[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 37, Number 7 (Monday, February 19, 2001)]
[Pages 292-293]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks to State Department Employees

February 15, 2001

    The President. Mr. Secretary, thank you very much. It's an honor to 
be here with you, and thank you all for that warm welcome.
    As the Secretary mentioned, I'm focusing this week on America's 
national security. And few are more important to that mission than the 
people of the State Department, both foreign service and civil service. 
Our gathering here will be seen by some 10,000 State Department 
personnel in the Washington area. It will be seen by 37,000 committed 
men and women, including many foreign service national employees in 250 
posts all over the world.
    So to those in this room, those around the town, those across the 
world, thank you for what you do on behalf of the American people. You 
do so much to sustain America's position in the world and so much to 
foster freedom. And for that, we are grateful.
    In a few moments I'll go upstairs to witness the swearing-in of 38 
new foreign service officers. Our hope is that they draw strength and 
inspiration from your example, because you all are the finest diplomats 
in the world.
    The flags that surround us here represent every country with whom 
the United States has diplomatic relations. They are a powerful reminder 
that you are one department of our Government that literally never 
sleeps. America's commitments and responsibilities span the world in 
every time zone. Every day you fulfill those responsibilities with quiet 
excellence. You solve problems before they become headlines. You resolve 
crises before a shot is fired. And when tragedy or disaster strikes, you 
are often the first person on the scene.
    The other markers that surround us speak even more directly of your 
devotion to duty. They memorialize your colleagues who gave their lives 
to our country. The earliest are from the 18th century, understanding 
your long record of service and the long march to freedom. Others are 
all too recent, bitter reminders of the dangerous times we live in, like 
the ones marked Kenya. I know the example of these American heroes 
inspires you, just as seeing you all here today inspires me.
    It's sometimes said that State is the one Federal department that 
has no domestic constituency. Well, whoever said that is wrong. Let me 
assure you that between me and Secretary Powell, you do have a 
constituency.
    Speaking of the Secretary, I chose him to be our Secretary of State 
because he is a leader whose dignity and integrity will add to the 
strength and authority of America around the world. He is the absolute 
right man for the job.
    The Secretary and I are counting on you, on your help, as we pursue 
a clear and consistent and decisive foreign policy, a foreign policy 
that serves both our vital interests and our highest ideals. Our goal is 
to turn this time of American influence into generations of democratic 
peace. This requires America to remain engaged with the world and to 
project our strength with purpose and with humility.
    America will set its own priorities, so that they're not set by our 
adversaries or the crisis

[[Page 293]]

of the moment. We must work closely with our democratic friends and 
allies in Europe and Asia. We must engage Russia and China with patience 
and principle and consistency. We must build our trade relations across 
Africa and help nations that are adding to the freedom and stability of 
their continent.
    And closer to home, we must work with our neighbors to build a 
Western Hemisphere of freedom and prosperity, a hemisphere bound 
together by shared ideals and free trade, from the Arctic to the Andes 
to Cape Horn. Building this hemisphere of freedom will be a fundamental 
commitment of my administration. Our future cannot be separated from the 
future of our neighbors in Canada and Latin America. Our bonds of 
language and family and travel and trade are strong, and they serve us 
all well.
    Some look south and see problems; not me. I look south and see 
opportunities and potential. When I travel to Quebec in April and meet 
with other hemispheric leaders at the Summit of the Americas, I look 
forward to doing this: I look forward to discussing how we can build a 
century of the Americas. And I'll carry this message with me tomorrow 
when the Secretary and I go to Mexico for my first foreign trip as the 
President.
    These are exciting times in Mexico, times of change and times of 
possibility. Mexico has seen a new birth of freedom, and trade is 
creating hope and economic progress. The door is open to a closer 
partnership with the United States. But nothing about this new 
relationship is inevitable. Only through hard work will we get it right.
    President Fox and I will get started at his ranch tomorrow. I'm 
looking forward to hearing his ideas on expanding trade throughout the 
hemisphere, on safe and orderly migration, on expanding educational 
opportunity for all our children, and what we can do together to fight 
drug trafficking and other types of organized crime.
    President Fox and I met as Governors, and I look forward to renewing 
and deepening our friendship. But I look forward even more to forging a 
deeper partnership between our two great nations, a partnership 
characterized by cooperation, creativity, and mutual respect.
    I want to thank you all for welcoming me here today. I'm glad the 
Secretary invited me. I'm glad I responded positively. [Laughter] 
Oftentimes, those of us who hold high offices don't stop and say thank 
you as much as we should. So, today I'm doing just that. On behalf of 
the American people, thank you for the service to this great country, 
and God bless.

 Note:  The President spoke at 1:28 p.m. in the main lobby at the Harry 
S. Truman Building. In his remarks, he referred to President Vicente Fox 
of Mexico.