[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.