[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 40, Number 25 (Monday, June 21, 2004)]
[Pages 1062-1064]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks on the Unveiling of the Official Portraits of President William 
J. Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton

June 14, 2004

    Good morning. Thank you, Henry. Laura and I appreciate you all 
coming. President Clinton and Senator Clinton, welcome home. All who 
live here are temporary residents. The portraits that are presented 
today will be held permanently in the White House collection for all the 
ages. And so beginning today, the likenesses of President William 
Jefferson Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton will take their 
place in a line that began with George and Martha Washington.
    Laura and I are pleased to welcome members of the Clinton and Rodham 
family. Thank you all for coming. It's great to see Chelsea. The fact 
that you survived your teenage years in the White House--[laughter]--
speaks to the fact that you had a great mom and dad. We are pleased that 
Mrs. Dorothy Rodham is here. Welcome. We're glad you're here and those 
two boys you're still trying to raise. [Laughter] Hugh and Tony, thank 
you for coming. We're glad you're here.
    It's good to see so many who served our Nation so ably in the 
Clinton administration. Thank you all for coming back. Thanks for your 
service to the country, and welcome back to the White House. We're 
really glad you're here, and I know the President is as well.
    As you might know, my father and I have decided to call each other 
by numbers. [Laughter] He's 41, I'm 43. It's a great honor to--it's a 
great pleasure to honor number 42. We're glad you're here, 42.
    The years have done a lot to clarify the strengths of this man. As a 
candidate for any office, whether it be the State attorney general or 
the President, Bill Clinton showed incredible energy and great personal 
appeal. As chief executive, he showed a deep and far-ranging knowledge 
of public policy, a great compassion for people in need, and the 
forward-looking spirit that Americans like in a President. Bill Clinton 
could always see a

[[Page 1063]]

better day ahead, and Americans knew he was working hard to bring that 
day closer.
    Over 8 years, it was clear that Bill Clinton loved the job of the 
Presidency. He filled this house with energy and joy. He's a man of 
enthusiasm and warmth, who could make a compelling case and effectively 
advance the causes that drew him to public service.
    People saw those gifts very early in Bill Clinton. He is remembered 
in Hope, Arkansas, and other places along the way as an eager, good-
hearted boy who seemed destined for big things. I was particularly 
struck by the story of a nun at St. John's School in Hot Springs who 
decided that Billy Clinton should get a C in deportment. That was a rare 
grade for the future Rhodes scholar and President. [Laughter] So Bill's 
mother gave the nun a call to see what was wrong. The Sister replied, 
``Oh, nothing much. But let me tell you, this boy knows the answer to 
every question, and he just leaps to his feet before anyone else can.'' 
[Laughter] She went on, you know, ``I know he'll not tolerate this C, 
but it'll be good for him. And I promise you, if he wants to be, he will 
be President someday.''
    People in Bill Clinton's life have always expected him to succeed, 
and more than that, they wanted him to succeed. And meeting those 
expectations took more than charm and intellect. It took hard work and 
drive and determination and optimism, and after all, you've got to be 
optimistic to give 6 months of your life running the McGovern campaign 
in Texas. [Laughter]
    He won his first statewide office at age 30, sworn in as Governor at 
32. He was a five-time Governor of Arkansas, the first man from that 
State to become the President. He's also the first man in his party 
since Franklin Roosevelt to win a second term in the White House. And I 
could tell you more of the story, but it's coming out in fine bookstores 
all over America. [Laughter]
    At every stage in the extraordinary rise of Bill Clinton, from the 
little ranch house on Scully Street to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, he and 
Roger had a wonderful, loving mother, and I am certain that Virginia 
Kelley would be filled with incredible pride this morning.
    And so would Hugh Rodham, Senior. Mr. Rodham did have the joy of 
seeing his only daughter become America's First Lady. And I know he 
would not be surprised to see her as she is today, an elected United 
States Senator and a woman greatly admired in our country.
    From the earliest days of her youth in Park Ridge, Illinois, Hillary 
Rodham impressed her family and friends as a person of great ability and 
serious purpose. At Maine Township High School South, at Wellesley 
College, and at Yale Law School, classmates saw her not just as an 
achiever but as a role model and as a leader. She inspires respect and 
loyalty from those who know her. And it was a good day in both their 
lives when they met at the library at Yale Law School.
    Hillary's commitment to public service continued when she left this 
house. Listen, New York politics is a serious business--[laughter]--it's 
rough business. It takes an extraordinary person to campaign and win the 
United States Senate. She has proven herself more equal to the 
challenge, and she takes an interesting spot on American history today, 
for she is the only sitting Senator whose portrait hangs in the White 
House.
    The paintings of the Clintons are the work of a fine American 
artist, Simmie Knox. Mr. Knox has rendered portraits of a Supreme Court 
Justice, a Cabinet minister, a mayor, and Members of Congress. And today 
we thank him for putting his skilled hand to the portraits that are 
about to be unveiled.
    More than 40 years have passed since a boy of 16 came here to the 
White House with a group from the American Legion Boys Nation. On that 
day in the summer of 1963, Bill Clinton of Arkansas looked into the face 
of John F. Kennedy and left the Rose Garden feeling very proud that he 
had shaken the hand of a President. Today he can be even prouder of 
decades of service and effort and perseverance that brought him back to 
this place as the 42d President of the United States.
    My congratulations to you both, and now will you join me on the 
stage for the presentation.

Note: The President spoke at 10:35 a.m. in the East Room at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to Henry A. Dudley, Jr., chairman, 
White House Historical Association.

[[Page 1064]]