[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 41, Number 43 (Monday, October 31, 2005)]
[Pages 1617-1619]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks on the 40th Anniversary of the President's Commission on White 
House Fellows

October 28, 2005

    Thanks for coming. Welcome to the White House. I understand you had 
a guest speaker at lunch. [Laughter] You probably wish he was back. 
[Laughter] I'm honored to be here, thanks to--as we celebrate the 40th 
anniversary of the White House Fellows program.
    I agreed to do this because I'm a big believer in the White House 
Fellows program. I think it is important, and I think it is a program 
that, when you analyze the results, you'll say, this is--it's made a 
difference in the life of our country. So I want to thank you all for 
coming. It's an honor to share this celebration with you. I view the 
White House Fellows program as an investment in the future of our 
country.
    I've kind of taken advantage of the White House Fellows program. 
I've managed to find a few White House Fellows to serve in my 
Government, starting with the Secretary of Labor, Elaine Chao. Thank you 
for being here, Madam Secretary. And Colin Powell, who will be honored 
tonight with the John W. Gardner Legacy of Leadership Award. Well 
deserved, I might add. [Laughter]
    I also appreciate the Administrator of the EPA for joining us. 
Thanks for coming, Steve Johnson.
    I just said, thanks, to the President's Commission on White House 
Fellows. I guess you all are the deciders who get to be White House 
Fellows? And thanks for serving. It's a--it is an appointment I take 
very seriously.

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I appreciate you doing it. And I want to thank the chairman, Julie Nixon 
Eisenhower, for being the chairman of the Commission. And this is 
probably familiar territory to you here, isn't it? [Laughter] And I 
thank Janet Eissenstat, the director for the White House program. Thank 
you all. I'm also honored that Barbara Anderson has joined us, the 
president of the White House Fellows Alumni Association. And mostly, 
thank you all for coming.
    The program began with a good idea. It was: Let's choose a handful 
of outstanding young leaders and bring them to Washington, DC, and put 
them to work at the highest levels of the executive branch and see what 
happens.'' [Laughter] I was pleased to learn this was the vision of John 
Gardner. He outlined the vision in a memo in 1957. But it was 
implemented by Lyndon Baines Johnson, my fellow Texan. [Laughter]
    I don't know if any of the class--the first class of the White House 
Fellows are here. Is somebody here from--you guys don't look old enough. 
[Laughter] Welcome. Glad you're here.
    If I had to just write the program, here's what I'd say would be the 
goals of the program. First, to show people how Government works so as 
to inspire people to become involved in Government. That's what I would 
say. I'd say, try to get people who have got talents and brains and 
desire and ambition and expose them to Government--trying to recruit 
people to participate in Government--at any level, whether it be the 
Federal Government or the school board. That's what I would hope the 
program would do.
    Secondly, I would hope the program would teach somebody how to make 
decisions and how to manage organizations. If a White House Fellow hangs 
around the White House, he'll see decisionmaking. If a White House 
Fellow is involved in the Cabinet, they'll see decisionmaking in 
management. They'll see all kinds of things. And I would hope people 
would learn that in order to make decisions, you got to make decisions 
on principle. You can't be kind of just figuring it out as time goes on, 
you have to stand for something, no matter what the polls or focus 
groups may say. You make good decisions by believing something and not 
trying to find yourself in the midst of the decisionmaking process, I 
guess. And in order to lead, you've got to set clear goals that 
everybody can understand and then not be afraid to hold people account 
as to whether those goals have been met.
    And thirdly, I would hope the White House Fellowship program takes 
really smart, bright, capable people and makes them understand that 
there's always a new horizon, that one should never be complacent if 
you've been given a lot of God-given talents, that you've got to keep 
striving for the best.
    That's how I see the White House program. I mean, it's working. And 
the reason I know is I get to--first of all, I know people who have 
graduated from the program, and you've gone on to great success. You've 
taken your talents, and you've succeeded, and you've made a difference 
in your communities. And I want to thank you for that. That's important. 
The truth of the matter is, this country is really strong and vibrant 
because people reach out to succeed, people--ambition is, it seems like 
in America, is something that oftentimes lead to a better tomorrow.
    I particularly think about those who go back to their communities 
and realize that to whom much has been given, much is required and 
become involved in saving people's lives through compassion and changing 
America as a result of putting your arm around somebody who hurts and 
says, ``How can I help? What can I do to make a difference in your 
life?'' It's kind of the--I view the White House Fellows as part of the 
de Tocqueville vision, what de Tocqueville saw about America. It's 
individuals of talent joining together to serve a cause greater than 
yourself and your communities.
    One of my favorite activities as the President is to meet with the 
White House Fellows. I see a couple of my biking buddies back there. 
[Laughter] Sweet Lou. [Laughter] Get back to work, Lou. I don't know 
what you're doing here, Lou. [Laughter]
    I love to sit down with the Fellows and talk about--and answer their 
questions, is really what it's like. And it's an inspiring experience 
for me. The questions are always good and right on target, and it's--I 
learned

[[Page 1619]]

as much--probably more from them than they do from me.
    And so one time, one of the guys said, ``How do you--how can you 
handle all this business, and what do you do?'' And I said, ``Well, one 
of the things, I like to exercise. I like to stay fit as part of a daily 
routine.'' He said, ``What do you do?'' I said, ``Well, I ride mountain 
bikes.'' And Lou happened to be the captain of the Stanford mountain 
bike--regular bike time, but felt like he was strong enough to ride with 
a 59-year-old. [Laughter] And it turns out, he was strong enough to 
ride. [Laughter]
    At any rate, it's been fun. He's a part of Peleton One, and--as was 
Lauren. I'm not going to tell them about the other bikers that didn't 
quite it make from your class, Lou--[laughter]--but I really enjoy it. I 
got a chance to see the caliber and the quality of the people who come 
to Washington, DC, to serve, and I am impressed by the program.
    I guess what I'm telling you is, thanks for being a part of it; 
thanks for seeing to it that the program continues on. I appreciate you 
helping to find people to come to Washington, DC, to be a Fellow. I want 
to thank you for setting a good example for others in the community in 
which you live. And thank you for allowing me to come by and celebrate 
the 40th Anniversary of the White House Fellows.
    Finally, may God bless you all, and may God bless our country.

Note: The President spoke at 2:44 p.m. in the East Room at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to Louis O'Neill and Lauren Zucker, 
White House Fellows 2004-05.