[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 37, Number 10 (Monday, March 12, 2001)]
[Pages 398-400]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at the Christening Ceremony for the U.S.S. Ronald Reagan in 
Newport News, Virginia

March 4, 2001

    Thank you very much, Mr. Secretary. Mr. Secretary, thank you for 
those kind words. I picked the right man to be the Secretary of Defense 
at this time in history.
    Mrs. Reagan, it is an honor to be with you. Reagan family members, 
friends of the great President, Laura and I are honored to be here.
    We join with the Governor and Senator of this State in asking for 
God's blessings on those who lost their lives yesterday and for their 
families.
    Bill, thank you very much for your hospitality. Secretary Powell and 
Secretary Abraham, Leader Lott, Chairman Warner--I can't tell if you're 
trying to retire me early--[laughter]--or influence my behavior.
    Senator Allen, Governor Gilmore, Representative Scott, and Members 
of Congress, Justice Kennedy, Admiral Clark, welcome. But most of all, I 
want to welcome the men

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and women of the United States Navy, including the officers and crew who 
will soon be on the Ronald Reagan.
    Looking at the bow of this great ship, we think of those who will 
sail it and of those who built it, and to this ship, 6 years in the 
making, we have put the finest of American workmanship. On board this 
ship we'll put the finest sailors in the world, and upon this ship we 
have put the finest of American names.
    Forty-nine years ago, another outstanding American took that name 
herself. Mrs. Reagan, I know today is your 49th anniversary, wedding 
anniversary. Since your wedding day, you've seen the name Reagan written 
large in many places, from theater marquees to the archways of great 
buildings, but there is something especially fitting in the place it 
holds today, on the newest ship in the greatest Navy in the world. When 
we send her off to sea, it is certain that the Ronald Reagan will meet 
with rough waters as well as smooth and headwinds as well as fair. But 
she will sail tall and strong, like the man we have known.
    A man cannot be strong forever, but if he is very fortunate, life 
will send him a partner to be strong when he is not. In a life of 
honors, Ronald Reagan has always valued one honor above all, the love of 
Nancy. It is a love that believes all, hopes all, and endures all. Mrs. 
Reagan, anyone who has seen you together knows how much you mean to him. 
I want you to know how much your care and love for him means to America.
    It was said of a great architect centuries ago, ``If you want to 
seek his monument, look around you.'' That is true of Ronald Reagan. We 
live in a world shaped in so many ways by his will and heart. As 
President, Ronald Reagan believed without question that tyranny is 
temporary, and the hope of freedom is universal and permanent; that our 
Nation has a unique goodness and must remain uniquely strong; that God 
takes the side of justice, because all our rights are His own gifts. The 
strength of these beliefs gave strength to our allies and hope to 
political prisoners and courage to average citizens in oppressed nations 
and leadership to our military and to our country.
    Some achievements fade with the years. Ronald Reagan's achievements 
grow larger with the passing of time. He had a profound vision of 
America's role in the world as one of peace through strength. And 
because of Ronald Reagan, the world saw America as a strong and peaceful 
nation.
    Today's world is different from the one he faced and changed. We are 
no longer divided into armed camps, locked in a careful balance of 
terror. Yet, freedom still has enemies. Our present dangers are less 
concentrated and more varied. They come from rogue nations, from 
terrorism, from missiles that threaten our forces, our friends, our 
allies, and our homeland. Our times call for new thinking. But the 
values Ronald Reagan brought to America's conduct in the world will not 
change.
    So as we dedicate this ship, I want to rededicate American policy to 
Ronald Reagan's vision of optimism, modesty, and resolve. Ronald 
Reagan's optimism defined his character, and it defined his Presidency. 
More than a habit of mind, this optimism sprang from deep confidence in 
the power and future of American ideals. Great democracies, he believed, 
are built on the strong foundation of consent and human dignity; any 
Government built on oppression is built on sand. The future, he 
proclaimed, belongs to the free.
    That belief has lost none of its power to inspire hope and change. 
Around the world today, the expectation of freedom is fed by free 
markets and expanded by free trade and carried across borders by the 
Internet. And nations that try to restrict these freedoms are in a 
losing battle with liberty.
    America, by nature, stands for freedom. And we must always remember, 
we benefit when it expands. So we will stand by those nations moving 
towards freedom. We'll stand up to those nations who deny freedom and 
threaten our neighbors or our vital interests, and we will assert 
emphatically that the future will belong to the free.
    At the same time President Reagan understood that this confidence 
should never be arrogance. No one was better at using the bully pulpit 
of the Presidency, but under his leadership America was never a bully.

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    One of the ways we show the world we take our values seriously is to 
live by them, ourselves. Our Nation cherishes freedom, but we do not own 
it. While it is the birthright of every American, it is also the equal 
promise of the religious believer in southern Sudan or an Iraqi farmer 
in the Tigress Valley or of a child born in China today. We help fulfill 
that promise not by lecturing the world but by leading it.
    Precisely because America is powerful, we must be sensitive about 
expressing our power and influence. Our goal is to patiently build the 
momentum of freedom, not create resentment for America itself. We pursue 
our goals; we will listen to others; we want strong friends to join us, 
not weak neighbors to dominate. In all our dealings with other nations, 
we will display the modesty of true confidence and strength.
    Finally, Ronald Reagan understood that the advance of freedom 
depends on American strength. We must have a military that is second to 
none and that includes a Navy that is second to none.
    As has been mentioned, for the last 60 years, every President has 
had to ask, ``Where are the carriers?'' None has ever been disappointed 
by the Navy's response. Just a few weeks ago, I asked the same question 
and called upon the Harry S. Truman in the Persian Gulf. Ronald Reagan 
built the military of today, the military that keeps our peace, but we 
cannot live forever on that legacy. Our challenge is to build a military 
that will deter and win the wars of the future.
    Almost 20 years ago, President Reagan made his first visit to an 
aircraft carrier, the U.S.S. Constellation. He told the sailors how 
grateful America was that they were there as a powerful force in an 
uncertain world. One hundred thousand tons of American power, you see 
over here, will carry forward this proud tradition. In fact, in 2 years, 
the Reagan will actually replace U.S.S. Constellation.
    What you don't see is what's different between those two magnificent 
vessels. The island on the Reagan's main deck is almost the same height 
as that of its predecessors, but it has one less level. The empty space 
will be filled with cables that will tie the ship into a vast network 
that connects information and weapons in new ways. This will 
revolutionize the Navy's ability to project American power over land and 
sea, assuring access for all our forces wherever our vital interests are 
threatened.
    These new capabilities are the future of our military, not just the 
Navy but of all our services. It is a future where a revolution in 
technology will change the face of war, itself. We'll keep the peace by 
redefining the terms of war. We'll change our military, yet we will 
never forget that America's strength ultimately depends on the courage 
and spirit of the men and women who wear the uniform.
    Nearly half our ships are at sea right now. One-third are forward-
deployed overseas, taking their crew away from family and the comforts 
of home. In our sleep we don't think about the enemies that the men and 
women who wear the uniform deter, the friends they reassure, the freedom 
in trade they guarantee. Yet, we rest at night protected by the security 
they provide.
    As President, Ronald Reagan understood our duty to these brave 
Americans, and so do I. Our men and women in uniform give America their 
best, and we owe them our support in return. These are the defining 
qualities of Ronald Reagan: optimism, modesty, and strength. They're 
also the qualities that will guide America in a new century.
    So, today, the Ronald Reagan begins its journey into the bright and 
peaceful dawn that President Reagan helped to bring. All of us here wish 
the ship Ronald Reagan Godspeed, and we wish Ronald Reagan God's 
blessings.
    God bless America.

Note: The President spoke at 2:52 p.m. at Newport News Shipbuilding. In 
his remarks, he referred to Gov. James S. Gilmore III of Virginia; 
William P. Fricks, chairman and chief executive officer, Newport News 
Shipbuilding; and Admiral Vernon E. Clark, USN, Chief of Naval 
Operations.