    [Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 44, Number 43 (Monday, November 3, 2008)]
    [Pages 1386-1387]
    [Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    <R04>
    Remarks Honoring President Theodore Roosevelt's 150th Birthday

    October 27, 2008

        Thank you all. Please be seated. Okay, don't be seated. Thank you
    all very much. Job, thank you for the fantastic performance. John Milton
    Cooper, we appreciate you reading. I had an interesting piece of history
    dropped on me tonight by Mrs. Cooper. They met on Capitol Hill when she
    was an intern for Senator Prescott S. Bush, father of President 41,
    grandfather of President 43. And we welcome you both here. Thank you for
    coming.
        And of course, it's good to see President Roosevelt. [Laughter]
    Oftentimes people ask me, ``Do you ever see any of the ghosts of your
    predecessors here in the White House?'' I said, ``No, I quit drinking.''
    [Laughter] But we just saw one.
        Members of the Cabinet, thank you for coming. Former Governor of
    North Dakota, now the Secretary of Agriculture, is with us. That last
    song must have made you feel pretty good, Governor.
        I'm proud to be here with Congressman Pete King. Thanks for coming,
    Congressman. I appreciate you and your wife coming. The Roosevelt
    family--members of the Roosevelt family are here tonight. We welcome you
    back to the White House; distinguished guests: Laura and I are thrilled
    that you came to celebrate the 150th birthday of one of the greatest
    statesmen in our Nation's history, Theodore Roosevelt. I call him
    Theodore. [Laughter] Occasionally call him T.R. [Laughter]
        We remember many of our Presidents as leaders made for a unique
    moment in our history. President Roosevelt, as John said, was a man for
    all seasons. He was a soldier who won the Medal of Honor, a peacemaker
    who won the Nobel Prize. He was one of the world's most daring big game
    hunters and a leading advocate for conservation of our country's natural
    resources. He was an intellectual who sometimes read several books a
    day, as John mentioned. And he wrestled here at the White House.
        He was a man who felt at home on a sprawling ranch in the West. He
    believed in the importance of a strenuous life of exercise. I can relate
    to that. President Roosevelt also was an advocate for simplifying
    spelling in America. During his Presidency, one member of Congress said
    that President Roosevelt's efforts would create confusion and discord in
    the English language. I can relate to that. [Laughter]
        Nearly 100 years after his Presidency, Theodore Roosevelt's legacy
    still endures here at the White House. Laura gave you an account of the
    legacy that still endures. He endures in the West Wing as well. Right
    across the door of the Oval Office is what was his former office, known
    as the Roosevelt Room. Above the fireplace hangs a portrait of the 26th
    President on horseback during the Spanish-American War. That portrait is
    a reminder. When I look at it I think about the character and courage
    that is necessary for any President. For the past 8 years, his legacy
    has been an inspiration to me. It will be an inspiration to the person
    who replaces me, and it will be an inspiration for all Presidents to
    come.

    [[Page 1387]]

        We thank you for joining us. And please now join us for a reception
    in the State Dining Room. God bless.

    Note: The President spoke at 6:05 p.m. in the East Room at the White
    House. In his remarks, he referred to entertainer Job Christenson; John
    Milton Cooper, Jr., professor of history, University of Wisconsin-
    Madison, and his wife Judith; and Joe Wiegand, Theodore Roosevelt
    impersonator. The transcript released by the Office of the Press
    Secretary also included the remarks of the First Lady.