[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 43, Number 28 (Monday, July 16, 2007)]
[Page 920]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Following a Tour of GrafTech International Ltd. in Parma, Ohio

July 10, 2007

    Good, thanks. I'm proud to be with you all. It's great to be at 
GrafTech here in Cleveland. I've come to Cleveland to highlight a couple 
of important issues. First, energy independence is an important part of 
our Nation's future. And one way to achieve energy independence is to 
promote technologies that will enable us to drive our economy without 
the use of Middle Eastern oil, for example. And one such technology is 
hydrogen fuel cells. And GrafTech is on the leading edge of developing a 
technology that will work, that will be competitive with other forms of 
energy, and that will enable us, on the one hand, to be less dependent 
on oil and better stewards on--of the environment.
    And so I'm glad to be with these entrepreneurs, these scientists, 
these thinkers. We've--as part of the hydrogen fuel cell initiative that 
I proposed to the Congress, this company got a grant. And I think it's a 
wise use of taxpayers' money, to help the people in this company develop 
this new technology. This forklift right here is powered by a hydrogen 
fuel cell. Doesn't require any oil or products derived from oil, and the 
exhaust from this is water.
    And so we're going to continue to promote these kinds of 
technologies. And so I want to thank you all for having me. I'm about to 
go to a--after lunch, go to a hospital to talk about the need for a 
health care system that is patient-driven. I will resist the idea of the 
Federal Government running the health care system. And I'm going to 
spend some time talking during a townhall meeting about the kinds of 
reforms that we ought to be promoting out of Washington that encourage 
there to be a consumer-driven health care system. I mean, we'll take 
care of the poor, and we'll help the elderly. But we believe health care 
is best run in the private sector, not by the government.
    And finally, I'm going to spend some time talking about the war on 
terror and our need to succeed in Iraq. And I'm going to remind the 
people in the audience today that troop levels will be decided by our 
commanders on the ground, not by political figures in Washington, DC, 
and that we've got a plan to lead to victory. And I fully understand 
that this is a difficult war, and it's hard on the American people. But 
I will once again explain the consequences of failure to the American 
people, and I'll explain the consequences of success as well.
    And so I thank the people of Cleveland for welcoming me here. I'm 
glad to be in your city. Looking forward to a full day.
    Thank you all.

Note: The President spoke at 10:59 a.m.