[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 38, Number 33 (Monday, August 19, 2002)]
[Pages 1383-1384]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at a Volunteer Barbecue Lunch in Crawford, Texas

August 16, 2002

    Thank you, Mary. In case you don't know it, Mary is the maintenance 
supervisor at the Crawford Independent School District. [Applause] 
That's right. And when we arrive here in Crawford, she's got a lot to 
maintain--[laughter]--because, as you can see, we travel with a lot of 
people.
    And Laura and I are here to thank you for helping make our stay and 
dealing with these large entourages go well. We appreciate it. We love 
to come to Crawford. We view it as our home. As you know, I bring my 
office with me, and you all help make the transition from Washington to 
the Crawford White House work well. And we understand that. We see many 
of you in the vans waiting for us when we come pulling out or meeting us 
at the airport there in Waco. We see a lot of you at the press avails. 
We see you when you're helping with our guests, our foreign dignitaries 
who come to visit. And all of you are doing a great job. So today what 
we'd like to do is to thank you, feed you--[laughter]--and photograph 
you. [Laughter]
    I get a lot of work done here in Crawford. You know, it's hard for 
some to maybe understand, but the decisionmaking process never ends when 
you're the President. You're constantly being briefed and brought up to 
date

[[Page 1384]]

on this, that, or the other. And I still make decisions here. I just 
find that I can--it's a different perspective when I come here, out of 
Washington, DC, to a place like Crawford, Texas. I'm reminded of the 
great values of our beloved Texas and the values of faith and family and 
friendship that you find in places like Crawford.
    So I never quit being the President; I just have got a different 
perspective about things. I might come to the same conclusion on 
decisions that I have to make, but I make them in a different 
environment. And this is a fabulous environment in which to make 
decisions and to meet with people.
    We love it here. There's nothing better than to get up early in the 
morning and to go jogging across our ranch, see a couple of deer, talk 
to the turkeys--[laughter]--watch Barney chase them. [Laughter]
    But we want to thank you for being good neighbors. We want to thank 
you all very much from the bottom of our heart for helping make our 
transitions to--back to home as smoothly as they have gone. We want you 
to know that one of these days, we'll be joining you in the coffee shop 
on a regular basis for eating lunch. In the meantime, we've got a job to 
do, and coming here really helps us do the job that you expect us to do.
    So Laura and I thank you from the bottom of our heart. It's great to 
see you. We look forward to shaking every hand here and personally 
thanking you for all your hard work.
    May God continue to bless America, and may God bless you and your 
families.

Note: The President spoke at 11:15 a.m. at the Crawford Community 
Center. In his remarks, he referred to Mary Keltner, maintenance 
supervisor, Crawford Independent School District, who introduced the 
President.