[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 40, Number 19 (Monday, May 10, 2004)]
[Pages 792-793]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at a Cinco de Mayo Celebration

May 5, 2004

    Thank you all for coming. Thanks for being here. Thank you all. 
Please be seated. Sientese. [Laughter] Bienvenidos. Welcome to the Casa 
Blanca. This is the people's house, and we're glad you're here to 
celebrate Cinco de Mayo. Laura and I are thrilled so many came today. 
We're pleased to celebrate this important day with you.
    This day marks an important victory for freedom in Mexico. That's 
what the day marks, and that victory can be celebrated by all who love 
freedom. We honor freedom today. We also proudly observe Cinco de Mayo 
because we honor the ideals of liberty. We value the heritage and the 
contribution of Mexican Americans in our country, and we respect our 
friend and neighbor, the great nation of Mexico.
    I want to thank Gaddi Vasquez for his service to our country as the 
Director of the Peace Corps. I think he is incredibly well suited to 
take on this important job of spreading peace and freedom and liberty 
throughout the world. Plus, you're a darn good introducer. [Laughter]
    I'm proud that my longtime friend Tony Garza is with us today, the 
Embajador a Mexico de los Estados Unidos. Mr. Ambassador, thank you for 
coming. Roger Noriega is with us, who is the Assistant Secretary of 
State for Western Hemisphere Affairs. That means he's at the State 
Department in charge of affairs particularly with people who speak 
Spanish. It's a big job, and he's doing a heck of a good job. Thank you 
for coming.
    My lawyer is here, the White House Counsel--el juez--Judge Al 
Gonzales. Thank you, Judge, for coming. I appreciate you being here. 
Hector Barreto, who is the Administrator of the Small Business 
Administration. Hector, como esta? Thank you for coming. El Embajador de 
Mexico a los Estados Unidos, Carlos de Icaza. Ambassador, thank you for 
coming.
    And finally, we're very fortunate to have the Attorney General of 
Mexico with us today. Rafael Macedo de la Concha is with us. I'm so 
proud you're here, General. Thank you for coming, and thank you for the 
close cooperation. Delighted you're here.
    I want to thank the Members of Congress who have joined us. I see 
we've got two strong Members of the House of Representatives. These 
brothers--the Diaz-Balart boys, I call them--[laughter]--Lincoln y 
Mario. They're from Miami, and they're great Members. Thanks for coming. 
Devin Nunes from California is with us. Congressman, thank you for 
coming. And finally, Congressman Steve Pearce from New Mexico--I 
appreciate you coming, Steve. I'm honored you're here.
    Bishop, thank you for lending such grace to this occasion. I 
appreciated your strong words, and I really appreciate your faith, and I 
love your background. You're doing a heck of a job.
    Marco, thank you as well. Adonde esta, Marco? Oh, Marco. [Laughter] 
I think you'd have gotten a better seat after all that work. [Laughter] 
Thank you for what you do. I appreciate you. And I want to thank Jimena. 
Thank you for coming. Your grandmother would be proud. I want to thank 
Banda El Recodo, for a very good job. And what a fabulous voice on Marco 
Antonio Solis. Thank you, Marco--very good job, appreciate you.
    I've got to thank my friend Emilio Estefan for putting the show 
together again. I want to thank you, Emilio. And I always like to remind 
Emilio, both of us married really well. [Laughter] Didn't we? [Laughter]
    I know we've got leaders from around the country--Hector Flores of 
LULAC is with us. Manny Lujan is with us. I want to thank the 
representatives from other grassroots organizations for coming today, 
for representing the Mexican American population so well in the Halls of 
Congress and throughout.
    I see that the administrator of NASA is with us today, Sean O'Keefe. 
And with the administrator--I know I'm not supposed to be talking about 
the Mexican American astronaut that's with you--[laughter]--but you 
shouldn't have worn the uniform like that. [Laughter] You stand out. 
[Laughter] I'm

[[Page 793]]

proud you're here, Commander. Thank you for coming.
    Somebody said, don't introduce him, because there's supposed to be, 
like, a special announcement tomorrow. [Laughter] Something along those 
lines. [Laughter] Well, keep it off the record. [Laughter] Appreciate 
your service. Congratulations. It's a proud day for the Mexican American 
culture to know that you're--[applause].
    The great triumph of Mexican forces on May the 5th, 1862, has 
inspired liberty-loving people everywhere, and it's helped shape the 
character of modern Mexico. Against great odds, a small and 
underequipped army defeated the skilled army of a European power. We've 
had that experience in America too. [Laughter]
    Our two nations have very different histories, but our journeys have 
led us in the same direction. We believe in the rights and dignity of 
everyone. We believe that liberty is always worth defending. The ideals 
we share are among the many ties between our nations. Twenty-four 
million people of Mexican ancestry live in the United States today. It's 
almost 10 percent of our population, and America is better off for it.
    Mexican Americans have brought many strengths to our Nation, a 
culture built around faith in God, a deep love for family, a belief that 
hard work leads to a better life. Every immigrant who lives by these 
values makes our country better and makes our future brighter.
    Many Mexican and Hispanic Americans have shown their belief in this 
country by defending it. More than 600,000 of our veterans are of 
Mexican descent. Hispanic Americans have fought bravely in all our wars, 
including our own fight for independence. And for their valor, over 
three dozen have received the Congressional Medal of Honor.
    On Cinco de Mayo, 2004, more than 130,000 Hispanic Americans are 
serving in the United States Armed Forces. Several of these fine men and 
women are with us today. Please rise so we can thank you for your 
service to our country.
    Hispanic Americans serve our country in all kinds of ways. With us 
today are also firefighters from communities close by. They're part of 
the brave brotherhood of firefighters who answered the alarms and come 
to the aid of their neighbors against all hazards. We want to thank you 
for your service. We want to thank you for your sense of duty. We want 
to thank you for your contributions to our country. Welcome to the White 
House, and thanks for being here.
    On this holiday, we also look with pride to the vital and enduring 
friendship between the United States and Mexico. We share the busiest 
border in the world. We share a growing trade relationship that amounts 
to more than $230 billion per year. We share a commitment to freedom and 
prosperity throughout our neighborhood.
    In March, I hosted Vincente Fox--or we hosted Vincente Fox--
[laughter]--at our ranch in Crawford, Texas. Our years of working 
together and our mutual respect are a reflection of the strong 
partnership between our two nations. Mexico and America have come a long 
way in 142 years, and we face the future as trusted partners, strong 
allies, and close friends.
    Across Mexico and America today, there will be a great many 
celebrations of Cinco de Mayo, none of them quite like here in the White 
House--[laughter]--none of them with the fantastic entertainers we had 
here today. And I know we're starting a little early here, and I'm 
honored you could join us.
    Happy Cinco de Mayo. May God bless Mexico, and may God continue to 
bless the United States of America.

Note: The President spoke at 3:31 p.m. in the East Room at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to entertainers Marco Antonio Solis, 
Jimena, and Emilio Estefan; Hector M. Flores, national president, League 
of United Latin American Citizens; Manual Lujan, Jr., former Secretary 
of the Interior; and President Vicente Fox of Mexico. The Office of the 
Press Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of these 
remarks.