemble. Thank you very much. Hillary and I appreciate it. [Applause]
        There is another great performance ahead: Both Sides Now, music and
    spoken words celebrating the people of Northern Ireland. You will hear
    the great music from our friends Phil Coulter and James Galway, two of
    Ireland's and the world's great musicians. Last December they performed
    together in Oslo on a great day, the day John Hume and David Trimble
    received the Nobel Peace Prize.
        They are joined by some familiar faces, Roma Downey and Aidan Quinn.
    We thank them for being here. And you will hear from the musicians of
    Different Drums of Ireland, whose sounds represent a melding of
    Ireland's traditions.
        Finally, you will hear from a truly beautiful and remarkable young
    woman, Claire Gallagher. She lost her sight in the terrible bombing at
    Omagh, but she did not lose the vision

    [[Page 461]]

    and strength of her spirit and soul. And her mission for peace is
    powerful and clear.
        Claire came here tonight with her parents, her siblings, her
    teacher, and we are genuinely honored to have her. Hillary was so moved
    by her before in Northern Ireland, and I can't say enough about my
    respect for what she has done to carry on with what will still be a
    genuinely remarkable life.
        I thank all of our performers in advance. And again, I say I hope
    the music and the spirit embodied by the Irish who are here will also
    help to give us the strength and resolve to fulfill the final promises
    of the Good Friday accord.
        Thank you, and God bless you

    Note: The President spoke at 8:45 p.m. in a pavilion on the South
    Grounds at the White House. In his remarks, he referred to Prime
    Minister Bertie Ahern of Ireland; Celia Larkin, who accompanied Prime
    Minister Ahern; First Minister David Trimble and Deputy First Minister
    Seamus Mallon of the Northern Ireland Assembly; Social Democratic and
    Labour Party leader John Hume; Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams; Queen
    Elizabeth II, Prime Minister Tony Blair, and Secretary of State for
    Northern Ireland Marjorie Mowlam of the United Kingdom; ``Star Wars''
    creator George Lucas; and actors Roma Downey and Aidan Quinn. The
    transcript made available by the Office of the Press Secretary also
    included the remarks of Mr. Mitchell.