[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 38, Number 19 (Monday, May 13, 2002)]
[Pages 787-790]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at a Reception for Senator Ted Stevens

May 9, 2002

    Thank you all very much. I'm honored to be here with the Alaskan of 
the Century--just wondering which century. [Laughter] It's a high 
tribute to be called the Alaskan of the Century, and he's well on his 
way for laying the foundations to becoming the Alaskan of this century.
    I really am honored to be here with Ted. I appreciate a lot about 
him. I appreciate he's a straightforward fellow. [Laughter] There's no 
question--[laughter]--you know where he stands, in the great Alaskan 
and, for that matter, the great Texan tradition. There's no--as we say 
down home, there's no bull about him. And that's good--and that's good. 
That's good for the Senate; that's good for the people of Alaska; and 
more importantly, it's good for the United States of America. It is 
essential that this man be reelected Senator from the State of Alaska. 
And if all goes well, he'll be the President pro tem of the United 
States Senate as well.
    I want to thank his patient wife, Catherine. We both--the Senator 
and I both married above ourselves. [Laughter] I'm sorry Laura's not 
here. She's a fan of the Stevenses. She is in New York City--actually, 
she's in New Haven today helping one of our daughters move out of her 
dorm room. But she sends her best. Like Ted, I am really proud of my 
wife. She's done a fabulous job. She's been a great First Lady.
    I appreciate Ted's love of his children. When I was in Alaska last, 
I had the honor of meeting some of Ted's offspring--the State senator I 
had a chance to meet. And tonight I had a chance to meet Beth as well, 
and it's great to see you. I'm glad you're here, Beth. Thank you for 
coming. [Laughter]
    It's also great to be here with the Governor of the--or at least the 
next Governor of the State of Alaska, Frank Murkowski. I appreciate 
Frank's leadership, and I also really appreciate Don Young. He, too, is 
a straightforward Alaskan who makes a big difference. It's about as fine 
a congressional delegation as there is. It's 100 percent good. 
[Laughter]
    I know there are a lot of Senator Stevens' colleagues here, and I 
want to thank his fellow Senators for coming. I also appreciate George 
W. being here, the mayor of Anchorage, George Wuerch. [Laughter] Mr. 
Mayor, you're kind to come down, as are all the folks from Alaska who 
traveled a long way to be here. It's a great testimony to this good man.
    I also want to thank Jimmy Hoffa for being here. It's a big deal for 
Jimmy to be here, and it shows what kind of leader Ted Stevens is. We 
were there in line; somebody said, well, you know this guy represent--
Jimmy said he represents the greatest generation, and he does. Just this 
week I had the honor of renaming the Old Executive Office Building for 
Dwight David Eisenhower. I guess it shall be called the Ike. [Laughter] 
But in the front row was Ted Stevens. Not only had he served in the 
Eisenhower administration, he also served our Nation as a C-46 and C-47 
pilot during that war. This is a man who has paid his dues to his 
country, a man who loves America, loves what America stands for, and a 
man who serves ably in the United States Senate.
    During a time of threat to the United States, it gives me great 
comfort to know that up there on Capitol Hill is a person who 
understands that America must be ready and prepared, that we've got to 
give our troops the best equipment, the best training, and the best pay. 
And as the ranking member of the defense appropriations subcommittee, 
the United States military has got a great friend in Ted Stevens.
    As well, I appreciate his understanding that the strategic threats 
to the United States are changing. And in order to protect our Nation 
and our friends from blackmail or from the attack by a nation that 
harbors weapons of mass destruction, this good country must develop a 
missile defense system. Ted Stevens understands that. It's important to 
have an advocate for the defenses of the United States and our alliance 
and what we stand for in the United States Senate. And Ted clearly can 
see the future, and for that

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I'm grateful, and so will the Nation be grateful. Future generations of 
Americans will be grateful when we finally develop a missile defense 
system that will protect us and protect our friends from an accidental 
launch or, more significantly, blackmail at the hands of one of these 
rogue nations that harbors and develops weapons of mass destruction. So, 
Mr. Senator, thank you for that as well.
    There's a lot of thought up here in Washington about national 
defense, as there should be. After all, we are at war. And one of my 
concerns and one of the Senator's concerns is the fact that our Nation 
relies upon too much energy from nations that sometimes don't like us, 
that we're dependent on foreign sources of energy. And we don't 
necessarily have to be that dependent, because we've got vast reserves 
in the great State of Alaska. And for the good of our national security 
and for the good of our economic security, we must develop those 
reserves in an environmentally friendly way, and this man understands 
that.
    Now, there's going to be a lot of issues we're faced with, and one 
of the reasons I want to make sure that we reelect Ted and take control 
of the Senate is because I want the good people that I send up as judges 
to get a fair hearing and to get a timely vote. We have a vacancy crisis 
in America, and we need a Senate that is able and willing to respond to 
that vacancy crisis. I want my nominees to be given a fair hearing and 
an up-or-down vote quickly, for the sake of the United States of America 
and our judiciary.
    I can talk a lot of issues, but there's nothing more important than 
the security of this country. It's an unimaginable honor to walk in that 
Oval Office every morning, as you can imagine. By the way, that's after 
I have gotten the First Lady her coffee--[laughter]--and after Spot and 
Barney and I take a stroll on the South Lawn. Spot was born in the White 
House during 41's era, and so she's quite familiar with the 
surroundings, and she's welcome into the Oval Office with me, about 6:50 
in the morning. Barney, on the other hand, at the age of 1\1/2\, is not 
allowed on the new carpet. [Laughter]
    But I walk in there, and I sit at this magnificent desk. Ted Stevens 
has seen it a lot; he's seen other Presidents use this desk as well. 
It's a desk that was used by Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin Roosevelt, 
John Kennedy, Ronald Reagan; a lot of Presidents have used it. Kind of 
settle in there, and the first thing I look at is a threat assessment to 
the United States of America; the fact that these killers--and that's 
all they are, they're nothing but a bunch of coldblooded killers--are 
interested in hurting America. It's a reminder that my main job--and the 
truth of the matter, the job of the United States Congress--is to come 
together, Republicans and Democrats, to unite to make sure that our 
country is as secure as it can possibly be.
    We've got a good homeland defense strategy. We're working on ways to 
get money into the hands of the first-responders, the brave police, 
fire, and EMS crews around the country. We've got a bioterrorism 
initiative. I'm about to sign a new border security initiative that 
passed the House and the Senate; it's a good piece of legislation. Our 
law enforcement teams are talking like they've never talked before. You 
just need to know that any time we get any kind of hint or evidence that 
somebody may be thinking about doing something to America, we're 
reacting. We're reacting within the guidelines and confines of the 
United States Constitution, but we're reacting. We're chasing down every 
single hint.
    But the best way to secure the homeland, the best way to make sure 
our children can grow up in a safe America, the best way to protect 
civilization itself is to chase the killers down one by one and bring 
them to justice. And that's precisely what we're going to do.
    I know Ted is just as proud as I am at how our United States 
military has responded. We sent them into a tough situation in 
Afghanistan, and they and our friends and allies responded brilliantly. 
Our military makes us proud. And for those of you who've got relatives 
in the military, I want to thank you on behalf of a grateful nation. And 
you make sure you thank your relatives on behalf of Senator Stevens and 
myself for doing such a fabulous job to defend freedom.
    The other thing I'm proud about our military is that not only did 
they accomplish the first stage in the war against terror, which was 
upholding the doctrine, if you harbor a terrorist, you're just as guilty 
as a terrorist.

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And we threw out this barbaric regime. But our troops went into 
Afghanistan not as conquerors, but they went in as liberators. We have 
liberated people because, you see, this country values the worth of 
every single individual, regardless of where they live, regardless of 
their religion. I am so proud of the fact that young girls now go to 
school for the first time in their lives in Afghanistan, thanks to the 
mighty United States of America.
    The thing I appreciate about Ted Stevens is, he understands that 
we're in for a long struggle, that--you know, that we don't have a 
calendar. I don't have a calendar on my desk and he doesn't have one on 
his desk that says, by such and such a moment we will quit, that we're 
just going to kind of bail out after a period of time. That's what the 
enemy wants. But much to their chagrin, that's not what they're going to 
get. You see, we're relentless, and we're patient. And I've traveled 
this country a lot, and I can report to you that we are united because 
this country values our freedom. We value freedom. And anytime anybody 
threatens that which we hold dear to our heart, freedom, we will 
respond. We will respond in a smart, deliberate, but plenty tough way.
    You know, I cannot imagine--I can't imagine what was going through 
the minds of the killers when they were plotting the attacks of 
September the 11th. They must have thought that we were so self-absorbed 
and so materialistic, so selfish and so weak that all we'd likely do is 
file a couple of lawsuits. [Laughter]
    They found out differently, didn't they, Senator? We're not only 
staying on course there in Afghanistan; we're denying sanctuary anywhere 
they think they can light. Anytime they try to train, we'll disrupt. 
Anytime they try to establish a training camp, we'll destroy it. And 
we're going to hunt them down one by one. There is no cave deep enough 
to hide from the justice of the United States of America.
    Ted Stevens understands that when a nation is called to defend 
freedom, that we must not blink. He knows that, and I appreciate that 
very much, because I feel the exact same way. And we've been called to 
defend freedom. This is our moment in history, and we're not going to 
let freedom-loving people down.
    Out of this evil, I truly believe, is going to come some great good. 
I believe by remaining tough and resolved, by being well prepared, that 
we'll achieve peace. And that's my goal. I unleashed our military to 
achieve peace, peace all around the world. And I believe it's possible; 
matter of fact, I know it's possible.
    And out of the evil done to America is going to come another 
incredible good, and that is this country is going to rise up with great 
compassion to solve many of the problems we find all around our country, 
whether it be in Alaska or Texas or anywhere else. There are pockets of 
despair and hopelessness in America. And that's not good enough for our 
country.
    People often ask me how they can help in the war against terror. 
I'll tell you how you can help: You can love a neighbor just like you'd 
like to be loved yourself. If you want to join the war on terror, mentor 
a child. Find somebody who seems lost and put your arm around them and 
say, ``I love you.'' If you want to join the war against terror, simple 
acts such as walking across the street and telling a shut-in that you 
love them--it's part of this collective effort to stand squarely in the 
face of evil.
    You see, it's the common good, it's the gathering momentum of 
millions of acts of kindness and decency that define the true character 
of the face of America. And in turn, we'll say to the evil ones that 
attacked us, ``You will not prevail.'' Out of this evil will come peace, 
and out of this evil will come a more compassionate, more decent, more 
hopeful America.
    It is an honor for me to be here with a great man. I want to thank 
you for helping him get reelected. I'm proud to call him friend. You all 
are proud to call him Senator. And the Nation is better off for it.
    God bless.

Note: The President spoke at 6:25 p.m. in the L. Welch Pogue Room at the 
offices of the Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue law firm. In his remarks, he 
referred to Senator Stevens' son, Alaska State Senator Ben Stevens, and 
daughter, Beth Stevens; and James P. Hoffa, general president, 
International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

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