[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 43, Number 30 (Monday, July 30, 2007)]
[Pages 1019-1021]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at a Special Olympics Global Law Enforcement Torch Run Ceremony

July 26, 2007

    Thank you all. Welcome to the Rose Garden. Thanks for that touching 
introduction, Laura. [Laughter] I am proud to salute an outstanding 
group of athletes, the men and women of Team USA. And I'm pleased to 
announce today that Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, who is 
with us today, will lead the impressive delegation to the World Games in 
Shanghai. Thank you, Madam Secretary. Appreciate your service.
    I'd also like to extend our greetings to the representatives from 
Team China. You're welcome here in the Rose Garden, and I appreciate you 
bringing this warm weather with you. I thank Secretary Mike Leavitt for 
joining us. Michael, it's good to see you. Thanks for being here. We are 
really proud that Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the founder of the Special 
Olympics, took time to be here in the Rose Garden. Welcome back to the 
White House. Great to see you. And I'm glad you brought your boy with 
you--[laughter]--the chairman of the Special Olympics, Tim Shriver. 
Thanks for being here, Tim. These are good people.
    I'm proud to be here, as well, with Liu Peng--he's the Chinese 
Minister of Sports--

[[Page 1020]]

and other members of the Chinese delegation. We welcome you here. Thank 
you for coming, Mr. Minister. And I appreciate very much your bringing 
President Hu's letter on the 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games in 
Shanghai. It's very kind for you to have brought his letter to me, and 
I'm glad to have received it.
    I want to thank Hans Hickler, the CEO of DHL, who has joined us. I 
thank Chief LaMunyon, who Laura just talked about. He's the founder of 
the Law Enforcement Torch Run, and he's here with his wife, Sharron. 
Chief, appreciate you coming. Thanks for being a visionary. Glad you 
brought Sharron.
    I thank the Special Olympic athletes, the final leg runners, and the 
law enforcement officials that have joined us today. Proud of your 
service, and proud of your compassion.
    I remember when I was the Governor of the great State of Texas being 
a hugger. That was during the Special Olympic games. If you've never 
been a hugger, I strongly advise you to be one. [Laughter] That means 
you stand at the end of the finish line of a race and you hug the people 
coming across the line. It meant a lot to me to be a hugger. It 
introduced me to the Special Olympics, and I have been a big backer of 
the Special Olympics--primarily because then, and since then I have been 
inspired by the determination and the courage of our athletes.
    And so we welcome you, and we welcome your families, and we welcome 
your coaches and your supporters. And to the family members and coaches 
and supporters, I thank you for helping our fellow citizens understand 
that the promise of this country belongs to every citizen. Over four 
decades, the Special Olympics has changed the lives of millions of 
people across the world. And we're proud to note that this noble mission 
began right here in America. And let me just say, I believe it is a 
fitting testimony to this country, that was based upon ideals of 
inclusion and acceptance and hope, that the games we honor today began 
right here in our country.
    And ours is a country that constantly needs to strive to realize 
that vision. Interestingly enough, it was 17 years ago today that the 
Americans With Disabilities Act was signed into law at the White House. 
I know some folks here witnessed that signature. And I know a man who 
played a major role in getting that done, and that was the 41st 
President. You call him President; I call him dad. I am proud it was my 
dad that signed that law into being. I firmly believe millions of 
disabled Americans have found more opportunities to work and to 
contribute to our society because of that law.
    There's more work to be done, and that's why my administration is 
building on progress through what we have called the New Freedom 
Initiative. It's a good initiative, and it's an important initiative, 
and it's an initiative that will help all Americans realize the great 
blessings of this country.
    That's why the message of Special Olympics is important. That's why 
millions have joined this cause, Eunice. It started off as an idea, and 
now it's a worldwide movement. And that's why we look proudly upon the 
``Flame of Hope,'' which symbolizes the dreams of millions.
    One of the athletes who is going to carry the torch today is Karen 
Dickerson. Karen is a tireless advocate for her fellow athletes. She's 
what we'd call a fierce competitor. In the 2003 World Games in Ireland, 
Karen was told that she had a stress fracture in her leg. Yet through 
sheer willpower, she won the bronze medal. She has since run two Marine 
Corps Marathons. In the Boston Marathon this April, she finished in the 
top 10 percent of all women.
    I want to thank you for being here. Karen should serve as an 
inspiration for a lot of folks in our country. You're a true champ, just 
like every other Special Olympian that has joined us today and the 
millions who will be in Shanghai later on. Your success is best measured 
not by the medals you win but the kind of courage you show. You follow 
your dreams; you never gave up; and you've shown us what the Olympic 
spirit is all about.
    And so we send you to the World Games with our love and our prayers. 
We ask that you carry the greetings of the American people with you when 
you go to Shanghai and our wish for a world--and that you remind the 
people that our wish for our world is a more welcoming, more hopeful, 
and more peaceful place.
    God bless you all, and good luck.

[[Page 1021]]

Note: The President spoke at 11:45 a.m. in the Rose Garden at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to President Hu Jintao of China; and 
Hans Hickler, chief executive officer, DHL Express USA. The transcript 
released by the Office of the Press Secretary included the remarks of 
the First Lady, who introduced the President.