[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 42, Number 46 (Monday, November 20, 2006)]
[Page 2052]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Following a Meeting With the New Leaders of the Republican 
National Committee

November 14, 2006

    I have just been meeting with the new team that's going to run the 
Republican National Committee. I am so proud my friend Mel Martinez, 
Senator from Florida, is going to be the honorary [general]* chairman. 
My friend Mike Duncan from Kentucky is going to be the chairman. And Jo 
Ann Davidson is going to be the cochairman.
    * White House correction.
    I want to thank you all very much for agreeing to serve our party. I 
do want to say that Ken Mehlman did a whale of a job as the chairman of 
the Republican Party. It's been a joy working with you. I appreciate the 
fact that you went to neighborhoods where Republicans have never been to 
talk to people about our message of ownership and hope. And I wish you 
all the very best.
    One of the things I like to tell my friends about the Republican 
Party is that we're a party that really believes in entrepreneurship and 
small businesses and good-quality education and accountability. And Mel 
Martinez represents what I believe our party stands for, and that is, 
his parents put him on a plane to come to the United States from Cuba 
because they love freedom. That was Mel's first taste for the beauty of 
liberty and freedom. And he worked hard, started with little, and ended 
up being here, the United States Senator from Florida and the honorary 
chairman of our party. He's going to be an excellent spokesman for the 
Republican Party. He'll be a person who'll be able to carry our message 
as we go into an important year in 2008.
    And Duncan has been involved with grassroots politics for a long 
period of time. He comes from a Democrat State that is now a Republican 
State because he understands that you win votes by organizing and 
turning out the vote. And of course, Jo Ann has been around our party 
for years. And she brings a lot of stability and a lot of common sense.
    And so I do want to thank you three. I'm looking forward to working 
with you. I'm looking forward to reminding the people that we've got 
plans to keep the country secure and keep our prosperity strong. And 
once again, I want to thank you for your service.

Note: The President spoke at 3:17 p.m. in the Oval Office at the White 
House. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish 
language transcript of these remarks. A tape was not available for 
verification of the content of these remarks.