Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents

Monday, January 15, 2001 Volume 37—Number 2 Pages 17–110 Contents

Addresses and Remarks Communications to Congress AFL–CIO building, rededication—36 —Continued Democratic National Committee staff—49 Protocol To Amend the 1949 Convention on Economic report—101 the Establishment of an Inter-American Forests, action to preserve America’s—17 Tropical Tuna Commission with Foundry United Methodist Church—24 documentation, message transmitting—49 Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial, statue unveiling—70 Executive Orders Illinois, Chicago Responsibilities of Federal Agencies To James Ward Elementary School—57 Protect Migratory Birds—77 Overflow crowd—67 The President’s Disability Employment People—63 Partnership Board—76 Private party—66 Massachusetts, Northeastern University in Interviews With the News Media Boston—88 Michigan, Michigan State University in East Exchange with reporters on the South Lansing—52 Grounds—101 National Council of Negro Women, remarks Interviews honoring Dorothy Height—75 Allison Payne of WGN–TV in Chicago—68 New Hampshire, community in Dover—80 Steve Holland and Debbie Charles of New York City Reuters—93 Israel Policy Forum dinner—28 Tribute to Senator Hillary Clinton—26 Statements by the President Presidential Citizens Medal, presentation—41 Family and Medical Leave Act—63 Radio address—22 Senator Max Baucus, luncheon—72 Korean war No Gun Ri incident—88 Virginia, Armed Forces tribute to the Supplementary Materials President in Arlington—19 Acts approved by the President—110 Communications to Congress Checklist of White House press releases—109 Iraq, letter transmitting report—68 Digest of other White House Jordan-U.S. Free Trade Agreement, message announcements—104 transmitting proposed legislation to Nominations submitted to the Senate—105 implement—23

Editor’s Note: The Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents is also available on the Inter- net on the GPO Access service at http://www.gpo.gov/nara/nara003.html.

WEEKLY COMPILATION OF regulations prescribed by the Administrative Committee of the Federal Register, approved by the President (37 FR 23607; 1 CFR Part 10). PRESIDENTIAL DOCUMENTS Distribution is made only by the Superintendent of Docu- ments, Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402. Published every Monday by the Office of the Federal Reg- The Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents will be ister, National Archives and Records Administration, Washing- furnished by mail to domestic subscribers for $80.00 per year ton, DC 20408, the Weekly Compilation of Presidential Docu- ($137.00 for mailing first class) and to foreign subscribers for ments contains statements, messages, and other Presidential $93.75 per year, payable to the Superintendent of Documents, materials released by the White House during the preceding Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402. The week. charge for a single copy is $3.00 ($3.75 for foreign mailing). The Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents is pub- There are no restrictions on the republication of material lished pursuant to the authority contained in the Federal Reg- appearing in the Weekly Compilation of Presidential Docu- ister Act (49 Stat. 500, as amended; 44 U.S.C. Ch. 15), under ments. Week Ending Friday, January 12, 2001

Remarks on Action To Preserve achievement of this Congress this year, the America’s Forests largest increase in funding for land conserva- January 5, 2001 tion in the history of the Republic, and I thank all those who were involved in that. Thank you very much. You guys are all Finally, I would like to thank Congressman cheating. You’re just trying to warm up. I Mark Udall for being here with his bride, know what’s going on. [Laughter] I was told Maggie. Thank you very much for being by an elderly conservationist from my home here. As you know, he comes from a family State of Arkansas that I had better do a good with fairly substantial environmental creden- job with America’s natural resources when tials, and he came here, and the first thing I became President, on pain of feeling the he said was that we had done the right thing fire of Hades. I did not realize that our re- today. And we will need his voice in Congress ward is that we would be freezing to death this year, and we thank him for being here. here. [Laughter] For the first time ever, with the lands leg- I want to thank my good friend Senator acy initiative, we established a dedicated con- Gaylord Nelson for a lifetime of leadership tinuous fund for protecting and restoring in conservation. And I am profoundly grate- green and open spaces across America. ful to Secretary Glickman and to Chief Today we come to build on that record. Dombeck, a career public servant, who said In one way or another, all of us have come it all when he began by saying, ‘‘This is not here, and I now have come to know many a political issue for those of us who believe of you in this audience. And I know we come in it.’’ from different backgrounds and have trav- I thank Jim Lyons and the others at the eled different paths through life, but some- Department of Agriculture and the Forest how or another, we have in common our view Service. I want to thank our EPA Adminis- that nature is a priceless but fragile gift, an trator, Carol Browner, who’s here with us important part of the fabric of our lives, and today. Just a few days ago, she announced her new rule to cut harmful emissions caused a major part of our responsibility to our chil- by the burning of diesel fuel. It will dramati- dren and our children’s children. cally improve the quality of air in America, I grew up in a State where more than half and we thank her for that. the land is covered by forest. I grew up in I would like to also acknowledge the sub- a town surrounded by a national park. Most stantial contributions to this effort, particu- of the people who enjoy our public lands are larly in fading the heat. And believe it or not, like the people I grew up with—hard-work- even today there was some heat involved in ing families who very often could afford no this. I want to thank John Podesta and other kind of vacation and can afford nature’s George Frampton and the others at the bounty because our forebears made sure that White House for their strong support for the it belongs to them, and it belongs to us all. course we have followed. I am grateful that we can stand here today And I’d like to thank Dr. Tom Elias for because of the work done by Theodore hosting us again and for showing me my bon- Roosevelt, Gifford Pinchot, and John Muir. sai tree when I came up. [Laughter] We I am grateful for all those who have walked came here 2 years ago to launch the lands in their footsteps for a hundred years. I am legacy initiative, and I knew this was the grateful that for the last 8 years I had a Vice place to plant the seeds of success. And I President who spoke out strongly for these thank him—that is also another major values and these policies and helped us to 17 18 Jan. 5 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 do what we have done to be good stewards On a beautiful fall afternoon more than of the land. a year ago now, Secretary Glickman and We have saved and restored some of our many of you joined me at Virginia’s most glorious natural wonders, from Flor- Washington and Jefferson National Forest to ida’s Everglades to Hawaii’s coral reefs, from launch a process to safeguard these lands. the redwoods of California to the red rock As Secretary Glickman just described, we canyons of Utah. We have helped hundreds reached out to the American people to help of communities, under the Vice President’s us develop the plan. More than a million and leadership, to protect parks and farms and a half responded. other green spaces. We’ve built new partner- I’m told that more Americans were in- ships with landowners to restore and pre- volved in shaping this policy than any land serve the natural values of our private land. preservation initiative in the history of the We’ve modernized the management of our Republic. Thanks to their extraordinary sup- national forests to strengthen protections for port, the process is now complete. water quality, wildlife, and recreation, while Sometimes, progress comes by expanding ensuring a steady and sustainable supply of frontiers, but sometimes, it’s measured by timber. We have greatly expanded our co- preserving frontiers for our children. Today operation with other nations to protect en- we preserve the final frontiers of America’s dangered species and threatened areas, like national forests for our children. I am proud to announce that we will pro- tropical forests. tect nearly 60 million acres of pristine forest In a larger sense, I hope and believe we land for future generations. That is an area have helped to put to rest the old debate greater in size than all our national parks between economic growth and environ- combined. From the Appalachian Mountains mental protection. We have the strongest to the Sierra Nevada, forest land in 39 States economy in a generation and the cleanest en- will be preserved in all its splendor, off limits vironment in a generation. And I might say, to roadbuilding and logging that would de- parenthetically, that as we come to grips— stroy its timeless beauty. as inevitably we must—with the challenge of This will include protection for the last climate change, and even though it is hard great temperate rain forest in America, Alas- to believe on this day global warming is ka’s Tongass National Forest. This initiative real—[laughter]—those of you who are here will provide strong, long-term protection for today will have to be in the vanguard remind- the Tongass, while honoring our commit- ing people that we can break the iron chain ment to address the economic concerns of between more greenhouse gas emissions and local communities. We will work with them economic growth. It is not necessary any to ensure a smooth transition and to build longer, but we have to be smarter about what a sound, sustainable economic base for the we’re doing. future. Today we take, as Secretary Glickman said, Indeed, our entire approach to managing a truly historic lead on the path of environ- our national forests has been based on strik- mental progress. Throughout our national ing the right balance. For example, under forest system there are millions of acres of this rule, the Forest Service still will be able land that do not have and, in most cases, have to build a road or fight a fire or thin an area never had roads cut through them. These in an environmentally sensitive way, if it is areas represent some of the last, best unpro- essential to reducing the risk of future fires. tected wild lands anywhere in America. And even as we strengthen protections, the These uniquely American landscapes are majority of our forests will continue to be sanctuaries to hike and hunt and ski and fish. responsibly managed for timber production They’re a source of clean water for millions and other activities. of our fellow citizens. They are havens for Bear in mind, as has already been said, wildlife and home to about one quarter of only about 4 or 5 percent of our country’s all threatened or endangered species in our timber comes from our national forests. And Nation. less than 5 percent of that is now being cut Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 / Jan. 5 19 in roadless areas. Surely we can adjust the Remarks at an Armed Forces Tribute Federal program to replace 5 percent of 5 to the President in Arlington, percent. But we can never replace what we Virginia might destroy if we don’t protect those 58 million acres. January 5, 2001 Ultimately, this is about preserving the Thank you very much, ladies and gentle- land which the American people own for the men. First, I would like to thank Secretary American people that are not around yet, Cohen for his kind and generous remarks and about safeguarding our magnificent open even more for his outstanding leadership of spaces, because not everyone can travel to the Department of Defense. the great palaces of the world, but everyone I must say, Bill, when I asked you to be- can enjoy the majesty of our great forests. come Secretary of Defense, in an attempt Today we free the lands so that they will re- to strengthen the bipartisan or, indeed, non- main unspoiled by bulldozers, undisturbed partisan support for the Defense Depart- by chainsaws, and untouched for our chil- ment among the American people and the dren. Preserving roadless areas puts America Congress, I didn’t know that I was the first on the right road for the future, the respon- President in history to ask an elected official sible path of sustainable development. of the opposite party to hold that job. Shoot, The great conservationist Aldo Leopold, I might not have done it if I had known that. who pioneered the protection of wild forest [Laughter] roadless areas, said, ‘‘When we see the land It’s one of those occasions where igno- as a community to which we belong, we may rance was wisdom, because you brought to begin to use it with love and respect.’’ If the challenge a sharp mind, a fierce integrity, there is one thing that should always unite a loving heart for the men and women in us as a community, across the generations, uniform. Your wife, Janet, touched people across parties, across time, it is love for the who serve in our military forces all around land. We keep faith with that tradition today, the world in a unique and special way. And and we must keep faith with it in all the to- I’m glad that you believe this is the most im- morrows to come. portant service of your 31-year career. But This is a great day for America. I thank on this, sir, you gave as good as you got, and all of you who made it happen. It is your we thank you. achievement, but it is a gift that you give to And General Shelton, I want to thank you. all future generations, to walk in the woods, I will never forget the day when General fish in the streams, breathe the air. The beau- Shelton, in his previous command post, ty of our wild lands will now be there for stepped out of the boat, into the water, onto our children, and all our children, for all time the beach in Haiti in his boots and his beret. to come. And I hope you will always be very I think he could have gone alone and pre- proud that you were a part of it. vailed just as well as he did with the help Thank you, and God bless you. of the others who went with him. I’ll never forget the time I came to your office, sir, in your previous job, and I looked NOTE: The President spoke at 3:25 p.m. in the courtyard at the U.S. National Arboretum. In his on the wall and there was a picture of Stone- remarks, he referred to former Senator Gaylord wall Jackson. And I said to myself, ‘‘I wonder Nelson, founder, Earth Day, and Thomas S. Elias, if Stonewall Jackson would be a Democrat Director, U.S. National Arboretum. This item was or a Republican if he were alive today.’’ I’ve not received in time for publication in the appro- often commented to General Shelton that we priate issue. have made—he, Secretary Cohen, and I— 20 Jan. 5 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 an unpredictable but, I think, quite a success- Independence read aloud—in full view, I ful team. And you have been a great Chair- might add, of the British forces then landing man of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, sir—a great in Staten Island. He did it because he knew Chairman, and we thank you. And we thank how important it was that our troops under- Carolyn for her leadership, as well. stand that the survival of our new Nation de- I thank Deputy Secretary Rudy de Leon, pended upon their success. For over 220 for the many capacities in which he has years now, the survival of our Nation has de- served since the first days of this administra- pended upon the military’s success, and for tion. Thank you, Secretary Slater, today, for over 220 years, our military has succeeded. what you have done as Secretary of Transpor- For these last 8 years, as Secretary Cohen tation with the Coast Guard. I thank the chronicled, in a very different time, in a Service Secretaries, General Myers, the Serv- world after the cold war more inter- ice Chiefs, the other officers here, and en- dependent than ever before, with new con- listed personnel. flicts and old demons, the American military I thank especially the members of the has again succeeded and succeeded bril- White House, my Chief of Staff, John Pode- liantly. sta, my National Security Adviser, Sandy Thanks to you, the world is safer, and Berger, for the work that they have done with America stands taller. Thanks to you, working me on issues relating to the Armed Forces. with our Korean allies, there is peace in the And I thank you for the medals you gave Korean Peninsula and new hope for rec- to Hillary and me. We were honored to re- onciliation across the last dividing line in the ceive them, but far more honored to spend cold war. the last 8 years in contact with the 1.4 million Thanks to you, arm in arm with an ex- men and women on active duty, the more panded NATO, ethnic cleansing and slaugh- than 850,000 men and women serving in the ter in the former Yugoslavia, in Bosnia, and Guard and Reserves—those who keep us se- Kosovo has ended. Refugees have returned cure and advance the cause of peace and to their homes. Freedom has a chance to freedom. flower. There is no greater honor in being Presi- Thanks to you, we are closer than ever be- dent than to be Commander in Chief of these fore to building a Europe for the first time magnificent people, so many of them so very in history as peaceful, undivided, and demo- young. They are at the disposal of the Presi- cratic, a Europe where it is far less likely that dent to defend our interests, to advance our young Americans will have to fight and die values, to realize our vision. Most of the time, in this new century. they do it with all the gusto and fervor of Thanks to you, Iraq has not regained the youth, all the discipline that long training capability that threatened the world or its brings. But on occasion, they do it at the cost neighbors with weapons of mass destruction. of their all too young lives. We saw it most Thanks to you, Haiti is free of dictators; East recently in the U.S.S. Cole, but every year, Timor free of oppression; Africa is beginning in ways that don’t make the headlines, about to prepare itself to solve more of its own 200 of these young people give their lives problems; Latin America has been aided in just doing their jobs. natural disasters and against narcotraffickers; No one who has not held this job can pos- and the United States has led the world in sibly understand the awesome sense of hu- removing more landmines than any other na- mility and honor and the sense of strength tion by far, without sacrificing the safety and and capacity it brings to any President, to security of our troops in battle. know that there are people like these who And yet, those are only the headlines. On have sworn their lives and fortunes in sacred Christmas Eve, as I do or have done every honor for the United States. Christmas Eve for the last 8 years, I tele- In July of 1776 our first Commander in phoned a number of our men and women Chief, George Washington, ordered Amer- in uniform serving a long way from home, ican troops to assemble on Manhattan Island doing critical work unknown to most but ben- in New York, to hear the Declaration of efiting all Americans. I thanked Navy Petty Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 / Jan. 5 21

Officer Second Class Mario Solares, who I can tell you, after 8 years of traveling serves in Bahrain, making sure we have the the world and dealing with the world’s prob- piers, the bridges, the towers our vessels lems at the dawn of a new millennium, peo- need as they protect peace in the Persian ple elsewhere marvel at it. Our ability to live Gulf. and work together in the military forces in I thanked Air Force Staff Sergeant Erin spite of all those differences is by itself a McKenzie, who serves with the 607th Air powerful force for peace and reconciliation Support Operations Group at Osan Air Base, throughout the world. You are America’s fin- making sure members of the 7th Air Force est, and America must always be prepared get a paycheck every 2 weeks as they guard to give you what you need to do your job. the skies over South Korea. We can never pay you enough, but we can I thanked U.S. Army Specialist Jeremy always pay you more. Kidder, who serves on a very remote Pacific I am proud that a year ago we put in place island, an atoll 800 miles west of Hawaii, the biggest increase in military pay and re- working to destroy our cold war stock of tirement in a generation, proud that we re- chemical weapons. versed a decade of decline in defense budg- ets, and now can point to 4 straight years I thanked Marine Staff Sergeant Robert of growing investment in our future security. Sheridan, who guards our Embassy in No one should think for a moment that in- Belarus. He was named Marine Security vesting in the strength of our military is less Guard of the Year in 2000, and we know how important in times of peace. The strength of tough the competition is because, unfortu- our military is a major reason for our peace. nately, we have been reminded how dan- We live in peace in no small measure because gerous that job can be. your courage and strength makes peace a I thanked Petty Officer Michael Sandwith, wiser choice than war for other adversaries. who serves in the Bering Seas on the Coast History will record triumphs in battle, as Guard cutter Midgett—and was recently General Shelton said. But no one can ever forced to give chase to a vessel illegally fish- write a full account of the wars that were ing in our waters in the middle of a snow- never fought, the losses that were never suf- storm with gale force winds and 24-foot fered, the tears that were never shed because swells. the men and women of the United States There are another 1.4 million stories like military risked their lives for peace. None of this: Americans in uniform with compelling us should ever forget that. missions, serving in places and doing jobs our Last year I visited a refugee camp in Mac- fellow citizens don’t hear much about. edonia full of Kosovar Albanians who had Behind the desk in the Oval Office, I have been driven from their homeland. As I a now famous rack of coins from the military walked through the camp, young children units, commanders, and senior enlisted per- picked up a chant, ‘‘U.S.A., U.S.A., U.S.A.,’’ sonnel I have visited these past 8 years. kids everywhere I turned, chanting ‘‘U.S.A.,’’ There are almost 500 of them, not counting children who did not speak English, but the duplicates. Whenever I look at them, I knew enough, with their small voices, to remember the faces of the service members thank America for giving them the chance I’ve met, men and women of every race, to reclaim their land and their dreams. creed, religion, who trace their ancestry to I had the same response when I saw elder- every region on Earth, yet are still bound ly people in Normandy in 1994 on the 50th together by the common mission of defend- anniversary of D-day. There, American vet- ing freedom and the common faith in the erans were approached by French citizens American creed, E pluribus unum—out of who told them that no matter how young many, one. It is not only inscribed on our they were when it happened or how old they coins; it is inscribed in the hearts of Amer- might be then, they could never forget what ica’s service men and women, and it is the America did for them. coin of America’s moral authority in the Years from now, I hope some of our young world. veterans who served in the Balkans will have 22 Jan. 5 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 a chance to go back and see in person the more than 3.3 million children have health fruits of their service. Years from now, I hope insurance under CHIP. That’s making a real some of our veterans who served in Korea difference in their health and in costs to the during this period of historic change, or in health care system. We know that when unin- the Gulf when nations there were under such sured children get health coverage, they go stress, will have a chance to return and find to the doctor’s office more often and to the grateful people. I hope some of our veterans emergency room less often, and they’re less who served in Africa or Asia or Latin America likely to be hospitalized for conditions that or eastern Europe will be able to return to could have been treated earlier and less ex- where they helped to keep the peace, to re- pensively outside a hospital. lieve suffering, to set an example for a fledg- The success of CHIP is particularly im- ling democracy. pressive when you consider that the program If they do, I think they will find people has only been up and running for 3 years. who will still be wise and kind enough to It’s a testament to the diligent efforts of the say, ‘‘God bless you. You gave us a future.’’ Federal, State, and local officials who run the And I hope that your Nation understands program and to the love that parents have whatever you have done to the rest of the for their children. world, you have done that tenfold for Amer- Yet, there are still millions of children who ica. For by helping to advance the cause of are eligible for CHIP but aren’t signed up, peace and freedom around the world, you and millions of others who are eligible for have made freedom more secure here at health coverage under Medicaid but aren’t home. May it always be so. getting it there, either. In most of these I thank you for the honor of doing my part cases, parents just don’t know about the ben- these last 8 years. God bless you, and God efits or mistakenly think their children aren’t bless America. eligible. Also, in some States the application process is simply too daunting. As a nation, NOTE: The President spoke at 5 p.m. in Conmy we must do more to reach out to these fami- Hall at Fort Myer. In his remarks, he referred lies so that their children will get health care to Janet Cohen, wife of Secretary of Defense coverage, too. I’m pleased to announce new William Cohen, and Carolyn Shelton, wife of rules that will make it easier to do that. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Henry H. Shelton, USA. This item was not received in First, since our goal is to enroll more chil- time for publication in the appropriate issue. dren, we have to go where the children are; that’s the schools. Sixty percent of uninsured children nationwide are enrolled in school The President’s Radio Address lunch programs. Under the new rules I’m an- January 6, 2001 nouncing today, States will be able to use school lunch enrollment data in order to con- Good morning. I want to start off with tact families who may be eligible for assist- some good news. For the first time in a dozen ance with health insurance. years, the number of Americans who lack Second, under these new rules parents will health insurance is declining. One of the now be able to enroll their children in CHIP main reasons is that more and more unin- or Medicaid the moment they fill out an ap- sured children from low and moderate in- plication at child care centers, school nurse come working families are now getting health offices, and other convenient places. No coverage through a program called CHIP, longer will they have to wait weeks or even the Children’s Health Insurance Program. It months, while their applications are being was a part of the 1997 Balanced Budget Act. processed, before they can get health care Today I want to announce some more for their children. good news about CHIP and discuss new ac- Third, these new rules will make it possible tions I’m taking to strengthen the program. for more employers to provide health cov- In just 12 months the number of children erage to the children of their low wage em- served by the Children’s Health Insurance ployees, with much of the cost picked up by Program has grown by 70 percent. Today, CHIP. Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 / Jan. 6 23

With 3.3 million children now enrolled in nization (WTO), our joint Trade and Invest- CHIP, we’re getting closer than ever to the ment Framework Agreement, and our Bilat- goal I set 4 years ago of providing 5 million eral Investment Treaty. This Agreement is uninsured children with health coverage. a vote of confidence in Jordan’s economic With the new rules I’ve announced today, reform program, which should serve as a we’ve now done all we can at the Federal source of growth and opportunity for Jor- level to help meet that goal. It’s now up to danians in the coming years. the States to do their part and to the parents, The U.S.-Jordan Free Trade Agreement too. achieves the highest possible commitments So if you have a child without health insur- from Jordan on behalf of U.S. business on ance, call this toll-free number: 1–877– key trade issues, providing significant and ex- KIDS–NOW. That’s 1–877–KIDS–NOW, tensive liberalization across a wide spectrum for more information. If we all work together, of trade issues. For example, it will eliminate we can make certain that our children get all tariffs on industrial goods and agricultural the health care they need to make the most products within 10 years. The FTA covers of their lives in this wondrous new century. all agriculture without exception. The Agree- Thanks for listening. ment will also eliminate commercial barriers to bilateral trade in services originating in the NOTE: The address was recorded at 11:44 a.m. United States and Jordan. Specific liberaliza- on January 5 in the Oval Office at the White tion has been achieved in many key services House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on January 6. The transcript was made available by the Office sectors, including energy distribution, con- of the Press Secretary on January 5 but was em- vention, printing and publishing, courier, bargoed for release until the broadcast. audiovisual, education, environmental, finan- cial, health, tourism, and transport services. In the area of intellectual property rights, Message to the Congress the U.S.-Jordan Free Trade Agreement Transmitting Proposed Legislation builds on the strong commitments Jordan To Implement the Jordan-United made in acceding to the WTO. The provi- States Free Trade Agreement sions of the FTA incorporate the most up- January 6, 2001 to-date international standards for copyright protection, as well as protection for confiden- To the Congress of the United States: tial test data for pharmaceuticals and agricul- I am pleased to transmit a legislative pro- tural chemicals and stepped-up commit- posal to implement the Agreement between ments on enforcement. Among other things, the United States of America and the Jordan has undertaken to ratify and imple- Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan on the Estab- ment the World Intellectual Property Orga- lishment of a Free Trade Area. Also trans- nization’s (WIPO) Copyright Treaty and mitted is a section-by-section analysis. WIPO Performances and Phonograms Trea- The U.S.-Jordan Free Trade Agreement ty within 2 years. (FTA) provides critical support for a pivotal The FTA also includes, for the first time regional partner for U.S. efforts in the ever in the text of a trade agreement, a set Middle East peace process. Jordan has taken of substantive provisions on electronic com- extraordinary steps on behalf of peace and merce. Both countries agreed to seek to has served as a moderating and progressive avoid imposing customs duties on electronic force in the region. This Agreement not only transmissions, imposing unnecessary barriers sends a strong and concrete message to Jor- to market access for digitized products, and danians and Jordan’s neighbors about the impeding the ability to deliver services economic benefits of peace, but significantly through electronic means. These provisions contributes to stability throughout the re- also tie in with commitments in the services gion. This Agreement is the capstone of our area that, taken together, aim at encouraging economic partnership with Jordan, which has investment in new technologies and stimu- also included U.S.-Jordanian cooperation on lating the innovative uses of networks to de- Jordan’s accession to the World Trade Orga- liver products and services. 24 Jan. 6 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001

The FTA joins free trade and open mar- life of the church, especially in the Appa- kets with civic responsibilities. In this Agree- lachia service project, from which she ment, the United States and Jordan affirm learned so much. I thank those of you who the importance of not relaxing labor or envi- have taken special care to befriend Hillary ronmental laws in order to increase trade. and to support her. And I thank you espe- It is important to note that the FTA does cially for the wonderful welcome you gave not require either country to adopt any new her last week, when she came back here for laws in these areas, but rather includes com- the first time as a Senator-to-be. mitments that each country enforce its own I thank you all for your prayers and your labor and environmental laws. welcome to all of us in the storm and sun- The U.S.-Jordan Free Trade Agreement shine of these last 8 years. I will always have will help advance the long-term U.S. objec- wonderful memories of every occasion where tive of fostering greater Middle East regional we passed the peace, for all the people, economic integration in support of the estab- young and old, who came up to me and said lishment of a just, comprehensive, and lasting a kind word of welcome, to remind me that peace, while providing greater market access no matter what was going on in Washington, for U.S. goods, services, and investment. I DC, at the moment, there was a real world urge the prompt and favorable consideration out there with real people and real hearts of this legislation. and minds reaffirming the timeless wisdom William J. Clinton of de Tocqueville’s observation so long ago, that America is great because America is The White House, January 6, 2001. good. You cannot imagine the peace, the comfort, the strength I have drawn from my Sundays here. I want to thank you for a few Remarks at the Foundry United other things. Methodist Church For the social mission of this church, espe- January 7, 2001 cially for your outreach to the homeless, which I have been honored to support. And Reverend Wogaman, staff, choir, con- for your constant support of my efforts to gregation of this wonderful church. I would bring peace in the Middle East and Kosovo like to thank many people in this audience, and Northern Ireland and the other trouble but if I might, a few by name. spots of the world, where there are people My good friend Bishop May, and Mrs. suffering who have no money or power, too May, thank you for being here. My council- often overlooked by great nations with great man, Mr. Evans, and Mrs. Evans, thank you interests. so much for your friendship and for being I want to thank you for making Foundry here. [Laughter] Senator Max Cleland, my a true community church, welcoming Chris- friend of many years, before either one of tians from all races and all nations with all us were in our present positions—surprising kinds of abilities and disabilities, some seen all but our mothers by our success. [Laugh- and some not. I thank you especially for the ter] I am so proud of you, sir, and I thank kindness and courage of Foundry’s welcome you for all you have done. to gay and lesbian Christians, people who I think of this church when reading the should not feel outside the family of God. words of Paul that Hillary cited earlier, I thank you for your support for the city speaking of his gratitude to the Thessa- of Washington, for its economic and social lonians, or constantly remembering their revitalization, which I have done my best to work of faith, their labor of love, their stead- speed, and for giving its citizens the political fastness of hope. I thank Foundry for all that equality and statehood I have always believed and for being a church home to my family that it deserved, as my license plate shows— these last 8 years. [laughter]—and will for at least a couple I thank especially those of you who were more weeks. [Laughter] so kind to Chelsea over the years, who pro- Especially, I would like to thank Reverend vided her opportunities to participate in the Wogaman for being my pastor and friend, Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 / Jan. 7 25 my counselor and teacher. Most of you know I will try every day to remember—as appar- that for more than 2 years now, he and two ently for the first time in my life I will be other minister friends of mine have shared able to earn a sizable income—[laughter]— the burden of meeting with me on a weekly that Christ admonished us that our lives will basis. It has been an immense blessing to be judged by how we do unto the least of me and to my service as President. our neighbors. Two weeks from yesterday, at high noon, I will also do my best to keep working for I will relinquish my office, doing so with a peace and reconciliation among people heart filled with gratitude, gratitude to the across their differences, to find ways to get American people for the chance to serve and people to move beyond tolerance to celebra- to leave our country with more opportunity, tion of those differences. I know it’s sort of stronger bonds of community, and a more out of fashion, but I’ve kind of grown impa- positive impact in the larger world, at the tient with the word ‘‘tolerance,’’ because tol- dawn of a new century and a whole new as- erance implies that someone who’s better pect of human affairs. than someone else is decent enough to put Our Nation has come a long way together up with them. And I think we need to move these last 8 years, and I am profoundly grate- beyond that. ful to have had the opportunity to play a part We are moving into the most incredible in it. In the years ahead, America may have era of human affairs the world has ever Presidents who do this job better than I have. known, in terms of our interdependence, our But I really doubt we’ll ever have another capacity to relate to people across national one who enjoyed it more than I have. and cultural and religious lines, and our abil- [Laughter] ity to use these breathtaking advances in Well, those are my reflections. I didn’t technology with advances in biomedical know what the title of my sermon was until sciences to lengthen and improve lives in I picked up the program, as I walked into ways that previously are literally unimagi- church. [Laughter] nable. What do I anticipate? I anticipate that my And yet, the biggest threat we face is the Christian bearing will be tested by a return oldest problem of humankind, the fear of the to commercial air travel—[laughter]—where other, which can so easily lead to hatred and I will reap the rewards of not having suc- dehumanization and violence but, even if it ceeded in one of the things I tried very hard doesn’t go that far, limits the lives all of us to do, which was to end all those backlogs. might otherwise live. I anticipate that for some several months And I have spent a lot of time, as you I will be disoriented when I walk into large might have noticed, in a reasonably com- rooms, because no one will be playing a song bative arena. I am not without my competi- anymore. [Laughter] I look forward to find- tive instincts. A lot of days I thought just ing out whether John Quincy Adams was showing up was an act of competition. right when he said, ‘‘There is nothing so pa- [Laughter] But I do believe in the end, when thetic in life as an ex-President’’—[laugh- all is said and done, what matters most is ter]—or whether, instead of his words, the what we did that was common to our human- life of John Quincy Adams and the life of ity. And somehow, I will do everything I can Jimmy Carter prove exactly the reverse. to advance that simple but powerful idea at In the next chapter of my life I will do home and around the world. my best to use the incredible opportunities I will also do my best to support my Sen- my country has given me to be a good citizen ator and our daughter. And I will try to keep here at home and around the world, to ad- learning and growing, working to follow the vance the causes I believe in, and to lift the example of the mythic Parsifal, a good man fortunes and hopes of those who deserve a slowly wise. better hand than they have been dealt, Thanks to the good people of New York, whether in Africa, Asia, Latin America, or as Phil said, this is not really a goodbye but Appalachia, the Mississippi Delta, the inner the beginning of a new chapter in our lives cities, or the Native American reservations. with Foundry. But it is a new chapter. So 26 Jan. 7 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 let me thank you again for letting all of us, me through Queens, letting me see people Hillary, Chelsea, and me, make this part of and places I might never have otherwise our life’s journey with you, for your constant seen, and for running in 1998, which every- reminder in ways large and small that though body thought would be a bad year. It turned we have all fallen short of the glory, we are out to be a pretty good one, thanks to Chuck all redeemed by faith in a loving God. Schumer’s guts and drive, and he is great. God bless you. I’m looking forward—I hate it that I’ve got to wait 2 more years, but I’m looking forward NOTE: The President spoke at 11:40 a.m. In his to Charlie Rangel being the chairman of the remarks, he referred to Rev. J. Philip Wogaman, Ways and Means Committee. When that senior minister, Foundry United Methodist happens, you mark my words, it’ll be the best Church; Bishop Felton Edwin May, Washington show in America off Broadway. [Laughter] Episcopal Area of the Methodist Church; and I do want to say just very briefly a serious Washington, DC, City Councilmember Jack word of appreciation to the Vice President Evans, Ward 2, and his wife, Noel Soderberg Evans. Rev. Wogaman also serves as a spiritual and to Mrs. Gore. I thank her for, from the counselor to the President, along with Rev. Gor- time of the first bus ride that, as Al said, don MacDonald and Rev. Tony Campolo. we took here, keeping the rest of us in a good humor, always seeing the glass as half full, always caring about our families as well Remarks at a Tribute to Senator as our politics, and always sticking up for peo- Hillary Clinton in New York City ple who others had forgotten, whether they January 7, 2001 were people with mental illnesses or home- less people or others, reminding me always The President. Thank you very much, la- that I had to be their President, too. I am dies and gentlemen. First, let me say what grateful to her. a wonderful thing it is for Hillary and Chelsea And as I’ve said many times, and as has and me to be here with Al and Tipper and already been said here today, there’s no ques- with all of you. tion that in the history of the Republic, no I want to be brief today because this is person has had such a positive impact on the Hillary’s day, and it’s also a day when she American people from the Office of Vice very much wanted the Vice President and President that Al Gore has had. It’s not even Mrs. Gore to come here and receive from close—not even close. you the kind of welcome that I knew you’d I told somebody, he had more influence give them and that they deserved. I’m so and did more things—whether it was manage proud of them. our technology policy, our environmental You know, I’m kind of tickled about living policy, giving all the poor schools the oppor- in New York. I feel the way Garrison Keillor tunity to hook up to the Internet, helping does about Lake Wobegon. [Laughter] I was to supervise our reorganization of the space up here listening to that great church choir, program, trying to do something about all the and then our friends Jessye Norman and terrible congestion at the airports, dealing Toni Morrison and Billy Joel, and how mag- with big chunks of our foreign policy—no- nificent they were. Then we got the score body ever had so much responsibility before. in the ball game, and I thought, here I am And I was showing up for work every day, in New York, where all the artists, writers, too. [Laughter] I’m really proud of him in and athletic teams are above average— ways that you will never know. [laughter]—and all the voters get their votes He has shown us all, in the last 2 months, counted. [Laughter] under circumstances which have never be- So I thank you. I thank Judith Hope for fore existed in our country—and I pray to her strong leadership. I thank Charlie Rangel God never will again—how we should all be- for 8 years of wonderful partnership. I thank have as Americans and patriots. I honor him Chuck Schumer for taking me into his home for my friendship, for his advice, for his lead- in 1992, when I was running the first time, ership, for what he’s done for America for with his wonderful wife; and then for taking 8 years, but in the last 8 weeks, he’s shown Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 / Jan. 7 27 us the strength of character that very few of you proved that I was right about you, and us could emulate if we were in the same cir- I am grateful. [Laughter] cumstances. But I had that awful primary experience Now, I would also like to thank the people to shore up my gratitude and know what was of New York who helped Hillary to win this going to happen. [Laughter] race. She did, as Chuck Schumer said, win Now, the last thing I’d like to say is this. it the old-fashioned way: She earned it. But In 13 days, at high noon, I’m going to give she wouldn’t have earned it if you hadn’t up being President. helped her, if you had shut her out and shut Audience members. Boo-o-o! her down and turned away from her. I’d like The President. Wait a minute, hey. You to thank the people who helped her on Long can ‘‘boo’’ about the nature of the transfer, Island, where the going was toughest. I’d like but not about me giving it up. I’ve had my to thank the people who helped her in up- time—[laughter]—and I had a very good state New York and proved it wasn’t so Re- time. publican, after all. And what I want to remind you of is that I’d like to thank those of you who had me politics is not about the politicians; it’s about to your counties in upstate New York. I had the people. And I am honored to become a lot of fun being there, and I hope we all a citizen of New York. I will do my best to did some good together. I want to thank the be a good one. And if you need to, call me sort of a de facto case worker for your Sen- people in this magnificent city for how good ator here. [Laughter] I want to get around you have been to Hillary and to all of us. the State and go upstate and do what I can I want to thank you for making Chelsea feel to help Hillary fulfill the commitments that welcome. She did a pretty good job for her she and Chuck have made to help the upstate mother, too, up here campaigning, I think— economy and to help the neighborhoods made a lot of votes, I think. here. And I want to thank you for making it pos- And I want to thank Senator Schumer and sible for me to give my wife good advice Congressman Rangel for passing the new about how to run in New York. Everybody markets initiative Al Gore and I worked so said how mean it was going to be. Do you hard on, to build on the empowerment zone remember what you did to me in the Demo- proposal that Al ran so well for nearly 8 years, cratic primary here in 1992? [Laughter] I to keep the economy going. said, ‘‘Hillary, look, these people are really So we want to work. I want to be a good good, but they just want to see how bad you citizen to you. But I want you to remember can take a beating.’’ [Laughter] ‘‘And they that Hillary ran and won because of you— will beat you up and beat up you and beat not because of her—because of your children you up and take off your shoes and make and your future and what we want to do to- you walk on coals’’—[laughter]—‘‘make you gether. lie down on a bed of pins and needles. But So the last thing I want to ask you to do if you just keep smiling, they’ll know you got is, I want you to keep your heart burning it, and they will come.’’ for 2 years to make Charlie the chairman of I’m so proud of her, because she not only the Ways and Means Committee. I want you laid out a vision for what she wanted to do; to remember not only for 4 years, but for she did it in a way that was consistently big the rest of your life, what happened in the and generous, that didn’t descend to the level elections 2000 and what Al Gore did in the of her attackers. And when New York did 8 weeks afterwards. to her what New York does and she passed, But I want most of all for you to remember then you came. And I told her all along— that America’s work and New York’s work she can tell you—I told her for 16 months, is never done. And I want you to help my I said, ‘‘Trust me. If you are just even on wife do a good job at what she ran for, which the weekend before the election, you’re was to give people like you and people out- going to win big. They will come to you in side this hall, who will never be in a meeting droves, if you just be big and stay right.’’ And like this, the chance to make the most of their 28 Jan. 7 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 lives and their children’s lives. That’s what terday he had a birthday, and now, like me, I want to ask you more. You’ve given her he’s 54. Unlike me, he has enough children a great gift. Now help her use it for the pur- to be elected President of the United States. pose it was intended. [Laughter] And he’s had a wonderful family Last Wednesday, when Hillary was sworn and a wonderful life, and I’m delighted that into the Senate, I believe that Chelsea and he’s so active in the Israel Policy Forum. I’d I were the two happiest people on the planet: like to thank Judith Stern Peck for making Chelsea, because she loves her mother and me feel so welcome and for her leadership. she’s proud of her; me, for the same reasons, I thank Lesley Stahl. It’s good to see you, but also because when I met Hillary nearly and thank you for your kind remarks. I thank 30 years ago now—2 more months, 30 years the many Members of Congress who are ago—I thought that she had more capacity here and also the members of my Middle and more heart for public service than any- East peace team. Secretary Albright and body I had ever met. And I worried when Sandy Berger and others have been intro- we started our lives together that somehow duced, but Secretary Dan Glickman is here, I would limit her service. and Kerry Kennedy Cuomo is here, and I Your giving her this chance, in my mind, thank them for being here. has reaffirmed the wisdom she made in mov- I want to thank the New York officials who ing to be with me so long ago and all the are here—Carl McCall, Mark Green, and any many roles she’s played in giving to others others who may be in the crowd—for your and never asking for anything for herself until many kindnesses to me over the last 8 years. she made this race. And I can tell you this, New York has been great to me and Al Gore you will not be disappointed, because I was and even greater to my wife on election day, right about her 30 years ago. so I thank you for that. Thank you. God bless you. We just reenacted her swearing-in at Now, Mr. Vice President, please reenact Madison Square Garden. And I was re- the ceremony. minded of one of the many advantages of living in New York: Jessye Norman sang; NOTE: The President spoke at 4:50 p.m. at Madi- Toni Morrison read; and Billy Joel sang. son Square Garden. In his remarks, he referred Meanwhile, at least at half time, the Giants to soprano Jessye Norman; author Toni Morrison; were ahead. [Laughter] And so I said, I felt musician Billy Joel; and Judith Hope, chair, New sort of like Garrison Keillor did about Lake York State Democratic Party; Garrison Keillor, Wobegon. I was glad to be in New York host of ‘‘Prairie Home Companion’’; and Senator where all the writers, artists, and sports teams Schumer’s wife, Iris Weinshall. The transcript re- leased by the Office of the Press Secretary also were above average—[laughter]—and all the included the remarks of Senator Hillary Clinton votes were always counted. [Laughter] and Vice President Al Gore. Let me also say a word of warm welcome and profound respect to the Speaker of the Knesset, Speaker Burg, for his wonderful and Remarks at an Israel Policy Forum kind comments to me, and to Cabinet Sec- Dinner in New York City retary Herzog, for his message from the Gov- January 7, 2001 ernment of Israel. I want to say a little more about that in a moment. Thank you very much. Thank you. I want I want to congratulate Dwayne Andreas, to thank all of you for making me feel so my good friend—I wish he were here to- welcome tonight and also for making Hillary night—and thank him for his many and Chelsea feel welcome. I thank Michael kindnesses to me. Congratulations, Louis Sonnenfeldt, who, like me, is going out after Perlmutter; Susan Stern, who has been such 8 years—[laughter]—and will doubtless find a great friend to Hillary, and you gave a good some other useful activity. But he has done talk tonight. I think you’ve got a real future a superb job, and I’m very grateful to him. in this business. And your mother sat by me, I thank my friend Jack Bendheim for his and she gave you a good grade, too. [Laugh- many kindnesses to me and to Hillary. Yes- ter] Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 / Jan. 7 29

And Alan Solomont, who has done as He knew nine things could go wrong and much for me as, I suppose, any American, only one thing could go right. But he prom- and he and Susan and their children have ised himself that he would have to try. And been great friends, and I thank you for what as long as he knew Israel in the end could you’ve done, sir. I thank all of you. defend itself and maintain its security, he I’d also like to say how much I appreciated would keep taking risks. And that’s what he’s and was moved by the words of Prime Min- done, down to these days. There may be ister Barak. He was dealt the hard hand by those who disagree with him, but he has history. And he came to office with absolute demonstrated as much bravery in the office conviction that in the end, Israel could not of Prime Minister as he ever did on the field be secure unless a just and lasting peace of battle, and no one should ever question could be reached with its neighbors, begin- that. ning with the Palestinians; that if that turned Now, I imagine this has been a tough time out not to be possible, then the next best for those of you who have been supporting thing was to be as strong as possible and as the IPF out of conviction for a long time. effective in the use of that strength. But his All the dreams we had in ’93 that were re- knowledge of war has fed a passion for peace. vived when we had the peace with Jordan, And his understanding of the changing tech- revived again when we had the Wye River nology of war has made him more passionate, accords—that was, I think, the most inter- not because he thinks the existence of Israel esting peace talk I was ever involved in. My is less secure—if anything, it’s more secure— strategy was the same used to break prisoners but because the sophisticated weapons avail- of war: I just didn’t let anybody sleep for 9 able to terrorists today mean even though days, and finally, out of exhaustion, we made they still lose, they can exact a higher price a deal—just so people could go home and along the way. go to bed. [Laughter] I’ve been looking for I’ve been in enough political fights in my an opportunity to employ it again, ever since. life to know that sometimes you just have There have been a lot of positive things, to do the right thing, and it may work out, and I think it’s worth remembering that there and it may not. Most people thought I had have been positive developments along the lost my mind when we passed the economic way. But this is heartbreaking, what we’ve plan to get rid of the deficit in 1993. And been through these last few months, for all no one in the other party voted for it, and of you who have believed for 8 years in the they just talked about how it would bring the Oslo process, all of you whose hearts soared world to an end and America’s economy on September 13, 1993,* when Yasser Arafat would be a disaster. I think the only Repub- and Yitzhak Rabin signed that agreement. lican who thought it would work was Alan For over 3 months, we have lived through Greenspan. [Laughter] He was relieved of a tragic cycle of violence that has cost hun- the burden of having to say anything about dreds of lives. It has shattered the confidence it. in the peace process. It has raised questions But no dilemma I have ever faced approxi- in some people’s minds about whether Pal- mates in difficulty or comes close to the estinians and Israelis could ever really live choice that Prime Minister Barak had to and work together, support each other’s make when he took office. He realized that peace and prosperity and security. It’s been he couldn’t know for sure what the final in- a heartbreaking time for me, too. But we tentions of the Palestinian leadership were have done our best to work with the parties without testing them. He further realized to restore calm, to end the bloodshed, and that even if the intentions were there, there to get back to working on an agreement to was a lot of competition among the Palestin- address the underlying causes that continu- ians and from outside forces, from people ously erupt in conflicts. who are enemies of peace because they don’t Whatever happens in the next 2 weeks I’ve give a rip how the ordinary Palestinians have got to serve, I think it’s appropriate for me to live and they’re pursuing a whole different agenda. * White House correction. 30 Jan. 7 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 tonight, before a group of Americans and Fourth, talks must be accompanied by friends from the Middle East who believe acts—acts which show trust and partnership. profoundly in the peace process and have put For good will at the negotiating table cannot their time and heart and money where their survive forever ill intent on the ground. And words are, to reflect on the lessons I believe it is important that each side understands we’ve all learned over the last 8 years and how the other reads actions. For example, how we can achieve the long sought peace. on the one hand, the tolerance of violence From my first day as President, we have and incitement of hatred in classrooms and worked to advance interests in the Middle the media in the Palestinian communities, or East that are long standing and historically on the other hand, humiliating treatment on bipartisan. I was glad to hear of Senator the streets or at checkpoints by Israelis, are Hagel’s recitation of President-elect Bush’s real obstacles to even getting people to talk commitment to peace in the Middle East. about building a genuine peace. Those historic commitments include an iron- Fifth, in the resolution of remaining dif- clad commitment to Israel’s security and a ferences, whether they come today or after just, comprehensive, and lasting agreement several years of heartbreak and bloodshed, between the Palestinians and the Israelis. the fundamental, painful, but necessary Along the way, since ’93, through the posi- choices will almost certainly remain the same tive agreements that have been reached be- whenever the decision is made. The parties tween those two sides, through the peace be- will face the same history, the same geog- tween Israel and Jordan, through last sum- raphy, the same neighbors, the same pas- mer’s withdrawal from Lebanon in which sions, the same hatreds. This is not a problem Israel fulfilled its part of implementing U.N. time will take care of. Security Counsel Resolution 425—along this And I would just like to go off the script way we have learned some important lessons, here, because a lot of you have more personal not only because of the benchmarks of progress, because of the occasional eruption contacts than I do with people that will be of terrorism, bombing, death, and then these dealing with this for a long time to come, months of conflict. whatever happens in the next 2 weeks. I think these lessons have to guide any ef- Among the really profound and difficult fort, now or in the future, to reach a com- problems of the world that I have dealt with, prehensive peace. Here’s what I think they I find that they tend to fall into two cat- are. Most of you probably believed in them, egories. And if I could use sort of a medical up to the last 3 months. I still do. analogy, some are like old wounds with scabs First, the Arab-Israeli conflict is not just on them, and some are like abscessed teeth. a morality play between good and evil; it is What do I mean by that? Old wounds with a conflict with a complex history, whose reso- scabs eventually will heal if you just leave lution requires balancing the needs of both them alone. And if you fool with them too sides, including respect for their national much, you might open the scab and make identities and religious beliefs. them worse. Abscessed teeth, however, will Second, there is no place for violence and only get worse if you leave them alone, and no military solution to this conflict. The only if you wait and wait and wait, they’ll just in- path to a just and durable resolution is fect the whole rest of your mouth. through negotiation. Northern Ireland, I believe, is becoming Third, there will be no lasting peace or more like the scab. There are very difficult regional stability without a strong and secure things. If you followed my trip over there, Israel, secure enough to make peace, strong you know I was trying to help them resolve enough to deter the adversaries which will some of their outstanding problems, and we still be there, even if a peace is made in com- didn’t get it all done. But what I really want- plete good faith. And clearly that is why the ed to do was to remind people of the benefits United States must maintain its commitment of peace and to keep everybody in a good to preserving Israel’s qualitative edge in mili- frame of mind and going on so that all the tary superiority. politicians know that if they really let the Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 / Jan. 7 31 wheel run off over there, the people will But I’m telling you, the reason he has con- throw them out on their ears. tinued to push ahead on this is that he has Now, why is that? Because the Irish figured out, this is one of those political prob- Republic is now the fastest growing economy lems that is like the abscessed tooth. The re- in Europe, and Northern Ireland is the fast- alities are not going to change. We can wait est growing economy within the United until all these handsome young people at this Kingdom. So the people are benefiting from table are the same age as the honorees to- peace, and they can live with the fact that night, and me. We can wait until they’ve got they can’t quite figure out what to do about kids their age and we’ve got a whole lot more the police force and the reconciliation of the bodies and a lot more funerals, a lot more various interests and passions of the Protes- crying and a lot more hatred, and I’ll swear tants and Catholics, and the other three or the decisions will still be the same ones that four things, because the underlying reality will have to be made that have to be made has changed their lives. So even though I today. wish I could solve it all, eventually it will heal, That’s the fundamental deal here. And this if it just keeps going in the same direction. is a speech I have given, I might add, to all The Middle East is not like that. Why? my Israeli friends who question what we have Because there are all these independent ac- done, and to the Palestinians, and in pri- tors—that is, independent of the Palestinian vate—God forgive me, my language is some- Authority and not under the direct control times somewhat more graphic than it has of any international legal body—who don’t been tonight. But anybody that ever kneeled want this peace to work. So that even if we at the grave of a person who died in the Mid- can get an agreement and the Palestinian Au- dle East knows that what we’ve been through thority works as hard as they can and the these last 3 months is not what Yitzhak Rabin Israelis work as hard as they can, we’re all died for and not what I went to Gaza 2 years going to have to pitch in, send in an inter- ago to speak to the Palestinian National national force like we did in the Sinai, and Council for either, for that matter. hang tough, because there are enemies of So those are the lessons I think are still peace out there, number one. operative, and I’m a little concerned that we Number two, because the enemies of could draw the wrong lessons from this trag- peace know they can drive the Israelis to ic, still relatively brief, chapter in the history close the borders if they can blow up enough of the Middle East. The violence does not bombs. They do it periodically to make sure demonstrate that the quest for peace has that the Palestinians in the street cannot gone too far or too fast. It demonstrates what enjoy the benefits of peace that have come happens when you’ve got a problem that is to the people in Northern Ireland. So as long profoundly difficult and you never quite get as they can keep the people miserable and to the end, so there is no settlement, no reso- they can keep the fundamental decisions lution, anxiety prevailed, and at least some from being made, they still have a hope, the people never get any concrete benefits out enemies of peace, of derailing the whole of it. thing. That’s why it’s more like an abscessed And I believe that the last few months tooth. demonstrate the futility of force or terrorism The fundamental realities are not going to as an ultimate solution. That’s what I believe. be changed by delays. And that’s why I said I think the last few months show that what I did about Ehud Barak. I know that— unilateralism will exacerbate, not abate, mu- I don’t think it’s appropriate for the United tual hostility. I believe that the violence con- States to deal with anybody else’s politics, but firms the need to do more to prepare both I know why—you can’t expect poll ratings publics for the requirements of peace, not to be very good when the voters in the mo- to condition people for the so-called glory ment wonder if they’re going to get peace of further conflict. or security and think they can no longer have Now, what are we going to do now? The both and may have to choose one. I under- first priority, obviously, has got to be to dras- stand that. tically reduce the current cycle of violence. 32 Jan. 7 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001

But beyond that, on the Palestinian side, leaders felt about each other and the respect there must be an end to the culture of vio- and the confidence they had in each other lence and the culture of incitement that, when they were talking. since Oslo, has not gone unchecked. Young The alternative to getting this peace done children still are being educated to believe is being played out before our very eyes. But in confrontation with Israel, and multiple amidst the agony, I will say again, there are militia-like groups carry and use weapons signs of hope. And let me try to put this into with impunity. Voices of reason in that kind what I think is a realistic context. of environment will be drowned out too often Camp David was a transformative event, by voices of revenge. because the two sides faced the core issue Such conduct is inconsistent with the Pal- of their dispute in a forum that was official estinian leadership’s commitment to Oslo’s for the first time. And they had to debate nonviolent path to peace, and its persistence the tradeoffs required to resolve the issues. sends the wrong message to the Israeli peo- Just as Oslo forced Israelis and Palestinians ple and makes it much more difficult for to come to terms with each other’s existence, them to support their leaders in making the the discussions of the past 6 months have compromises necessary to get a lasting agree- forced them to come to terms with each oth- ment. er’s needs and the contours of a peace that For their part, the Israeli people also must ultimately they will have to reach. understand that they’re creating a few prob- That’s why Prime Minister Barak, I think, lems, too; that the settlement enterprise and has demonstrated real courage and vision in building bypass roads in the heart of what moving toward peace in difficult cir- they already know will one day be part of cumstances while trying to find a way to con- a Palestinian state is inconsistent with the tinue to protect Israel’s security and vital in- Oslo commitment that both sides negotiate terests. So that’s a fancy way of saying, we a compromise. know what we have to do and we’ve got a And restoring confidence requires the Pal- mess on our hands. estinians being able to lead a normal exist- So where do we go from here? Given the ence and not be subject to daily, often impasse and the tragic deterioration on the humiliating reminders that they lack basic ground a couple of weeks ago, both sides freedom and control over their lives. asked me to present my ideas. So I put for- These, too, make it harder for the Palestin- ward parameters that I wanted to be guide ians to believe the commitments made to toward a comprehensive agreement; param- them will be kept. Can two peoples with this eters based on 8 years of listening carefully kind of present trouble and troubling history to both sides and hearing them describe with still conclude a genuine and lasting peace? increasing clarity their respective grievances I mean, if I gave you this as a soap opera, and needs. you would say they’re going to divorce court. Both Prime Minister Barak and Chairman But they can’t, because they share such a Arafat have now accepted these parameters small piece of land with such a profound his- as the basis for further efforts, though both tory of importance to more than a billion have expressed some reservations. At their people around the world. So I believe with request, I am using my remaining time in all my heart not only that they can, but that office to narrow the differences between the they must. parties to the greatest degree possible—[ap- At Camp David I saw Israeli and Pales- plause]—for which I deserve no applause. tinian negotiators who knew how many chil- Believe me, it beats packing up all my old dren each other had, who knew how many books. [Laughter] grandchildren each other had, who knew The parameters I put forward contemplate how they met their spouses, who knew what a settlement in response to each side’s essen- their family tragedies were, who trusted each tial needs, if not to their utmost desires. A other in their word. It was almost shocking settlement based on sovereign homelands, to see what could happen and how people security, peace and dignity for both Israelis still felt on the ground when I saw how their and Palestinians. These parameters don’t Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 / Jan. 7 33 begin to answer every question; they just nar- money necessary to relocate them in the row the questions that have to be answered. most appropriate manner. If the Govern- Here they are. First, I think there can be ment of Israel or a subsequent Government no genuine resolution to the conflict without of Israel ever—will be in charge of their im- a sovereign, viable, Palestinian state that migration policy, just as we and the Cana- accommodates Israeli’s security require- dians and the Europeans and others who ments and the demographic realities. That would offer Palestinians a home would be, suggests Palestinian sovereignty over Gaza, they would be obviously free to do that, and the vast majority of the West Bank, the incor- I think they’ve indicated that they would do poration into Israel of settlement blocks, with that, to some extent. But there cannot be an the goal of maximizing the number of settlers unlimited language in an agreement that in Israel while minimizing the land annex for would undermine the very foundations of the Palestine to be viable must be a geographi- Israeli state or the whole reason for creating cally contiguous state. the Palestinian state. So that’s what we’re Now, the land annexed into Israel into set- working on. tlement blocks should include as few Pal- Third, there will be no peace and no peace estinians as possible, consistent with the logic agreement unless the Israeli people have of two separate homelands. And to make the lasting security guarantees. These need not agreement durable, I think there will have and should not come at the expense of Pales- to be some territorial swaps and other ar- tinian sovereignty, or interfere with Pales- rangements. tinian territorial integrity. So my parameters Second, a solution will have to be found rely on an international presence in Palestine for the Palestinian refugees who have suf- to provide border security along the Jordan fered a great deal—particularly some of Valley and to monitor implementation of the them— a solution that allows them to return final agreement. They rely on a non-milita- to a Palestinian state that will provide all Pal- rized Palestine, a phased Israeli withdrawal estinians with a place they can safely and to address Israeli security needs in the Jordan proudly call home. All Palestinian refugees Valley, and other essential arrangements to who wish to live in this homeland should have the right to do so. All others who want ensure Israel’s ability to defend itself. to find new homes, whether in their current Fourth, I come to the issue of Jerusalem, locations or in third countries, should be able perhaps the most emotional and sensitive of to do so, consistent with those countries’ sov- all. It is a historic, cultural, and political cen- ereign decisions, and that includes Israel. ter for both Israelis and Palestinians, a All refugees should receive compensation unique city sacred to all three monotheistic from the international community for their religions. And I believe the parameters I losses and assistance in building new lives. have established flow from four fair and log- Now, you all know what the rub is. That ical propositions. was a lot of artful language for saying that First, Jerusalem should be an open and you cannot expect Israel to acknowledge an undivided city with assured freedom of ac- unlimited right of return to present day Israel cess and worship for all. It should encompass and, at the same time, to give up Gaza and the internationally recognized capitals of two the West Bank and have the settlement states, Israel and Palestine. Second, what is blocks as compact as possible, because of Arab should be Palestinian, for why would where a lot of these refugees came from. We Israel want to govern in perpetuity the lives cannot expect Israel to make a decision that of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians? would threaten the very foundations of the Third, what is Jewish should be Israeli. That state of Israel and would undermine the would give rise to a Jewish Jerusalem, larger whole logic of peace. And it shouldn’t be and more vibrant than any in history. Fourth, done. what is holy to both requires a special care But I have made it very clear that the refu- to meet the needs of all. I was glad to hear gees will be a high priority, and that the what the Speaker said about that. No peace United States will take a lead in raising the agreement will last if not premised on mutual 34 Jan. 7 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 respect for the religious beliefs and holy For the Palestinian people, it means the shrines of Jews, Muslims, and Christians. freedom to determine their own future on I have offered formulations on the Haram their own land, a new life for the refugees, al-Sharif, and the area holy to the Jewish peo- an independent and sovereign state with Al- ple, an area which for 2,000 years, as I said Quds as its capital, recognized by all. And at Camp David, has been the focus of Jewish for America, it means that we could have new yearning, that I believed fairly addressed the flags flying over new Embassies in both these concerns of both sides. capitals. Fifth and, finally, any agreement will have Now that the sides have accepted the pa- to mark the decision to end the conflict, for rameters with reservations, what’s going to neither side can afford to make these painful happen? Well, each side will try to do a little compromises, only to be subjected to further better than I did. [Laughter] You know, that’s demands. They are both entitled to know that just natural. But a peace viewed as imposed if they take the last drop of blood out of each by one party upon the other, that puts one other’s turnip, that’s it. It really will have to side up and the other down, rather than both be the end of the struggle that has pitted ahead, contains the seeds of its own destruc- Palestinians and Israelis against one another tion. for too long. And the end of the conflict must Let me say those who believe that my ideas manifest itself with concrete acts that dem- can be altered to one party’s exclusive benefit are mistaken. I think to press for more will onstrate a new attitude and a new approach produce less. There can be no peace without by Palestinians and Israelis toward each compromise. Now, I don’t ask Israelis or Pal- other, and by other states in the region to- estinians to agree with everything I said. If ward Israel, and by the entire region toward they can come up with a completely different Palestine, to help it get off to a good start. agreement, it would suit me just fine. But The parties’ experience with interim ac- I doubt it. cords has not always been happy—too many I have said what I have out of a profound deadlines missed, too many commitments lifetime commitment to and love for the state unfulfilled on both sides. So for this to signify of Israel; out of a conviction that the Pales- a real end of the conflict, there must be ef- tinian people have been ignored or used as fective mechanisms to provide guarantees of political footballs by others for long enough, implementation. That’s a lot of stuff, isn’t it? and they ought to have a chance to make It’s what I think is the outline of a fair agree- their own life with dignity; and out of a belief ment. that in the homeland of the world’s three Let me say this. I am well aware that it great religions that believe we are all the will entail real pain and sacrifices for both creatures of one God, we ought to be able sides. I am well aware that I don’t even have to prove that one person’s win is not, by defi- to run for reelection in the United States on nition, another’s loss; that one person’s dig- the basis of these ideas. I have worked for nity is not, by definition, another’s humilia- 8 years without laying such ideas down. I did tion; that one person’s worship of God is not, it only when both sides asked me to and by definition, another’s heresy. when it was obvious that we had come to There has to be a way for us to find a the end of the road, and somebody had to truth we can share. There has to be a way do something to break out of the impasse. for us to reach those young Palestinian kids Now, I still think the benefits of the agree- who, unlike the young people in this audi- ment, based on these parameters, far out- ence, don’t imagine a future in which they weigh the burdens. For the people of Israel, would ever put on clothes like this and sit they are an end to conflict, secure and defen- at a dinner like this. There has to be a way sible borders, the incorporation of most of for us to say to them, struggle and pain and the settlers into Israel, and the Jewish capital destruction and self-destruction are way of Yerushalayim, recognized by all, not just overrated and not the only option. There has the United States, by everybody in the world. to be a way for us to reach those people in It’s a big deal, and it needs to be done. Israel who have paid such a high price and Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 / Jan. 7 35 believe, frankly, that people who embrace of those who continue the violence will be the ideas I just outlined are nuts, because clearer to all than they are today. Israel is a little country and this agreement Today, Israel is closer than ever to ending would make it smaller; to understand that a 100-year-long era of struggle. It could be the world in which we live and the tech- Israel’s finest hour. And I hope and pray that nology of modern weaponry no longer make the people of Israel will not give up the hope defense primarily a matter of geography and of peace. of politics; and the human feeling and the Now, I’ve got 13 days, and I’ll do what interdependence and the cooperation and I can. We’re working with Egypt and the par- the shared values and the shared interests ties to try to end the violence. I’m sending are more important and worth the consid- Dennis Ross to the region this week. I met ered risk, especially if the United States re- with both sides this week. I hope we can real- mains committed to the military capacity of ly do something. And I appreciate, more than the state of Israel. I can say, the kind, personal things that you So I say to the Palestinians: There will al- said about me. ways be those who are sitting outside in the But here’s what I want you to think about. peanut gallery of the Middle East, urging you New York has its own high-tech corridor to hold out for more or to plant one more called Silicon Alley. The number one foreign bomb. But all the people who do that, they’re recipient of venture capital from Silicon Alley not the refugees languishing in those camps; is Israel. Palestinians who have come to the you are. They’re not the ones with children United States, to Chile, to Canada, to Eu- growing up in poverty whose income is lower rope, have done fabulously well in business, in the sciences, in academia. today than it was the day we had the signing If we could ever let a lot of this stuff go on the White House Lawn in 1993; you are. and realize that a lot of—that the enemies All the people that are saying to the Pales- of peace in the Middle East are overlooking tinian people: Stay on the path of no, are not only what the Jewish people have done people that have a vested interest in the fail- beyond Israel but what has happened to the ure of the peace process that has nothing to state of Israel since its birth, and how fabu- do with how those kids in Gaza and the West lously well the people of Palestinian descent Bank are going to grow up and live and raise have done everywhere else in the world ex- their own children. cept in their homeland, where they are in To the citizens of Israel who have returned the grip of forces that have not permitted to an ancient homeland after 2,000 years, them to reconcile with one another and with whose hopes and dreams almost vanished in the people of Israel. Listen, if you guys ever the Holocaust, who have hardly had one day got together, 10 years from now we would of peace and quiet since the state of Israel all wonder what the heck happened for 30 was created, I understand, I believe, some- years before. thing of the disillusionment, the anger, the And the center of energy and creativity frustration that so many feel when, just at and economic power and political influence the moment peace seemed within reach, all in the entire region would be with the Israelis this violence broke out and raised the ques- and the Palestinians because of their gifts. tion of whether it is ever possible. It could happen. But somebody has got to The fact is that the people of Israel take the long leap, and they have to be dreamed of a homeland. The dream came somebodies on both sides. through, but when they came home, the land All I can tell you is, whether you do it now was not all vacant. Your land is also their or whether you do it later, whether I’m the land. It is the homeland of two people. And President or just somebody in the peanut gal- therefore, there is no choice but to create lery, I’ll be there, cheering and praying and two states and make the best of it. working along the way. And I think America If it happens today, it will be better than will be there. I think America will always be if it happens tomorrow, because fewer peo- there for Israel’s security. But Israel’s lasting ple will die. And after it happens, the motives security rests in a just and lasting peace. I 36 Jan. 7 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 pray that the day will come sooner, rather all the members of my administration who than later, where all the people of the region support labor. John said there were too many will see that they can share the wisdom of to mention, and he’d get in trouble, but I God in their common humanity and give up want to also say a special thank you to Sec- their conflict. retary Alexis Herman for being labor’s friend Thank you, and God bless you. and partner. Thank you. I think it would be interesting, you know, NOTE: The President spoke at 9:45 p.m. in the maybe it’s just that we don’t have as much Grand Ballroom at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. In his remarks, he referred to Michael W. to do at the White House these days— Sonnenfeldt, chair, Jack Bendheim, president, and [laughter]—but we have the largest turnout Susan Stern, vice president, Israel Policy Forum; here of senior members of the administration Judith Stern Peck, former chair, United Jewish for any event outside the White House we Appeal Federation of New York; dinner emcee have ever held. So I would like to ask Mr. Lesley Stahl; Kerry Kennedy Cuomo, wife of Sec- Podesta and Martin Baily and Kathy Shaw, retary of Housing and Urban Development from the CEA, and Bruce Reed and Steve Andrew M. Cuomo; New York State Comptroller Ricchetti and Gene, and Janice Lachance H. Carl McCall; Mark Green, New York City pub- and Aida—everybody here who is part of the lic advocate; musicians Jessye Norman and Billy administration stand up—Karen, stand up. Joel; author Toni Morrison; Garrison Keillor, host of ‘‘Prairie Home Companion’’; Speaker of the Everybody stand up, Chuck. Thank you. Knesset Avraham Burg; Israeli Cabinet Secretary You know, John, Karen Tramontano is Yitzhak Herzog; dinner honorees Dwayne O. going with me, and we’re exploring whether Andreas, chair, Archer Daniels Midland Com- you can unionize a former President’s office. pany, Louis Perlmutter, former chair, Brandeis [Laughter] University, and Alan D. Solomont, chair and AFL–CIO President John J. Sweeney. founder, A.D.S. Group; Mr. Solomont’s wife, Karen will do it. [Laughter] Susan; Prime Minister Ehud Barak of Israel; The President. We’re ripe for organizing Chairman Yasser Arafat of the Palestinian Author- here. ity; President-elect George W. Bush; and Ambas- I have so much to thank you for. I thank sador David Ross, Special Middle East Coordi- nator. A portion of these remarks could not be you for the work you did for the Vice Presi- verified because the tape was incomplete. dent, for your pivotal roles in the victories in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and so many other places—yes, and Florida, and the vic- Remarks at the Rededication tory in Florida, yes. [Laughter] You’re taking of the AFL–CIO Building my good joke away. [Laughter] January 8, 2001 I also want to thank you, those of you from New York, for all you did for Hillary. I am The President. Thank you. What do you very grateful to you for that. When she was think, Mom? She did a good job, didn’t she? sworn in last Wednesday, I can honestly say I thought she was great. [Laughter] When it was one of the happiest days of my life. Susan said they would collectively bargain for I don’t know when I’ve been that happy since ice cream, I thought to myself, it is only in Chelsea was born. And it wouldn’t have hap- large families that even John Sweeney would pened if it hadn’t been for so many of you be against unionizing. [Laughter] No parents who stuck with her and supported her, and can stand against their united children, if I am very, very grateful. there are enough of them. [Laughter] Senator Kennedy, I would like to thank Thank you, Susan. Thank you, John, for you for your friendship and your support. In your friendship, your support, for bringing ways that will probably never be a part of such incredible energy and direction to the the public record, you have been my true labor movement; to all the officers of the friend for a long time, and I thank you. AFL–CIO; and Maureen, thank you for your This is a very emotional moment for me. friendship; Mrs. Kirkland; Monsignor. We’re thinking about the last 8 years; that’s I would like to thank all the members of what you’re thinking about. I’m thinking the labor movement, and I’d like to thank about the last 26 years. In 1974 I ran for Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 / Jan. 8 37

Congress in a district where, in 1972, Presi- grateful I am for more than a quarter century dent Nixon had defeated Senator McGovern of being able to be your teammate. 74–26. I ran against a Member of Congress John quoted from George Meany’s speech, who had an 85 percent approval rating when and there were a few moments there, when I started, and, obviously, a 99 percent name he started talking about court decisions, I recognition. I was zero-zero. wondered if it was really John changing the I raised in this campaign about $160,000, words. [Laughter] Then I realized that Mr. which was a fortune in 1974. And over Meany was defending a court decision, not $40,000 of it came from the labor movement, attacking one. which was a fortune in 1974. And I was one The mission that was articulated by of the top 10 recipients of all House can- George Meany in 1955 has endured. The didates of help from labor. I was 28 years AFL–CIO still leads the country in its efforts old, and nobody thought I had a chance. It to improve the lives of its members and all turned out, I didn’t. [Laughter] But the truth working Americans, as well, to bring eco- is, I nearly won the race. We made it part nomic, social, and political justice to the work of an overall referendum on the policies and place, but also to the Nation and, increas- direction of the National Republican. It basi- ingly, to the world beyond our borders. cally made the rest of my career possible, Thanks to vigorous leadership, rejuvenated and it could not have happened without the organizing efforts, and strong grassroots sup- labor movement. port, you are on a roll. This building is a symbol of today’s labor And I was sitting here thinking that people movement. It’s on the same foundations you that really helped me then, most of them started, but you’ve modernized it for a new aren’t around anymore. A man named Dan age. You’ve adapted to the new challenges Powell, that a lot of you knew, who was then and new opportunities. You’re looking to the the head of the AFL–CIO region in Mem- future. And I hope we can be part of that phis; the Arkansas president, Bill Becker; the future together. guy that ran the labor movement in west Ar- You know, I got tickled when Susan said kansas, a guy named Dale Dee Porter. One she thought she was going to introduce of them is still here, though, Wayne Glenn. Hillary. I thought, for gosh sakes, I’ve only Thank you. He was there with me 26 years got 12 days until I’m a has-been. [Laughter] ago. Just 12 days to being a has-been, let me enjoy And every day for 26 years, almost—well, my 12 days. [Laughter] 27 years now; I started in January of ’74— The truth is that we’re all going to do fine I have been profoundly grateful to the work- in this new century if we stick with what ing people of my native State and this coun- we’ve done these last 8 years. If we keep hav- try for what you represent and what you ing open and honest debates, what John stand for and for the fact that you not only called differences of the head, but we focus have tried to help your own members, but on the basic mission: empowering workers, you’ve also cared about the larger society. strengthening families and communities, em- When Susan was talking about her family bracing change, but in a way that is consistent and then she kind of morphed her remarks with our values. We’ve been working on this into her union, I thought it was a beautiful for some time now. It turns out it worked thing because we all really believe that our pretty well. country and our unions and our workplaces In October 1992, when I spoke to you as ought to work the way our families do when a candidate for President, I said I wanted they work best. us to build an America where labor and man- All worthy endeavors, including politics, agement, business and government, and edu- are team sports. And it doesn’t matter how cation worked together to create a high- good the quarterback is or the best player wage, high-growth society. That’s the Amer- on the team; if you don’t have a team, you ica we worked to build for 8 years now. And can’t win. And I will say again, I don’t even along the way, we disproved an idea that the have the words to tell you how profoundly other side had relentlessly promoted for a 38 Jan. 8 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 dozen years, which is that when labor is at out of poverty, because of the earned-income the table, the economy is weakened, and the tax credit. And you should be very, very only way America would have a healthy busi- proud of that. ness environment is if government was regu- We have provided now various tuition tax larly condemned and labor was regularly cuts, the HOPE scholarships and others that weakened. It turned out not to be true. 10 million Americans are using to go to col- Now, it’s going to be interesting to see, leges and community colleges around this now that they have a certain influence over country. The direct loan program has saved the course of America’s affairs, whether they $8 billion for students and $5 billion for col- acknowledge that in the last 8 years we leges of higher education because you sup- proved that America is better off when labor ported the right kind of tax relief, targeted and business and government work together toward education. for the welfare of all Americans. Family and medical leave, something that Today, we have a stronger labor movement we were told would be just terrible for the and more partnership, and if we were trying economy, has now given over 20 million to hurt the economy, we did a poor job of Americans the chance to take some time off it. We have 22.5 million new jobs. We have from work when there’s a sick parent or a the lowest unemployment rate in 30 years, newborn baby, and the American economy the lowest female unemployment rate in 40 is stronger than it’s ever been. And its been years, the lowest Hispanic and African-Amer- good for business, because you have more ican unemployment rate in history. And the and more and more people who feel com- difference in this recovery and so many oth- fortable at work because they’re not having ers is that everybody was doing better. Every their insides torn up worrying about their sector of our economy had about the same children or their parents at home. percentage increase in its income over the We passed Senator Kennedy’s Kennedy- last 4 years, with the bottom 20 percent hav- Kassebaum law to let millions of Americans ing a slightly higher percentage increase. keep their health insurance when they Since 1993, the yearly income of the typ- change jobs. We strengthened pension pro- ical family is up $6,300, hourly wages up by tection for tens of millions of Americans. more than 9 percent in real terms. So this We’ve got 90 percent of our kids immunized rising tide has truly lifted all boats. against serious childhood diseases for the We also have the lowest poverty rate in first time. The life of the Medicare Trust 20 years, and last year we had the biggest Fund has been extended to 2025. We have drop in child poverty in 34 years. And it is the cleanest environment we have ever had: no accident that these things have happened The air is cleaner; the water is cleaner; the at a time when the labor movement was a food is safer. We set aside more land—Sec- bigger partner in the policymaking direction retary Babbitt says if it will get done, we’ll of the United States because you cared about surpass Teddy Roosevelt, and we’ll have set not only your own members but the working aside more land than any administration in poor, as well, and the family members of peo- history. And it hasn’t been bad for the econ- ple who were in the American workplace. omy. For example, in 1993, when the deficit was But I want to say something else, too. As high and we had to turn it around, you sup- in every new progressive era, we sparked a ported giving the tax cut that we could afford pretty severe reaction from the forces that to the 15 million American families that were didn’t like the changes we were trying to working 40 hours a week for the most modest make. And when they won the Congress, wages. Nearly none of them were union they tried, among other things, to weaken members, but you wanted them to have the the labor movement. So we defeated their first tax cut because, most of all, they had attempts to repeal the prevailing wage, to children in the home and you felt that no- bring back company unions, to weaken occu- body should work 40 hours a week and raise pational safety laws. Instead, we cracked their kids in poverty. And because you did down on sweatshops, protected pension that, over 2 million people have been lifted funds, passed tough new worker’s safety rules Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 / Jan. 8 39 to prevent repetitive stress injuries, and at future. You’ve got to get the minimum wage least once, we did succeed in raising the min- increase this year, number one. One of the imum wage. reasons our economic team is here is that Now, we were told when we raised the we’re releasing a report today from the Na- minimum wage it was a terrible thing for the tional Economic Council which highlights economy and particularly rough on small the challenges facing workers who are work- business. Well, let’s look at the record. Since ing full time for the lowest wages. It shows— the last time the minimum wage was in- listen to this—more than 2.6 million Ameri- creased, America has created almost 12 mil- cans earn at or near the minimum wage. An- lion new jobs. The unemployment rate has other 6.9 million Americans earn less than dropped from 5.2 to 4 percent, and in every the $6.15 an hour that we would have raised single year, we have set a record for the num- the minimum wage to. So that it would affect ber of new small businesses in America. 10 million people, almost, and all their family So the next 4 years are going to be chal- members. lenging for you, but at least you’ll have one Now, these are people who work every day solace: You’ll have all the evidence on your to stock store shelves, wash dishes at res- side. I must say, there have been times in taurants, care for our kids. They’re in every the last few years when I’ve almost admired town and city and of every racial and ethnic our opponents in the political arena, because group. They are not, as the caricatures often they are never fazed by evidence. [Laughter] would have it, mostly middle class teenagers You know, ‘‘Don’t bother me with the facts. working for money to go out on the week- I know what I think, and I know who’s greas- ends. Nearly 70 percent of them are adults. ing these wheels, and the facts are absolutely More than 60 percent are women. Almost irrelevant.’’ But at least you have it, and you half work full time. And many are the sole know most Americans care about them so breadwinners struggling to raise their kids on don’t forget the evidence. $10,300 a year. They need and they deserve You’ve built a record that proves that a raise, and they have waited for it for far America is better off when we are pro-busi- too long. ness and pro-labor, when we all work to- gether and everybody has a seat at the table, Senator Kennedy did everything he could when everybody’s concerns are heard and in- to get it passed at the end of the last session dividuals are empowered. Don’t forget it. of Congress, and I thought we were going Fall back on the evidence, and you will pre- to get it. But in the end, our friends on the vail. other side decided that they could get an What does that mean? Well, it means that even bigger tax cut out of milking the min- you’ve got to keep winning new members. imum wage if they waited until the new ses- As the work force has changed, your mem- sion of Congress. bership has gone down. Now it’s going back Now, these families should not be pun- up. You have to be geared to the future of ished for the failure of Congress to act for the economy. John and Rich Trumka and our the last 2 years, since I first called for an Linda Chavez-Thompson—I have all these increase in the minimum wage. We ought jokes I want to tell, and my staff told me to make up for lost time and lost wages by I could not tell any of them. [Laughter] They raising the minimum wage above what I say that I have to assume the appropriate role originally proposed 2 years ago, because for a former President, and I cannot say any they’ve lost more time. of the things that I want to say, which would And I want to thank Senator Kennedy, leave you howling in the aisle—[laughter]— Congressman Bonior, and the others who are and the only thing that could get me a head- working with you on this. But I would like line in my increasing irrelevancy from my to say something else. You’ve got to make friends in the press. [Laughter] But just use it clear to the American people what you will your imagination. [Laughter] and what you won’t trade for raising the min- I want to focus on the future now. And imum wage. Raising the minimum wage as a citizen, I want to help you build that should never be conditioned on taking away 40 Jan. 8 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 overtime or other labor protections that ‘‘No, he won’t take your guns away, but the workers have. And again, you have something other guys will take your union away if they you didn’t have 8 years ago. No serious per- can.’’ And you won a ground war. son can say that it is necessary to take these Now, let me be serious here. The truth things away to have a strong economy or to is, most of your people who are NRA mem- have a vibrant small business economy. It’s bers are good, God-fearing Americans who a dog that won’t hunt anymore. Use the facts wouldn’t break the law for anything on Earth, as your shield and keep working. and they get spooked by these fear cam- Let me say that I hope that you will con- paigns. Now, we’re in a—I want to make a tinue to swell the ranks of your members, suggestion—in a nonelection year, when and I hope you will continue to be on the there’s not the kind of pressure that we saw cutting edge of change. There’s a lot of other last year. And let’s don’t kid ourselves, the things that need to be done, and I think you’ll reason that our party didn’t win the Con- be surprised how many of them you can get gress, in my judgment, more than anything done the next 4 years if you’re smart and else, is what they did in those rural districts careful. to us again, just like they did in 1994 on guns. I think it’s clear that we have the money Now, it didn’t work at all in New York. now to add a comprehensive prescription Why? New York even has a—you have to drug benefit to the Medicare program, and get a license to carry a gun in New York. I hope you’ll do it. It’s clear that the Chil- And there’s lots of sporting clubs. Nobody dren’s Health Insurance Program has now has missed a day in the woods in a hunting added over 3.3 million people to the ranks season. Nobody has missed a single sports of people with health insurance, and we’ve shooting event. So all those fear tactics didn’t got the number of people without health in- work in New York, because all the hunters surance going down for the first time in a and sportsmen could see from their own per- dozen years. It’s time to add the parents of those children to the ranks of those with sonal experience that it was not true. health insurance. But I believe that you—we’ve all got a big It’s clear that we can do more to balance interest here in keeping America going in the work and family without hurting the econ- right direction on crime. We’ve all got a big omy. I hope there will be an expansion of interest in keeping guns out of the hands of family and medical leave. I hope there will kids and criminals. And we don’t need to wait be a strengthening of the equal pay for for an election where we’re all torn up and women laws. I hope we’ll pass the ‘‘Employ- upset and you have to win a ground war ment Non-Discrimination Act,’’ and I hope against your own members just to have an we will increase our support for child care election come out all right over an issue that for working families. There are many, many we shouldn’t be debating in the first place people, huge numbers, who are eligible by at election time. law for Federal assistance in paying their So I regret that I have not been more per- child care bills that we have never come close suasive, because I came out of that culture. to funding. But I’m telling you, you need to use this next I hope that you will continue to work to year, when there’s no election going on, to empower poor people in poor communities, go out there and sit down and talk about whether in inner cities, Appalachia, the Mis- where we’re going, because we’ve got to keep sissippi Delta, or on Native American res- working to make America a safer place, and ervations. I hope you’ll continue to work to nobody wants to end the sporting and hunt- make America the safest big country in the ing culture that has meant so much to so world. I hope you’ll continue—let me be many of your members. And I implore you, more explicit here. In Michigan and Pennsyl- you can do this. Maybe nobody else in Amer- vania, you had to fight against a lot of your ica can do this, and you can do it. members who were NRA members who be- But you have to do it in a nonelection year, lieved that Al Gore was going to take your in my opinion, where people aren’t fighting guns away. And you did a brilliant job saying, against you and you don’t feel like you’re Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 / Jan. 8 41 pushing a rock up a hill. And I’ll help you tion to do unto others as we would like to if I can. This is a big deal for America. be treated ourselves. We should never forget We’re still not near safe enough as a coun- that politics, work, and life are all team try. I’m glad the crime rate has gone down sports. It’s been an honor to be on your team. for 8 years. It’s a gift you can give the chil- Thank you, and God bless you. dren of your members and the communities in which you live. NOTE: The President spoke at 1:20 p.m. in the And finally, let me say, I hope you will lobby. In his remarks, he referred to International continue on some of the things we disagreed Brotherhood of Electrical Workers member Susan with over the years. We’ve got to figure out Hagan, who introduced the President; Ms. how to put a human face on the global econ- Hagan’s mother, Ada Hagan; Richard L. Trumka, omy. We are becoming more inter- secretary-treasurer, and Linda Chavez-Thomp- dependent. We are becoming more and son, executive vice president, AFL–CIO; Presi- more interdependent. There is going to be dent Sweeney’s wife, Maureen; Irena Kirkland, more trade whether we like it or not, a trillion widow of former AFL–CIO President Lane dollars a day in pure—just money trans- Kirkland; Monsignor George G. Higgins, former actions across national lines. director, Social Action Department, National Catholic Welfare Conference (later known as the We have got to figure out how to be on U.S. Catholic Conference), who attended the first the side of making sure that the little folks dedication in 1956; Gene Sperling, Assistant to in every country in the world are not tram- the President for Economic Policy and Director pled on by the increasing power of financial of the National Economic Council; Aida Alvarez, transactions and international economic Administrator, Small Business Administration; transactions. Instead, we have to prove that and Charles M. Brain, Assistant to the President we can lift up the fortunes of all people. We and Director of Legislative Affairs. have to have good labor rights. We have to have good environmental standards. We have to have fair and open financial rules, so that Remarks on Presenting the people don’t get ripped off. We’ve got to do Presidential Citizens Medal this together, and you’ve got to be part of January 8, 2001 the debate. Whenever you’re part of the de- bate, America wins, and Americans win. Thank you and good afternoon. I would And I’ll tell you, I’ve had a great time. I like to thank all of you for coming and wel- said yesterday in my church, they may find come you to the White House. But especially somebody who can do this job better than the Members of Congress who either are or me; they will never find anybody that had have been here. Senator Cleland, welcome, any more fun doing it than I had. I have had sir. Senator Kennedy; Representative a great time. But America is always about Gilman—Mr. Chairman Gilman; Represent- tomorrow. And I will end where I began. ative Eleanor Holmes Norton; Representa- This building should be a metaphor for the tive Sununu. And Mr. Justice Souter, we’re future of the AFL and the future of America. delighted to see you here today. We thank You built a new building with new tech- you for coming. nology for new times on old foundations. You I won’t have many more chances to do this, stayed with what was best about the past and so I’d also like to thank the United States embraced what was necessary and attractive Marine Band for being here and for all their about the future. work. So whenever you come in the front door Yesterday, Hillary and Chelsea and I went of this building, think about that as a road- to Foundry Methodist Church, which has map for your future. And remember what been our home church since we’ve been in Susan said about a union being like a family Washington. And they asked me to speak on and a workplace being like a family and a reflections and anticipations. And I said I had nation being like a family. And remember many anticipations. I anticipated, for exam- that great line from George Meany’s ple, that my religious bearing would be se- speech—we should never forget our obliga- verely tested when I returned to commercial 42 Jan. 8 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 air travel. [Laughter] And I further antici- and under pressure, he always answered big- pated that whenever I walked into a large otry and brutality with poise and purpose. room for the next 6 months, I would be lost In chasing his dream, Hank Aaron gave because the Marine Band wouldn’t be there others the inspiration to chase their own. And to play a song anymore. [Laughter] So I after he left baseball, he and his wonderful thank them so much for all they’ve done this wife, Billye, have done what they could to last 8 years. give young people more tools to win their One of the greatest honors I have had as own chase. Hank Aaron, you are an American President has been the opportunity to recog- hero, and we salute you for your life. nize and to honor, on behalf of the American people, the rich and diverse accomplish- [At this point, the President presented the ments of our fellow citizens. This ceremony medal.] marks the last time I will honor such a re- Because he could float like a butterfly and markable group at the White House. And I sting like a bee, Muhammad Ali became the am profoundly grateful for this opportunity. first boxer in history to capture the heavy- More than two centuries ago, our weight title three separate times. Along the Founders staked their lives, their fortunes, way, he captured the world’s imagination and and their sacred honor on a revolutionary its heart. Outside the ring, Muhammad Ali proposition, that people of competing ideas has dedicated his life to working for children, but common ideals could form a more per- feeding the hungry, supporting his faith, and fect Union, a democracy built solely on the standing up for racial equality. He has always strength of its citizens. They felt it essential fought for a just and more humane world, that America honor both the individual and breaking down barriers here in America and the idea that a free people can accomplish around the world. their greatest work only by doing so together, There are no telling how many tens of mil- for our common good. lions of people had their hearts swell with Today, we honor citizens whose individual pride and their eyes swell with tears in 1996 contributions to the common good embody when Muhammad Ali lit the Olympic torch, this ideal in its purest essence. We honor because we know, now and forever, he is the them with the President’s Citizens Medal. greatest. Among our Nation’s highest civilian hon- ors, the Citizens Medal is a symbol of our [The President presented the medal.] gratitude as a people for those who have, in As a civics teacher fresh out of college, particular, performed exemplary deeds of Juan Andrade showed up for the first day service to others. of class eager to teach his students the fun- Now, let me say a few words about each damentals of American democracy. Two days of those who we honor, and I will ask my later, he was under arrest. What was his ter- military aide to present me with a medal, and rible crime? He was teaching his students then I will present the medals. in his native tongue, Spanish, which was at Every baseball fan knows Hank Aaron the time a violation of Texas law. holds more records than any other single ball That early injustice helped to spark Juan’s player. Indeed, one of the truly great experi- life-long crusade for Hispanic-American civil ences of my Presidency was going to Atlanta rights, including the founding of the United for the 25th anniversary of the night Hank States Hispanic Leadership Institute and Aaron broke Babe Ruth’s home run record. nearly a thousand registration drives that But his courage and dignity have left a lasting have enfranchised over one million new vot- mark on far more than baseball. ers. Today, we honor Juan Andrade for his We honor him today not only for the courage, his commitment to both democracy power of his swing but for the power of his and diversity, and for giving so many more spirit, for breaking down barriers not just on Americans a voice in their own destiny. the baseball field or in the front office but also within America’s heart. In the spotlight [The President presented the medal.] Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 / Jan. 8 43

Ruby Bridges was born in 1954, the year [The President presented the medal to Alma the Supreme Court decided Brown v. Board Brown, Ron Brown’s widow.] of Education. Six years later, when she en- For nearly 20 years, Don Cameron has tered the first grade, the schools in her home town of New Orleans were still separate and served as the executive director of the Na- unequal. tional Education Association. But his career Ruby was chosen to integrate William began long before that, as a Michigan junior Frantz public school, singlehandedly. So high school teacher in the early sixties. His when mobs gathered and shouted around starting salary was a handsome $5,100 a year, this 6-year-old girl, she knelt and prayed. She hardly enough to support a family. So while had two U.S. marshalls ahead of her and two teaching, he worked odd jobs, pumping gas, behind, but ‘‘prayer,’’ she later said, ‘‘was my selling hardware, driving a truck, even protection.’’ digging graves—all for the love of teaching. Today, in lectures and books, Ruby is tell- Let no one say this man was not deadly seri- ing younger generations her story of strength ous about his job. [Laughter] and faith. And through the Ruby Bridges His enthusiasm has never wavered. During Foundation, she is helping schools to estab- his remarkable tenure, the National Edu- lish diversity programs, to achieve without cation Association grew by more than a mil- the struggle and pain what she did four and lion members; it nearly doubled in size. He a half decades ago. has always fought for quality schools, smaller Today, we pay tribute to the courage of classes, making sure that teachers are meet- a little girl and to the commitment of a life- ing high professional standards, and in turn, time. are treated as the professionals they are. Our schools are stronger and our children’s future [The President presented the medal.] brighter because of his decades of dedicated One of Ron Brown’s favorite Bible pas- leadership. sages came from the 40th chapter of Isaiah, Thank you, Don Cameron. ‘‘Those who wait upon the Lord shall have their strength renewed; they shall mount up [The President presented the medal.] with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not When Pope John the 23d urged Catholics grow weary; they shall walk, and not faint.’’ to engage in the world and address the needs Well, Ron walked, ran, and soared through of the poor, Sister Carol Coston, an Adrian life, and I can personally testify never grew Dominican nun, answered the call. She left weary. As the chairman of my party, he in- the security of her convent to live and work spired people to believe in our democratic in a public housing project. Then she helped system and to get involved. As Secretary of to create Network, a national Catholic lobby Commerce, he opened up new markets at that has mobilized thousands of nuns and lay home and abroad, so that people throughout people to fight for social progress in South the world and here in America might, Africa, for women’s rights, and for economic through work, have better lives for their fam- justice. She helped to win passage of the ilies. Community Reinvestment Act, which has led His legacy still burns brightly, not only in to billions of dollars in investment in our the hearts of those who knew him but also inner cities. I am proud to say, Sister, 95 per- in the work of his daughter, Tracey, who cent of it in the last 8 years. wrote a wonderful biography of her father; And she founded Partners for the Com- the work of his son, Michael, who runs the mon Good, a fund that invests in housing Ron Brown Foundation; and the living testi- and entrepreneurship in low income neigh- mony of all the young people who, even now, borhoods. For your work as an agent of walk through doors he opened and cross change, rooted in the values of your faith, bridges he built. Sister Carol, a grateful nation honors you We honor his memory today and, Alma, today. I am glad you could be with us to share the moment. [The President presented the medal.] 44 Jan. 8 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001

As a young Government lawyer during The spread of civil and human rights World War II, Archibald Cox helped to get throughout America and across the globe has labor unions and corporations to stop fighting been one of the great dramas and triumphs each other—a work that’s still going on of the last half century. Jack Greenberg has today—and to start working together for an been at the center of the action. allied victory. That same steely resolve and As a young lawyer, he helped Thurgood sense of high purpose have marked his entire Marshall argue Brown v. Board of Education astonishing career. Fighting for labor rights before the Supreme Court. As head of the in the fifties, civil rights in the sixties, and NAACP Legal Defense Fund for 23 years, during Watergate, rising that fateful night to he, himself, argued dozens of key racial dis- defend our Constitution, he has come to em- crimination cases before the high court. body the highest ideals of integrity and cour- Through his early involvement with organiza- age in public life. tions such as Asia Watch, he aided the expan- Archibald Cox, every American, whether sion of human rights around the world. he or she knows your name or not, owes you Oliver Wendell Holmes once said that to a profound debt of thanks for a lifetime of truly live, one must share the action and pas- your service to your country and its Constitu- sion of one’s time. If that remains the stand- tion. ard, Jack Greenberg has truly lived and, in the process, has lifted the lives of countless [The President presented the medal.] others. Just as Lewis and Clark set forth to explore [The President presented the medal.] a continent shrouded in mysterious possi- bility, Charles DeLisi pioneered the explo- When David Ho was a boy, he used pup- ration of a modern day frontier, the human pets to act out stories about heroes who used genome. supernatural powers to defend the weak. As an administrator and researcher in the Everyone knew young David was uncom- Department of Energy in the mid-1980’s, he monly bright, but few could have imagined worked in close partnership with Senator that one day he would harness the Pete Domenici, along with others who sup- unimagined powers of science to defend pa- ported his efforts to marshal Federal re- tients whose immune systems were fatally sources and secure funding for this weakened by AIDS. groundbreaking research. By demonstrating the ways HIV attacks Charles DeLisi’s imagination and deter- the human body, he fundamentally changed mination helped to ignite the revolution in the way we understand and treat this dev- sequencing that would ultimately unravel the astating disease. His groundbreaking work, code of human life itself. Thanks to Charles using protease inhibitors, in combination DeLisi’s vision and leadership, in the year with standard therapies, has offered a longer 2000 we announced the complete sequenc- life to countless people living with AIDS. ing of the human genome. And researchers And so we thank you, David Ho, for giving are now closer than ever to finding therapies us new hope that AIDS can be treated and and cures for ailments once thought untreat- one day cured and for reminding us that a able. child’s dream can lead to miracles for others. At once scientist, entrepreneur, and teach- [The President presented the medal.] er, Charles DeLisi is also, in the truest sense, a humanitarian, a man whose life work has In 1988 the students at Gallaudet Univer- been life itself. We honor you today, sir, sity rose up to demand a university president along with the Members of the United States who was like them, deaf or hard of hearing. Congress, including your friend, Senator Gallaudet, the only university in the world Domenici, who had the vision to support you designed entirely for students who are deaf when you began, before we could see this or hard of hearing, never had had a deaf great turn in the road. Thank you. president. That is, not until I. King Jordan. His appointment was not only a triumph [The President presented the medal.] for the students of Gallaudet but a historic Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 / Jan. 8 45 breakthrough for all people with disabilities It was then that a young mother, named and a powerful reminder for the rest of our Irene Morgan, took up that fight with dignity Nation that deaf people like I. King Jordan and determination. can excel and lead as well as any other Ameri- On her way to a doctor’s appointment, she cans. Moved by his example and the efforts refused to give up her seat on a segregated of the entire disability community, Congress Greyhound bus and appealed her subsequent soon passed the Americans with Disabilities arrest all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Act, the most important civil rights legislation The Court’s 1946 ruling banning segregation in the last quarter century. on interstate transportation was an early vic- I. King Jordan has been a great teacher, tory in the struggle for civil rights. It signaled a great university president, a great inspira- the beginning of the end for Jim Crow. tion to millions of people around the world. Over all the decades since, Irene Morgan Along the way, he’s found time to be a not has never asked for accolades, but today we inconsiderable athlete, I might add, running honor her. We acknowledge our debt to her great distances at more than reasonable quiet and brave fight for freedom. And we speeds. [Laughter] And he has been a very acknowledge the fact that she was there be- good friend to this President for the last 8 fore just about anybody else, and in spite of years. that, she still looks like a beautiful, young Thank you President Jordan, for your ex- woman. Irene Morgan. ample and your leadership. [The President presented the medal.] [The President presented the medal.] When Constance Baker Motley joined the Franklin Roosevelt once said, ‘‘We must NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, scrupulously guard the civil rights and civil she set out to do nothing less than remake liberties of all our citizens, whatever their American law. Along the way, she herself background.’’ In the decades since, America made history. has had few guardians of liberty more scru- A key strategist in the civil rights move- pulous or staunch than Anthony Lewis. Re- ment, she argued nine winning cases before porter, columnist, professor, author, Tony the Supreme Court. She went on to become Lewis, in every role, has been a clear and the first African-American woman elected to courageous voice for the values at the core the New York State Senate, the first woman of our Constitution. and the first African-American to be borough In books like, ‘‘Gideon’s Trumpet,’’ he has president of Manhattan, the first African- deepened our understanding of freedom of American woman to be named a Federal speech and our continuing battle for civil court judge. rights. Twice, his reporting has won the Once she said she sought to, ‘‘prove in ev- Pulitzer Prize. Perhaps even more important, erything I do that blacks and women are as throughout a lifetime, all his writings, includ- capable as anyone.’’ ing his column, have shown a commitment As advocate, lawyer, public servant, and and a passion with a civil tone and a careful, judge, she has been far more than capable; thoughtful reasoning that have been more she has been superb. And Constance Baker powerful than the forces of brute power and Motley, we are all in your debt. injustice. The President presented the medal. Thank you, Tony Lewis, for the values you [ ] have espoused, for the way you have es- In the 1960’s, Dr. Helen Rodriguez-Trias poused them, and for never growing weary. grew outraged at the poor quality of pediatric health care in her native Puerto Rico, so she [The President presented the medal.] created the island’s first center for newborn It was 1944, wartime, and African-Amer- babies at the University of Puerto Rico Med- ican soldiers were fighting and dying to pro- ical Center and cut the hospital’s infant death tect freedom around the world. Unfortu- rate in half. nately, African-Americans were also battling Ever since, in New York, in California, all an insidious enemy here at home, Jim Crow. across America, Dr. Rodriguez-Trias has 46 Jan. 8 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 been working for better patient care, for bet- He helped to balance the Nation’s books ter treatment and prevention of AIDS, for and to balance the Nation’s priorities. And women’s health rights. it is no accident that his leadership in eco- For fighting the good fight and saving nomic policy accompanied not only the long- countless lives, mostly among poor people est economic expansion in history but, last that are too often forgotten by others, I am year, the biggest drop in child poverty in 34 proud to present this medal to Dr. Helen years, the biggest increase in personal in- Rodriguez-Trias. come among the lowest 20 percent of work- ing Americans in a very long time, and a gen- [The President presented the medal.] eral growth in the equality and harmony we When Edward Roybal joined the Civilian all seek from all our people. Conservation Corps in 1934, he didn’t know He also never let me forget our special he was embarking on a lifetime of service responsibilities to the inner cities of America, to his country, but it turned out that way. which is why I mentioned earlier that even In World War II, he served in the Army; though the Community Reinvestment Act in the 1950’s, on the Los Angeles city council. has been on the books for over 20 years, 95 In 1962 he became the first Hispanic elected percent of all the investment occurred during the last 8 years. to Congress from California in almost a cen- Thank you, Bob Rubin, for helping make tury, paving the way for a whole generation America a better place. of Latino lawmakers. During his 30 years in Congress, he championed veterans, the el- [The President presented the medal.] derly, the mentally ill, education, health care, As a combat platoon leader in the Korean and minority rights. war, Warren Rudman never worried about For a lifetime of work that has improved the race or background of the men with the lives of millions and for lighting the path whom he fought. As a United States Senator, for other Latino office holders, we honor he never let his party affiliation keep him today Edward Roybal. He is unable to join from speaking his mind or building alliances us, but it is a particular pleasure for me to to fight the great legislative battles. He present this award to his daughter, now a fought to strengthen and modernize our na- Member of the United States Congress, Rep- tional defense and to put our fiscal house resentative Lucille Roybal-Allard. in order. [The President presented the medal.] As a private citizen, he has continued to champion those causes with bipartisan zeal. Eight years ago, in a very troubled time As cofounder of the Concord Coalition and for the American economy, I asked Bob as the leader of my Foreign Intelligence Ad- Rubin to head my economic team and to es- visory Board, he has repeatedly, during these tablish for the first time a National Economic 8 years of my Presidency, undertaken dif- Council in the White House and involving ficult, thankless, inherently controversial all the economic agencies of the Govern- tasks with an honesty and candor that showed ment. I did it not because he had been im- a support for our Nation and a willingness mensely successful in making money and to call them as he saw them. knew a lot about the economy but because For his wise counsel, and his faithful serv- he also understood the very real impact deci- ice to our Nation, I am grateful and proud sions in Washington have on the lives and to present Senator Warren Rudman with the livelihoods of ordinary Americans all across Citizens Medal. this Nation. The President presented the medal. As my National Economic Adviser and [ ] later as a superb Secretary of the Treasury, Soon after graduating from law school, Bob balanced a commitment to fiscal pru- Charles Ruff volunteered to go to Liberia to dence and social progress. He understood teach law. There he contracted an illness that that good economics and a generous progres- left him in a wheelchair for life. But this ob- sive social policy could go hand in hand. stacle, nor any other, could ever keep him Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 / Jan. 8 47 from doing good. He went on to serve in one of them, and I asked my old friend, Eli the Justice Department as United States At- Segal, to join my administration, where he torney and the chief lawyer for the District built from scratch two of our most successful of Columbia, the town he loved so well. programs. I chose him as my White House Counsel Eli began AmeriCorps, which has already because of his unmatched ability as a legal given more than 150,000 young people a advocate and his even deeper devotion to the chance to serve in their communities and, Constitution and the rule of law. Not long in so doing, earn some money for college. ago he agreed to lead the Fair Labor Associa- Indeed, more people served in AmeriCorps tion to help end sweatshops and improve the in the first 5 years of its existence than in lives of the world’s poorest people. the first 25 years of the Peace Corps’ exist- A few weeks ago, Chuck Ruff left our lives, ence. far too soon. But his determined spirit con- After he returned briefly to private life and tinues to inspire us and to call on us to do his great affinity for making money, I called more, to do right, to do good. We at the him back, and I said we needed some more White House loved him very much, but so help. He then built our Welfare to Work did countless others, far beyond the walls of Partnership, which enlisted in the space of this hallowed place. His secretary of 21 years, about 3 years, over 20,000 businesses, in hir- Ora Theard, will accept the medal in his ing more than one million people from the memory. And we thank him for the memo- welfare rolls. ries. These efforts have both widened the circle of opportunity in America and strengthened [The President presented the medal.] the tradition of service to country. For this, As a young man, Arthur Schneier fled his all Americans owe Eli Segal a special debt homeland and survived the Holocaust as a of gratitude. If you have ever seen the faces refugee. He knows, therefore, firsthand the of those young AmeriCorps kids or the pride consequences of hatred and intolerance and of people who have moved from welfare to has devoted his life to fighting them. As work, you know why we’re in Eli’s debt. founder and president of the Appeal of Con- Thank you very much. science Foundation, he has encouraged [The President presented the medal.] interfaith dialog, intercultural understanding, and the cause of religious freedom around John Seiberling has worn many hats and the world. He has served as international won many accolades. As a soldier in World envoy for four administrations, including my War II, as a lawyer for the New York Legal own. Aids Society, a community planner for his As Chairman of the U.S. Commission for beloved city of Akron, a Congressman from the Preservation of America’s Heritage Ohio fighting for civil rights and arms con- Abroad and as the long-time rabbi of Park trol—in all arenas he has contributed to com- East Synagogue in New York City, Rabbi, I munity and country. thank you for all the many things you have But his greatest achievement was crafting done here with me the last 8 years to pro- and winning passage of the Alaska Lands Act mote religious liberty around the world, and of 1980, which doubled the size of our inven- I thank you for a lifetime of good work and tory of national parks and wildlife refugees good examples. and tripled the area of federally designated I look forward to seeing you in New York, wilderness. With that legislation, John where perhaps you will become my rabbi. Seiberling singlehandedly saved more of our Thank you. wilderness than any previous American, a legacy that will last for generations. [The President presented the medal.] Unfortunately, this environmental hero is Before he was 40 years old, Eli Segal had unable to join us today, but we are very glad already built a string of successful businesses. that his son, John, will accept the medal on He had also had a string of successful friends. his behalf. In 1992, by blind accident, I wound up being [The President presented the medal.] 48 Jan. 8 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001

Few newspaper publishers in American the world. We thank her for sharing her tal- history have been more effective crusaders ent and her heart. Thank you, Elizabeth for justice than the late John Sengstacke. As Taylor. owner and editor of the legendary Chicago Defender for almost 60 years, he provided [The President presented the medal.] a national forum for African-American issues When the Nazis marched on Vienna, a 6- and voices that otherwise would have gone year-old girl fled with her mother across Eu- unheard. He nurtured the talents of count- rope, only to wind up in an internment camp less black journalists, and as a confidant of rife with starvation, disease, and death. Out Presidents, played a key roll in integrating of that searing experience, Marion Wiesel the armed services, the Postal Service, Major summoned the courage to commit her life League Baseball, and the White House press to teaching others, especially children, about corps. the human cost of hatred, intolerance, and On behalf of a grateful nation, I offer this racism. medal posthumously to his son, Bobby. She has written a documentary about the [The President presented the medal.] 1.3 million children murdered in the Holo- caust and has translated the books of her hus- When bigots blew up his house with dyna- band, Eli Wiesel, so that countless more peo- mite, the Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth stood ple can read and learn their lessons. With in front of the smoking rubble and renewed the money from his Nobel Prize, she and Eli his call for an integrated Birmingham. When established the Wiesel Foundation, to edu- the city fathers had him arrested for civil dis- cate children against indifference to the suf- obedience, he filled the jails with so many fering of others. sympathetic protesters, there was no room Marion, for your mission of hope against to hold them all. When angry authorities hate, of life against death, of good over evil, blasted him with a firehose, he told them it is an honor to award you this Citizens they could knock him down, but they could Medal. not extinguish the torch of justice. Fred Shuttlesworth risked his life so that [The President presented the medal.] every American, no matter the color of his Patrisha Wright was training to be an or- or her skin, might live in a nation of dignity, thopedic surgeon when a degenerative mus- opportunity, and equal justice under law. We cle disease left her with double vision. In- thank him for a lifetime of leadership, and stead of fixing broken bones, she set about for an unextinguished spirit. to fix what was broken in our system and [The President presented the medal.] dedicated her life to ending discrimination against people with disabilities. She was born in England, but Elizabeth As founder of the Disability Rights Edu- Taylor became thoroughly American royalty. cation and Defense Fund, she joined forces For more than a generation, she has reigned with the wider civil rights community. Her over the silver screen, stirring hearts and cap- strategic brilliance and no-nonsense ap- turing imaginations. She earned two Oscars proach during passage of the Americans with and countless other honors as an actress. Disabilities Act earned her the title of ‘‘The But perhaps her greatest role has been off General.’’ the screen, as a relentless and very, very early Now she works to empower people and crusader for AIDS research and care. She families with disabilities throughout the has not only raised—[applause]—she raised entire world. Ever since a visual impairment millions and millions of dollars in this fight changed the path of her career, her dedica- and raised awareness about the human im- tion to civil rights has changed the path of pact of this dreaded disease before many, America and helped more of us to see clearly. many others were on the bandwagon. Today, we salute you, ‘‘The General,’’ Elizabeth Taylor has brought to life unfor- Patrisha Wright. gettable characters on film, but she has brought even more hope to millions around [The President presented the medal.] Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 / Jan. 8 49

Ladies and gentlemen, we thank you for upon entry into force, allow regional eco- joining us to honor these remarkable people. nomic integration organizations like the Eu- Some of them are famous, and some were ropean Union to become a party to the Con- not, at least until today. Some of them had vention and a full member of the IATTC pro- their service thrust upon them by cir- vided all parties to the Convention give their cumstances; others chose the path. Whatever consent to such adherence. The Protocol also their stories, together they form a remarkable provides that the Member States of any re- fabric of what is best about our country, what gional economic integration organization that is best about its history, and what is most is allowed to adhere to the Protocol are encouraging when we look to the future. barred from joining or continuing as a party They remind us, once again, something to the Convention except with respect to the that I need to remember in these days, that Member States’ territories that are outside the greatest title any one of us can ever hold the territorial scope of the treaty establishing is that of citizen. the regional economic integration organiza- Thank you, and goodbye. tion. Allowing the European Union to accede NOTE: The President spoke at 3:32 p.m. in a pavil- to the Convention is important to the United ion on the South Lawn at the White House. In States because it would mean that the vessels his remarks, he referred to Lt. Comdr. Pat DeQuattro, USCG, Coast Guard Aide to the operating under the jurisdiction of the Euro- President. pean Union and its Member States would be bound by the conservation and manage- ment measures adopted by the IATTC for Message to the Senate Transmitting the fishery resources of the eastern Pacific the Protocol To Amend the 1949 Ocean. Convention on the Establishment of I recommend that the Senate give early an Inter-American Tropical Tuna and favorable consideration to the Protocol Commission With Documentation and give its advice and consent to ratification. January 8, 2001 William J. Clinton The White House, To the Senate of the United States: January 8, 2001. With a view to receiving the advice and consent of the Senate to ratification, I trans- mit herewith the Protocol to Amend the 1949 Remarks to the Democratic National Convention on the Establishment of an Committee Staff Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission, January 8, 2001 done at Guayaquil, June 11, 1999, and signed by the United States, subject to ratification, Well, first of all, I want to say to all of in Guayaquil, Ecuador, on the same date. In you, I’m sorry I kept you waiting, but I prom- addition, I transmit, for the information of ised you I was going to work until the last the Senate, the report of the Department of day, and that’s what I’m doing. [Laughter] State with respect to the Protocol. The Pro- I spent a little time today working on the tocol will not require implementing legisla- Middle East and a little time today rededi- tion. cating the AFL–CIO building and rededi- The Protocol amends the Convention for cating myself to their issues and their cause the Establishment of an Inter-American and to not letting the progress they’ve made Tropical Tuna Commission, done at Wash- in the last 8 years be reversed and a number ington May 31, 1949, and entered into force of other things. March 3, 1950 (the ‘‘Convention’’), to allow I have my Chief of Staff, John Podesta, the European Union to become a member and Maria Echaveste and my Political Direc- of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Com- tor, Minyon Moore, Lynn Cutler—a lot of mission (IATTC) created under the Conven- people came over from the White House. tion. Presently, the Convention is only open They love you guys. They wanted to be here to governments of states. The Protocol will, with me. 50 Jan. 8 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001

I want to thank my friend Ed Rendell, who [laughter]—I want to thank you, because even went to the point of shooting baskets that’s what we all hired on to do. with me in a neighborhood in Philadelphia And when you’re in this sort of struggle, in ’92, to make sure I could get plenty of you want to leave it all out there on the floor; votes and win Pennsylvania. you don’t want to wonder, when it’s all said For all the trips that we made together, and done, if there’s just one more thing you I want to thank the indefatigable Joe Andrew could have done, one more phone call you for leaving his home in Indiana and coming could have made. I believe you’ve done ev- here and working so hard. I want to thank erything you could do, and I’m proud of you Dennis Archer and Loretta Sanchez, who and grateful to you. aren’t here; and Senator Torricelli and Rep- One other thing I want to say is that I resentative Kennedy, who worked with me think that the dividing line between politics and gave me the opportunity to do a gazillion and policy is not very clear. And most people events—[laughter]—Martin Frost and Paul say that in a pejorative way. I say it in a proud Patton and my dear friend State Senator way. This is a political system we live in. The Mike Miller from Maryland. Thank you, Rob; framers of the Constitution expected it to be thank you to all the staff members. and didn’t think politics was a bad word. I also want to express my appreciation for They thought it was a good word, and so do those of you who are here day-in and day- I. I am proud that I have spent my life in out. I think it was Joe who said some of you the American political system. go back to President Carter’s administration. So even though you have to worry about One person who has been here a long recruiting candidates and raising money and time, who passed away today, is Elber Suggs, getting the talking points out there and an- and I want to say how grateful I am. I know swering the charges and doing all the things a lot of you knew him. He not only was a you have to do, the sort of nitty-gritty work longtime employee of the DNC, but he was of political life, you should never forget that a longtime member of the UAW. So he was it bears a direct relationship to the way the a two-fer in more ways than one. And I know American people live. that we all send our prayers and thoughts Our friend Terry McAuliffe buried his fa- to his family, and our gratitude for all he did ther a few days ago, and I went to Syracuse for the DNC and for the causes we believe to the funeral. He was a great friend of mine. in. He was the treasurer of the Onondaga I wanted to come by before I left office Democratic Party for 27 years. And at 83, to thank you for what you did in this election. he was putting out yard signs for Hillary in You know, I tell everybody as I’m sort of this Senate race, because he knew that there dwindling into irrelevancy—[laughter]—the was a direct connection between putting up only way I can really get any big headlines the yard signs and the kind of economy and is to say what I really think about—[laugh- kind of life the people in the community in ter]. But I think I’ll show some restraint to- which he had spent his life would have. And night, since I’m preaching to the saved. you should never lose sight of that. But I want to thank you for what you did When you go home tonight and people ask in the year 2000. It was an election in which you for the rest of your life, why did you a lot of forces were arrayed against us and do this—[laughter]—tell them, well, there a lot of money was spent. We had to work are 22.5 million reasons in the people who hard to raise a lot. And all of you in these have jobs that didn’t have them when we various organizations, you gave me the op- took over 8 years ago. There are roughly 25 portunity to do 169 different phone messages million reasons in the people who have taken and radio spots at the end of the campaign. advantage of the family and medical leave And on the day before and the day of the law, which was vetoed when the other party election, I did 66 radio interviews. So for all had the White House. of you who were personally responsible for There are 600,000 reasons in the people practically working me into an early grave— who had a criminal record and couldn’t get Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 / Jan. 8 51 handguns—and lots of people are alive be- The other thing I want to tell you is that cause of that—because we passed the Brady you can’t be discouraged when you lose. My bill. There are over 10 million reasons in the Chief of Staff, Mr. Podesta, celebrated his people who have taken advantage of the 52d birthday today. It looks good on him. HOPE scholarship tax credit and the other He’s more than 2 years younger than I am. college tax reductions and benefits that have [Laughter] We met in a Senate campaign in been increased under this administration. 1970, which we lost. And those of us who There are $8 billion worth of savings to col- are about our age, we went for the longest lege students in the direct college loan pro- time—we thought we’d never win anything. gram. Ninety percent of the kids in this coun- [Laughter] And we finally won the White try under 2 are immunized against serious House in 1976, and we didn’t hold it. diseases for the first time in history. And you But you know, when you look back, Jimmy did that. Carter looks pretty good in the light of his- The air’s cleaner. The water’s cleaner. The tory. And the campaign for human rights and food’s safer. More land has been set aside. the campaign for a sensible energy policy, Bruce Babbitt says by the time we finish, the things that he stood for, it looks awful we’ll finally eclipse Teddy Roosevelt’s record, good in the light of history. And the life that that stood for 100 years, in preserving land he’s made since then, which would not have and natural resources for all time to come. been possible if he hadn’t been elected Presi- dent in the first place, looks awfully good in You were a part of that. Don’t ever forget the light of history. that. So I want you to feel good about it, and Why? Because if I hadn’t won those two I don’t want you to be discouraged because elections with Al Gore and if we hadn’t had we didn’t win every fight we were in. And help in the Senate and the House and we I don’t want you to be cynical because of hadn’t had Governors and mayors and others the decision of the Supreme Court. I want willing to stick up for us, none of it would you to be invigorated. I want you to look have happened. ahead to the races 2 years from now, to the Last year, we had the biggest drop in child races next year for Governor. poverty in a generation, the lowest poverty And I want you to remember, in this coun- rate overall in 20 years. Last year, people in try, nobody gets a guarantee; you just get a the lowest 20 percent of the working people chance. That’s what an election is; it’s a in this country had the biggest percentage chance. But there are people all over this increase in their income of any group of country that wouldn’t have a chance if you Americans. This was a recovery that didn’t hadn’t been here, doing what you’ve done, just help wealthy people. It made more mil- the last 8 years. lionaires and more billionaires, but it also let And I hope when you are as old as I am more people work their way in the middle or even older, you will look back on this pe- class, too. You did that, and you should be riod and be very, very proud, and remember proud of that. those numbers I gave you tonight. Those We mended affirmative action instead of people in this country, all kinds of people throwing it away, because of politics, because of all races, all religions, all backgrounds, of what you did, because we had enough peo- have a more decent, a more united, a more ple in the Congress who would support me forward-looking country because you stood to do that. here and did your job these 8 years. I could go on and on and on. But you just Thank you, and God bless you. remember: Every single decision that ad- vanced the cause of the American people for NOTE: The President spoke at 8:25 p.m. at the Democratic National Committee headquarters. In the last 8 years grew out of a political decision his remarks, he referred to Edward G. Rendell, made by voters on election day all across this general chair, Joseph J. Andrew, national chair, country. And this country is going to be just Mayor Dennis W. Archer of Detroit, MI, and fine, as long as we get all the votes counted. Representative Loretta Sanchez, general cochairs, [Laughter] And don’t you ever forget it. and Rob Engel, executive director, Democratic 52 Jan. 8 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001

National Committee; Senator Robert G. trying to be on my best behavior. I didn’t Torricelli, former chairman, Democratic Senato- whistle, shout, or jump, but it was, for me, rial Campaign Committee; Representatives the happiest day of my life since the day my Patrick J. Kennedy and Martin Frost, former daughter was born. And so I’ll always have chairmen, Democratic Congressional Campaign a special feeling about this election. Committee; Gov. Paul Patton of Kentucky, chair- man, Democratic Governors’ Association; Mary- I think that Debbie Stabenow showed a land State Senate President Thomas V. (Mike) great deal of courage and character in this Miller, Jr.; Elber Suggs; and Democratic fund- election, and she kept on going when a lot raiser Terry McAuliffe. of people thought she couldn’t win. And she’ll do you proud there. I’ve watched her in Congress, and she’ll be great. Remarks at Michigan State I would like to thank so many other Mem- University in East Lansing, Michigan bers of the Michigan congressional delega- January 9, 2001 tion who aren’t here: Congressmen Levin and Conyers and Bonior, who lost his father Thank you very much. Let me say, first in the last couple of days, and especially my of all, how delighted I am to be here, to be good friend Congressman John Dingell, back at Michigan State. I thank President who’s recuperating and is still up and around. McPherson and the board of trustees for let- All the other members of the delegation that ting me come back. I think if I were to come helped me, I’m very grateful. back one more time as President, I’ve been I thank Attorney General Jennifer here so many times I’d owe partial tuition Granholm for being here, and all the people at least. [Laughter] I always love coming from the Michigan Legislature who are here, here, and I’m delighted to be here. but especially Representative Kilpatrick, I also want to thank Ed Foy for coming who’s been such a good friend of mine. out to meet me in 1992 and sticking with Thank you. And Mayor Archer, thank you; me all the way to the end. He gave a great Mayor Hollister, thank you. speech, and he was a great representative of And I want to say a special word of appre- the working people of Michigan and the ciation to a man who’s been one of my closest United States, and I thank him. I want to allies and best friends in political life for way thank Senator Carl Levin for being my friend over a decade now, your former Governor, and being a friend to the people of Michigan. and a man who served as a great Ambassador There is no Member of the United States to Canada in our administration, Jim Blan- Senate today who is more respected than chard, and his wife Janet. Thank you very Carl Levin, and you should be very proud much. of him. I’d also like to say that when word got out Now, your new Senator, Debbie I was coming here, everybody in my adminis- Stabenow, got her start—she got her start tration wanted to come with me. I keep tell- in politics when she was still a student and ing them, we promised to work until the last was elected county commissioner. So some day in office. I’ve still got some environ- of the rest of you might get a few ideas from mental initiatives I want to take—I’ve still that. I am delighted to welcome her to the got some other things I want to do. But be- Senate. I’m so pleased she was elected before cause I came today to talk about the econ- I left office. And she’s in a class of Senators omy, what happened over the last 8 years which includes some other women that and where we’re going, and the relationship I’m—[applause]—I told Debbie on the way of the economy to education, I brought two in, she and Hillary and the other Senators people who have been with me every day who were elected in this last cycle were since I became President: the Secretary of sworn in last Wednesday. And when our Education, Dick Riley, and the Secretary of daughter, Chelsea, and I were just sitting up Labor, Alexis Herman. Give them a big hand, there like all the other families in the Senate will you? [Applause] Thank you. gallery, being cautioned not to lean over and Believe it or not, there’s one person in this put our hands on the rail—[laughter]—I was audience with whom I served 24 years ago Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 / Jan. 9 53 in my first elected position as attorney gen- of you to get a degree, my Michigan State eral of my State, your former Attorney Gen- education is just about complete. eral Frank Kelley. Thanks for being here, for When I came here—unbelievably, almost 24 years of friendship. Thank you. 9 years ago now—our economy was pro- Now most of all, I want to thank Tom Izzo foundly troubled and our society was divided. and the Michigan State Spartans for being In 1992 there were riots in Los Angeles and up here with me. Usually, the national cham- troubling signs of social division elsewhere. pionship team comes to Washington. But I’m I talked to college students in my home State sort of a short-termer, you know, and nothing of Arkansas who said they were dropping out beats recognizing the team before 14,000 of school because they couldn’t afford to bor- cheering fans. Also, there’s a lot of sense of row any more money and they didn’t believe humor and kidding in my family, and you they could get a good job when they got out may know that my daughter is a senior at and pay their loans back. I met college stu- Stanford. So I’m going to wear that Spartan dents in every State in the country, including jersey tonight when I go home and see if Michigan, who were afraid they wouldn’t get I can provoke some conversation around the a job, even with their diploma. dinner table. I met union workers who thought they One of the things that I admire about this would either never work again, or if they did, team—and I followed it very closely last they’d never in their lives get a job paying year—is that there is no quit in it. I know the same amount that they were making be- you had a tough game last weekend, but let fore they lost their previous job. Industrial me tell you, if you play any game in life long production had actually declined that year, enough, once in a while somebody will sink for the first time in the history of the United a three-point shot, falling backwards with States. Average family income fell by $1,600 your hand in their face. It will happen if you in just 2 years. The Federal deficit was $290 play any game long enough—the equivalent billion and rising. The national debt had will happen to you. It is not fatal. The only quadrupled over the previous 12 years. Inter- thing that’s fatal is quitting. And you’ve got est rates were high. Growth was low. The no quit in that team back there, and that’s confidence of the American people was shak- good. en. And just as bad, it had been 13 years The most important thing I want to do since the Spartans had won a national cham- today is to say a simple thank-you to the peo- pionship. [Laughter] It was not the best of ple of Michigan State, Lansing, and the State times. of Michigan, for supporting me and Hillary and Al and Tipper Gore these last 8 years. And I asked the American people to send You know, my history with Michigan is me to Washington for a little while, on a mis- profoundly important to the opportunity I sion—a mission to build a 21st century have had to serve as President. It began with America with opportunity for all, responsi- the primary victory here on St. Patrick’s Day bility from all citizens, and a community of in 1992. It included two general elections in all Americans. I committed to do my best which the people of Michigan were kind to build a new kind of National Government, enough to give me their electoral votes. And one that would focus on the future and on thanks for making it three in a row last No- providing all of our citizens with the condi- vember. tions and tools necessary to build their own I first visited this campus in 1992. I’ve lives and make the most of America’s future. come here for debates, rallies, and whistle- Well, thanks to the good people of Michi- stop tours. I was the first President since gan, and people like you across this country, Theodore Roosevelt to speak here while in Al Gore and I got the precious chance to office. I imagine I’m the only one to speak spend 8 years in Washington, putting people here twice. Let me tell you, every time I’ve first, getting the economy going again, im- come here, I’ve learned something. And even proving social and environmental conditions, though 8 years is longer than it takes most advancing peace, freedom, and prosperity 54 Jan. 9 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 around the world, and building a Govern- debt-free by the end of the decade, for the ment ready to make the most of this new first time since 1835. century. Why should you care whether your Gov- Now, I want to talk just a little about what ernment’s out of debt? Here’s why—two rea- happened, because it’s important, when you sons. First, economically, if the Government look to the future, to know what happened is paying down its debt instead of borrowing in the recent past and how it brought us to money, that means there is more money left this present. for you at lower interest rates for college We began with a clear strategy to get the loans, car loans, home loans, more money for economy going that it had three elements: business loans at lower interest rates—means Get the deficit down and get rid of it; in vest more businesses more jobs, higher pay raises, more in our people; sell more American and a higher stock market. The average goods and services around the world. The American homeowner in America is now sav- American people did the rest. We are still ing $2,000 a year in lower home mortgages experiencing the longest economic expansion because we’re paying down the debt instead in our history. Our economy is 50 percent of running it up. It makes a huge difference bigger than it was 8 years ago. When I took to your future which way we’re going. office, the national unemployment rate was The second reason, very important to 7.3 percent, 7.4 here in Michigan. Now, it Michigan State where you’ve got a lot of peo- is 4 percent—it’s been below 5 percent for ple who depend on student aid, where you 3 years—and it’s 3.7 percent in Michigan. compete for research funds from the Federal We have—that’s the lowest overall unem- Government, we spend over 11 cents on the ployment rate in 30 years, even though we’ve dollar—nearly 12, and it was headed to 15 got more of our people participating in the when I took office—we spend almost 12 work force; the lowest female unemployment cents on the dollar of every tax dollar you rate in 40 years; the lowest African-American and Hispanic unemployment rate ever re- pay to the Federal Government in interest corded. on the debt. It is the third-biggest item in And unlike some of our previous recov- the Federal budget, behind Social Security eries, this rising tide is lifting all boats. In and defense. the last 3 years, people at all income levels If we get rid of that 12 percent—12 per- have done better, and the highest percentage cent on the Federal debt is a huge amount increase in income has come in the lowest of money in the Federal budget—that’s 12 20 percent of the working population of cents on the tax dollar we can either give America in the last 3 years. Poverty is at a back to you in tax cuts or invest in our com- 20-year low; homeownership at an all-time mon future, in education, in health care, in high. In 1992, Michigan State graduates who the environment, in national defense, in bio- found jobs had an average starting salary of medical research, in building a better future. just under $26,000. The average salary for So the first thing we said we do is do some- last year’s graduate was over $36,000. thing about the deficit, and we did. And Now, how did this happen? Well, first, we America should keep going until we’re debt- said we would get rid of the deficits and free. begin to attack the debt. And keep in mind— The second thing we said we would do is let me just say this again—in the entire his- to increase investment in the American peo- tory of the country, going back to 1776, the ple. Now, that’s pretty hard when you’re cut- debt of America quadrupled in the 12 years ting spending. We had to get rid of hundreds before we began to work. What’s happened of Government programs. We reduced the since? We started with a $290 billion deficit. Federal work force by 300,000, to its smallest This year, we had a $240 billion surplus. size since 1960 when Dwight Eisenhower We’ve had the biggest back-to-back surpluses was President. But we have, with the passing in history.By the end of this fiscal year, we of this budget, more than doubled our invest- will have paid down more than $500 billion ment in education and training in the last in our national debt. We’re on track to be 8 years. And I’m very proud of that. Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 / Jan. 9 55

We’ve had the biggest increase in Head are desperately afraid that they cannot meet Start in history. We’ve helped Michigan hire their responsibilities at work and their re- more than 1,300 teachers to have smaller sponsibilities at home. I hardly know anybody classes in the early grades of school. We’ll with young kids who doesn’t have at least have 1.6 million children in after-school pro- one or two searing examples every year, grams this year. We’ll have 3.3 million chil- where they’re worried about whether they’ve dren in the Children’s Health Insurance Pro- neglected their work or neglected their kids. gram, leading to the first decline in the num- Now, bringing up children is the most im- ber of people without health insurance in a portant work of any society, in any time, by dozen years. far. If we have to make a choice between We’ll have 13 million Americans taking ad- work and family, our economic objectives are vantage of the college tuition tax credits, the defeated before we start. I can tell you, I’ve HOPE scholarship and the lifetime learning reached the age now when I can tell you from tax credits, expanded Pell grants and work- personal experience, knowing hundreds of study programs for helping millions more, in- people my age, if your kids—if life doesn’t cluding—listen to this—more than 115,000 work out for them, it doesn’t make a rip how in Michigan, including some of you in this much money you have. It doesn’t matter how audience today. well you’ve done in business. Nothing else I also want to thank Secretary Riley for matters. something else, the direct student loan pro- So this is very, very important. What do gram. Michigan State was one of the earliest we do about it? That’s why we gave a tax participants in the direct student loan pro- cut, even when we were reducing the deficit, gram. It helps students get college loans to 15 million working families at the lowest more quickly, more cheaply, and gives them levels of income, so anybody that worked 40 more options for paying it back as a percent- hours a week could use the tax system to age of their income. Since 1993, college stu- get out of poverty, not be driven into it. dents have saved $8 billion on their college That’s why we raised the minimum wage. loans because of the direct loan program, and That’s why we passed the family and medical college and universities have saved $5 billion. leave law, which 25 million Americans have We said that we believed an administration been able to use to take some time off when could be pro-business and pro-worker, and there was a sick child or a sick parent or a we’ve tried to do that. In the last 8 years, baby was born, without loosing their job. It’s we defeated attempts to repeal prevailing been good for the American economy. wage laws, to bring back company unions, Now, we said we would cut crime, and we to weaken occupational safety standards. We did. We put over 100,000 police on the cracked down on sweat shops, protected pen- street, working toward 150,000. We banned sion funds, passed tough new worker safety assault weapons. The Brady law background rules against repetitive stress injuries, and checks have kept 600,000 felons, fugitives, raised the minimum wage. And every time and stalkers from getting guns. Crime is at we did that, somebody said, ‘‘This is really a 25-year low, violent crime in Michigan bad for business.’’ Every year, for the last down 21 percent. 8 years, the United States has set a record And I know it was controversial here in for new small business formations. And we Michigan, but I want to say again—I’m on have more jobs in this 8-year period than the way out, and I’m not running for any- ever before in history. thing, but let me tell you something. I have We said we believed that the modern in my closet an honorary jacket with a life- economy must be pro-work and pro-family. time membership from the NRA which I got And that’s something a lot of the students from working with them—listen to this— here probably haven’t thought of very much. when I was Governor of Arkansas, on hunter But I can tell you, one of the things that I education programs and trying to resolve dis- hear all the time, and I used to hear it even putes between retired people who retired more, from people at all income levels, in- into unincorporated areas and hunters. I did cluding quite high income levels, is that they a lot of work with them. 56 Jan. 9 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001

But I think this business of trying to con- thing. You can make them out of grasses, out vince the voters of any State in our Nation of rice hulls, out of any kind of waste product that somebody who wants to keep guns away from farms. The real problems with it is, from criminals and kids is threatening their today, it takes 7 gallons of gasoline to make right to hunt or their right to engage in sport 8 gallons of biofuel. But we are doing re- shooting—it’s just not so. Nobody—it’s not search to try to crack the chemical mystery so. And I’m telling you something: It’s not that is the equivalent of how we made gaso- so. Now, you cannot—there is not a single line from unrefined petroleum, from oil. And law-abiding hunter in the State of Michigan when we do—and they’re getting very who missed a day in the woods because of close—you will be able to make 8 gallons of these initiatives we’ve taken, nor a single biofuel with 1 gallon of gasoline, which sport shooter that missed a single contest. means everybody will be able to get the But there’s a lot of people alive today because equivalent of 500 miles to the gallon of gaso- those 600,000 felons, fugitives, and stalkers line. And this environmental issue will be could not get their handguns. much less formidable than it is today. And We believed—and it was somewhat con- we will guarantee the future of the auto in- troversial even in Michigan when I said dustry in Michigan by doing what is right for this—that we not only could but we had to the environment, not pretending there is no grow the economy and improve the environ- challenge. That’s what we’ve got to do. ment. We believed we could break the iron Now, let me say to all of you, I love all link between putting more greenhouse gases these statistics; it’s just nice to have a good into the air and increasing the world’s tem- story to tell. [Laughter] But this is about perature and growing the economy. We be- more than the statistics. It’s about more than lieved that new sources of energy and new money. I think there is a new feeling in means of energy conservation could provide America of possibility, that we are prepared a whole new future, not just for the United for the 21st century, that we can meet the States but for the rest of the world. big challenges that are still out there, that Now, what have we done? The air is clean- we can seize the opportunities that are still er. The water is cleaner. We cleaned up 42 out there. And I hope one reason is that we toxic waste dumps in Michigan alone, 5 times understand that we need each other more as many as the 2 previous administrations, and we have to work together more. in 12 years. We’re investing your money in One of the things that really bothered me research in clean technology to make homes, when I ran for President in 1992 is how much cars, and offices more efficient, to create politics had become a matter of subtraction thousands of new high-tech jobs. and division rather than addition and mul- Just last Friday, Ford unveiled an SUV that tiplication. What do I mean by that? Politi- gets the equivalent of 40 miles per gallon of cians always assume that they needed wedge gas. And at the Detroit auto show right issues to divide people, and then they wanted now—right now—GM is showing a family their supporters to be more inflamed and sedan that uses electric hybrid technology— madder than the other people’s supporters. that is, electricity plus fuel—to get the equiv- And they hoped that the other people’s sup- alent of 80 miles a gallon. These kinds of porters, if you could attack your opponent vehicles will be rolling off the assembly line enough, would get disillusioned and wouldn’t soon. I am proud we supported their devel- show up for votes. So they were trying to opment through the Partnership for the Next divide and subtract. Generation of Vehicles that we established I always thought life worked better when with the UAW and the automakers back in you were trying to add and multiply, and I ’93 that the Vice President oversaw for us still believe that. I believe that one of the for 8 years. fundamental facts of the modern world is But it’s going to get better. We are also that we are growing more and more inter- funding research at the Department of Agri- dependent within our communities, our Na- culture into biofuel, which most of you know tion, and beyond our borders. I believe that, as ethanol. But you can make fuel out of any- therefore, successful social work, including Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 / Jan. 9 57 economics, is becoming more and more like So we didn’t solve global warming, but we winning a national basketball championship. made a good dent in it. We haven’t solved It’s a team sport. I don’t care how good a all the economic problems in the inner cities, star you are; if the other four walk off the the Indian reservations, the rural commu- court, you’re whipped. [Laughter] I don’t nities that have been left behind, but we left care how good you are; five on one, the five America with the tools to do it. win. And what I want to ask all of you to do Now, we have to think about this more. is to think about where we are now and I am immensely gratified that this generation where we were 8 years ago. And then, imag- of young people, I think, understands that ine in your own mind—do what I did 8 years better than they’ve gotten credit for. I’ve ago, especially the young people—imagine never understood all this Generation X talk where you would like America to be 10 years and how young people are selfish and self- from now; where would you like Michigan seeking. At Michigan State alone, 150 stu- to be 10 years from now? What do you think dents have participated in AmeriCorps since it would take to get you there? I can tell you we’ve had that program, out of 150,000 na- that no matter what strategy you adopt, you tionwide. We’ve had more young people do will have to continue to invest in people, to community service in AmeriCorps and earn put education first, to care about balancing some money to go on to college in 6 years work and family, to care about balancing than we had in the first 30 years of the Peace business and labor, to care about balancing Corps. The young people of this country un- the economy and the environment. derstand that they have to build a common And if we think about the future with those future together. They understand that we sorts of basic values and never forgetting our have to find what’s common about us across mutual need for one another and that Amer- all the racial and religious and other lines ica wins when we treat every single endeavor that divide us. like a team sport, the best days of this country And that’s the last thought I want to leave are still ahead. with you. I’ve just given you a speech mostly Thank you, and God bless you. about economics today and about the related progress we’ve made in other areas. But if NOTE: The President spoke at 1:40 p.m. in the somebody said to me, ‘‘You’ve got to just Jack Breslin Student Events Center. In his re- leave America with one wish,’’ believe it or marks, he referred to Peter McPherson, president, not, more than wanting us to be continually Michigan State University; Ed Foy, assistant di- successful economically, I would say, ‘‘We rector, United Auto Workers Region I-C, who in- have to be one America. We have to reach troduced the President; Michigan Attorney Gen- out across all these lines that divide us. We eral Jennifer M. Granholm; State Representative have to celebrate our differences.’’ And I Kwame M. Kilpatrick; Mayor Dennis W. Archer of Detroit; Mayor David C. Hollister of Lansing; hope you will do that. and Tom Izzo, basketball coach, Michigan State Now, one thing I will not claim is to have Spartans. A portion of these remarks could not solved all the problems. You’ve got big prob- be verified because the tape was incomplete. lems out there, or challenges. You’ve got to deal with the aging of America. When the baby boomers like me retire, there’s going Remarks at James Ward Elementary to be a bunch of us. And you can’t have Social School in Chicago, Illinois Security and Medicare and the cost of our January 9, 2001 retirement bankrupt our children’s ability to raise our grandchildren. We didn’t finish that Thank you very, very much. I want to say, work, but we made it easier by putting 25 first of all, I realize now that I’m in an ele- years on Medicare and putting—we’re up to mentary school that I should get a tardy slip 54 years with Social Security now. We did today. [Laughter] But even in these closing a good job. If we save the money that we’re days of my Presidency, I can’t stop doing my piling up on Social Security, we can save 54 job, and I was unavoidably detained. I’m years on Social Security. sorry. 58 Jan. 9 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001

One thing I have learned in over 20 years 1992 and 1996, starting with the Democratic of visiting schools is that you almost never primary and then the election of 2000, you’ve have a good school without a great principal. been very good to Hillary and Bill Clinton And I want to thank Sharon Wilcher for her and to Al and Tipper Gore. And I thank you introduction and for her leadership. very much for that. I want to thank Secretary Riley, who has I also wanted to come because one of the been my friend since the 1970’s, and we go primary reasons I ran for President is to do back a long way. Our families have been what I could in the White House to make friends; we’ve shared the joys of our children a positive difference in the schools of Amer- and the stories of our respective governor- ica. I wanted to come to James Ward Ele- ships. And I knew he would be a good Sec- mentary because I want people all across this retary of Education, but I think after 8 years, country to know that there are schools like the record will reflect that he is clearly the this, where teachers and parents and admin- finest Secretary of Education this country istrators and community leaders are suc- ever had. And I’m very grateful to him. ceeding, sometimes against great odds, in I want to thank Secretary Alexis Herman, bringing educational excellence to our chil- our Secretary of Labor, for joining us today. dren. It is important that people know it can I brought the Deputy Attorney General, Eric be done. Holder, all the way from Washington. He I came because I have so often told anyone had never been on one of these trips with who would listen about Chicago and the ac- me, and he’s been working like a dog for complishments of your school reform effort. years, so I asked him to come. To continue Indeed, you have been very, very good to our school analogy, this is recess for him me today. I asked Paul Vallas when I came today. in, I said, ‘‘How many times since you’ve I want to thank Senator Dick Durbin for been in office have I been in your school his friendship and his leadership over all these years. Congressman Bobby Rush, who system, in your school?’’ He said, ‘‘Six—six.’’ worked in my campaign for President in So the way I figure it, I’m either entitled to 1992, I’m proud of what you have done, sir. a diploma or to a property tax bill. I can’t Thank you. Treasurer Dan Hynes; the presi- figure out which. [Laughter] dent of the Chicago Teachers’ Union, Tom You have raised standards and account- Reese; Gery Chico; Paul Vallas. ability and ended social promotion in the And let me say a special word of thanks right way, by giving students in schools the to your mayor for the partnership that we tools they need to meet high standards and have enjoyed for education, for economic de- succeed—higher pay and better training for velopment and housing and so many other teachers and principals, after-school and areas. I have constantly looked to Chicago summer school programs, better quality fa- for leadership. I tell people all the time, it’s cilities. The results are clear. In this entire, probably one of the best organized big cities huge, increasingly diverse school district, the in the entire world. And the work that has test scores of third through eighth graders been done by all of you in education, in reviv- have risen in every single year since 1994. ing the system here over the last 6 years, is And you heard the results about James Ward. exhibit A. Thank you, Mayor Daley. What I want the members of the traveling I came to Chicago today in the closing days press corps to know, who are here with me, of my Presidency for two reasons. First of is, every year this school gets students com- all, as I’ll say more about in a few moments ing from China, Croatia, Central America. in another setting, it’s doubtful that I could This school has a large Asian-American popu- have become President without the support lation and a very substantial African-Amer- I received from the people of Chicago and ican population, a very substantial Hispanic the State of Illinois. It began over 9 years population and a very substantial white eth- ago, way back in 1991, when only my mother nic population. It is a picture of America’s thought I could be elected President. future. We have to make education work [Laughter] And through the elections of here if we want America’s future to work. Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 / Jan. 9 59

Using almost every proven educational turn around or shut down failing schools, this strategy, this school is demonstrating dra- year $225 million in this year’s budget alone matically what we could accomplish in every to help schools identify, try to turn around, school in America if every school would work or shut down and put under new manage- together the way your people work together, ment schools that are not giving our children based on a common conviction that all chil- the education they deserve. dren can learn and a common devotion to We also said, like Chicago, that we should the proven best practices in education. end social promotion. But like Chicago, we Now, for the past 8 years, our administra- said it’s not fair to hold the kids accountable tion has worked hard to make education our if the system is failing them. So for the very number one domestic priority. We started first time, we put the Federal Government out early, doing more to help early childhood on the side of the after-school programs and education, doing a lot to expand and improve the summer school programs. I was so glad the quality of Head Start. And I’m very proud you mentioned that. that in our very last education budget, Four years ago, we had a $1 million dem- achieved after the election this year, we had onstration project. This year, in this edu- the largest increase in Head Start in the en- cation budget, we have $850 million for after- tire history of the program. I think that’s a school programs. They will serve 1.3 million very good sign. kids like the children in this school, and I But we have then focused on a proven am very proud of that. More than half the strategy in schools: higher standards, more students here participate in Federal and accountability, greater investment, equal op- State funded after-school programs. And I portunity. Simple ideas: higher standards, understand there would be even more of more accountability, greater investment, them if you had the transportation to get equal opportunity. them home, which is something that I would In 1992, believe it or not, only 14 States like to see addressed in the next administra- in this entire country had academic standards tion. for core subjects. And not surprisingly, test I might also say something that won’t sur- scores were dropping as a result. As more prise you. In every community where there and more kids came into the school, the stu- are comprehensive after-school programs dent bodies were more and more diverse, with real, meaningful substance, like the ones more and more schools had children whose described by your principal, every commu- first language was not English, more and nity in the country where this is the case, more kids whose parents could not speak the juvenile crime rate goes down; the juve- English. nile delinquency rate goes down; the school And as more and more kids came into the attendance rate goes up; the on-time gradua- schools, ironically, a smaller percentage of tion rate goes up. This is a big deal. the kids had parents who, themselves, were I’m glad we’ve got 1.3 million kids in these property taxpayers, who were property own- programs. But there are basically 6 million ers, so that the tax base of many of our dis- kids in America who don’t have anyplace to tricts were severely stressed. go under supervision when they get out of And so, we came in with a commitment school. So we’re barely meeting—we’re right to higher standards, and we passed legislation at a quarter of the national need being fund- to encourage and support States in setting ed by the Federal Government. And of those standards. In 1992 there were 14 States course, some places like Chicago are using with core academic standards. Today, there their own funds. But we need—if I were are 49 States with statewide core academic going to be around 4 more years, one of the standards. things I’d do is figure out how many peo- We also wanted to increase accountability. ple—[applause]—wait a minute; you are We asked the States—indeed, we required going to be around, so you can participate the States—to identify schools that were fail- in this—one of the things we need to do is ing and then develop strategies to turn them to figure out how many kids are being served around. We then gave them funds to help with all the Federal and the State and local 60 Jan. 9 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 funds, how many still need to be served. And to air-condition it. I don’t have to put heating we need to fill the gap. We’ve got the money. in it. All it has to do is stand up. We need to fill the gap. This is a huge, huge But as you see from this building, a lot opportunity and responsibility. of these old school buildings are fantastic in To further support young students, an- their construction. And things were done other thing we did was to start the America then that you couldn’t afford to do now. But Reads program, which now has involved they have to be modernized. Now, in 1995 1,000 universities and colleges in sending out the city of Chicago found the resources to student mentors to help make sure kids can make this school safe, warm, beautiful, and read by the time they get out of the third usable. That makes a big difference. But grade. And there are also countless other reli- across this country, there are 31⁄2 million stu- gious and other community organizations dents who attend schools that need extensive presenting—doing it and supporting schools. repairs or should be replaced. There are mil- Eight years ago only 35 percent of our lions of other students going to schools in schools—and listen to this—3 percent of our housetrailers. classrooms were connected to the Internet. I’ve been to one elementary school in Flor- I said 8; the truth is, it was 1994, 6 years ida, in a little community in Florida, an ele- ago. Today, with the help of new Federal mentary school like this one, that had 12 dollars to support Internet hookups and the trailers outside it used for classes. E-rate program, which was pioneered and Now, again I will say, we’ve got the biggest and most diverse student body in history, supported by the Vice President—the E-rate more important to educate them than ever basically guarantees that every school can af- before, but a smaller percentage of the prop- ford to log on to the Internet and hook up erty taxpayers in most of our school districts to access it, no matter how limited their re- are parents in the school than ever before. sources are—we have gone from 3 percent More people are renters. You know all the of our classrooms to 65 percent of our class- reasons why this is so. rooms connected, from 35 percent of our I have believed for 4 years that the Na- schools to 95 percent of our schools con- tional Government should give both tax in- nected to the Internet, including this one. centives and direct cash investment to the And you just heard your principal say, be- repair, the modernization, and the building fore you had this last remodeling, even if you of school facilities. I’ve also been in one of had the money, you couldn’t do it, because the mayor’s new school buildings here to the wiring wouldn’t support it. You’d be highlight this. We’ve done this—did you ever amazed how many schools I’ve been in that see that movie ‘‘Groundhog Day,’’ where can’t be connected to the Internet because every day is the same thing over and over the wiring in the school won’t support it. I again? Every time I—Mayor Daley thought was at an old school in Virginia about a year I was casting him in ‘‘Groundhog Day,’’ I ago, and they kept laughing about how the think, for a long time, because every time whole place shorted out every time the class- I’d come back here, we’d have to talk about rooms tried to log on. I was in Philadelphia, the same thing, because we could never get where the average school building is 65 years anything done. old—the average school building—and I But I’m happy to report that this year, for couldn’t—I can’t tell you how many school the first time, we have finally secured $1.2 buildings I’ve been in just in that one city billion to help repair schools like this one that couldn’t be wired. across America where the need is greatest. On the other hand, as you see in this facil- Now, let me say to you, one of your former ity, there’s another thing we have in com- United States Senators, Everett Dirksen, mon. This building was built when Grant was once said in his droll way that when you men- President. Every night in my private office, tioned a billion here and a billion there, pret- I work on Grant’s cabinet table. It was built ty soon you’re talking about real money. And in 1869, and it served me quite well, but I that sounds like an enormous amount of don’t have to wire it. [Laughter] I don’t have money, but the truth is that the aggregate Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 / Jan. 9 61 net need for school construction and school the freedom to chart its own mission. If every repair in the United States of America is over school were like James Ward, we might not $100 billion. need them. But the truth is, it both gives That’s why I think it is so important for more choices to parents and provides more the Congress to continue to try to get the competition when the school system is not tax relief that I have suggested, which would, working, without draining resources away in effect, cut the cost of school financing, so from the public schools. There was one 8 that if school districts went out and floated years ago; there are 2,000 today in this budg- their own bonds, or cities floated their bonds et. We’re going to be well on our way to 3,000 for school construction or school repair, the by the end of the year. cost would be dramatically reduced to the Eight years ago we said we wanted our taxpayers, making it easier to sell such issues kids to be safe in school, and we wanted them to taxpayers whose kids are not in the to have an orderly, disciplined environment. schools. And I think we should continue to Secretary Riley has used Federal funds to invest direct resources from the Federal help build partnerships between school dis- Government. tricts and local police departments to support But this is a big beginning. And I predict things like character education and voluntary that that this program will be wildly popular uniform policies and zero tolerance for guns throughout America, because I can see how in schools. And violent crime in the schools, you feel about this school building today, and notwithstanding the tragic and heartbreaking I can only imagine how different it was be- incidents which have been widely reported, fore it was fixed 5 years ago. violent crime in our schools has fallen stead- Eight years ago we knew that children ily since 1993. It is much lower today than learn best in smaller classes, but classes were it was 8 years ago. getting larger for the same reason school Eight years ago college was priced out of buildings were deteriorating: more kids, lim- ited tax base. Today, we are in the third year reach for a lot of students. I’ll never forget of hiring 100,000 teachers for smaller classes one night when I was Governor in the early in the early grades. If we can get them all nineties, I was in Fayetteville, Arkansas, the hired, we’ll be able to bring down average home of the University of Arkansas, and I class size to 18 in grades K through 3 all went to a cafe to have a cup of coffee with across America. a friend of mine. And I was doing what I Again, I’m really grateful to the Congress. always do; I went out and shook hands with In the last education budget, concluded after everybody there. And there were four stu- the election, we went from a budget which dents there, and two of them told me they hired about 29,000 teachers last year to one were dropping out of school. And I said, that will hire 37,000 this coming year. So ‘‘Why?’’ And they said, ‘‘Well, we’ll never be we’ll be more than a third of the way home able to pay our student loans off—never. So in a 6-year program. And I hope and pray we’ve got to drop out of school, make some that the Congress will continue to do this. money, hope we can save enough to come We’ve also funded initiatives to help re- back, and somehow get out someday.’’ cruit new teachers, retain the best teachers, I also met a lot of students who thought train and certify more board-certified na- they were going to not be able to find very tional teachers, and let every teacher keep good jobs if they got out. One of the things learning on the job. And one of the things that I committed myself to do when I ran that I think Sharon Wilcher should be com- for President is to open the doors of college mended for, I understand, is giving her staff to all Americans. So, what have we done? every chance to continue to learn and grow. With the HOPE scholarship tax credit, Staff development is a big, important part $1,500 a year off the tax bill directly in the of keeping the school going in the right direc- first 2 years of college, and the lifetime learn- tion. ing credit for junior and senior year and grad- Eight years ago there was one charter uate school and for adults to go back and school in America, a public school which has get training, which can be worth even more, 62 Jan. 9 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 we are now helping 13 million Americans to placement courses in high school are being go on to higher education. taken by 50 percent more kids—in the last We also have more affordable student 5 years, 50 percent more—300 percent more loans. We’ve saved students $9 billion by di- Hispanic kids, 500 percent more African- rectly loaning them the money from the Gov- American kids are taking advanced place- ernment—$9 billion. The average student on ment courses. a $10,000 loan today is saving $1,300 in re- Not surprisingly, the SAT scores are at a payment costs over what they were 8 years 30-year high in America, and the college- ago. And it makes it a lot easier. going rate has gone up 10 percent. This strat- They also have the option to pay back the egy works. Higher standards, great account- loans as a percentage of their income, which ability, more investment, equal oppor- means if you want to be a schoolteacher and tunity—it works. And we have come a long you know you’ll never get rich, you can still way toward an America in which every child borrow whatever you need to go to college, enters school ready to learn, graduates ready because you can pay your loan back as a per- to succeed, and has the opportunity to go centage of your income. And if you strike on to college. oil in your backyard, you have the option to Of course, the lion’s share of the credit go out and pay it off the next year, anyway. belongs to people like you, to the teachers, It’s a very good deal. the principals, the parents, the community We also have had a big increase in work- leaders. But it is up to the rest of us to create study slots, a big increase in Pell grants, an- a framework in which those four objectives other big one this year, up to $3,700 a year can be pursued. now, the maximum grant. And 150,000 of our We will hear a lot of talk in the future, young people have earned money for college I’m sure, about education reform, and I ap- while serving in AmeriCorps. I just met one plaud it. I hope that education reform all of them outside on the way in—150,000 in across America will become more and more 6 years. It took the Peace Corps 30 years a bipartisan issue. In the last four budgets to amass 150,000 volunteers. And I might just that we had, we had a bipartisan budget. We say, to the side, so much for those who say fought about it. We argued about it. I had this generation of young people is self- to threaten a bunch of vetoes, but in the end seeking. It is the most stunning example of we had a bipartisan majority for every single community service in modern American his- thing that I talked about here today. And we tory, and it’s also helping a lot of people to ought to give credit where credit is due. This go on to college. should not be a partisan issue. We started a program called GEAR UP, When my wife was growing up in a suburb which is now serving 1.2 million disadvan- of Chicago, I’ll never forget my father-in-law taged middle school students. We send col- and my mother-in-law talking about how it lege students out to help mentor them and was an overwhelmingly Republican place. convince them they can go on to college, Goldwater carried it 4 to 1 in ’64, and the come up with a plan for the rest of their other 20 percent thought he was too liberal. academic career until they get out of high It was a big Republican place. They never school, and tell them right then in middle voted down a school bond issue, ever. The school what kinds of financial aid they can difference in the Republicans and the Demo- get where, so they will know from the time crats on education was where the money they’re in the sixth or seventh or eighth grade ought to come from. that they can actually go to college and the And we ought to go back—we need to look promise will be kept. at the reality here. Who are the children in All told, we have doubled education fund- our schools? Who are the leaders of our fu- ing in 8 years, more investment, provided the ture? What strategies have been proven? It’s largest expansion of college opportunity in not like there’s no evidence here. All we tried 50 years, since the GI bill, and gotten the to do was to take what you proved worked. results for more accountability: Test scores It is not true that we tried to rewrite every are up; the dropout rate is down; advanced local school’s education policy. Dick Riley cut Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 / Jan. 9 63

Government regulation in the Department Statement on the Family and of Education by two-thirds. We just took Medical Leave Act what works. January 9, 2001 And I hope that in the future there will continue to be a passion coming out of peo- The first legislation I signed as President ple in Washington and in every State capital was the 1993 Family and Medical Leave Act and every community in this country of both (FMLA), which allows workers to take up to parties. But every proposal should be meas- 12 weeks of unpaid leave to care for a seri- ured against what we now know works, what ously ill child, spouse, or parent; a newborn, you have proven works here. And if it works, newly adopted, or newly placed child; or for whoever has got the idea, we ought to put their own serious health problem, without it in. fear of losing their jobs. This law was an im- But it’s not like—I remember when I start- portant step forward in helping America’s working families balance the competing de- ed this, when Hillary and I started going into mands of work and family. Since then, I am classes in the late seventies, and we started proud to say that more than 35 million work- trying to write new standards for our State ing Americans have taken leave for family in the early eighties, we had hunches. Edu- and medical reasons since 1993. cators thought they knew. There was a little In 1996 the bipartisan Commission on evidence here and a little evidence there, but Family and Medical Leave issued a report we were kind of making it up as we went assessing family and medical leave policies. along. And it was happening all over Amer- The Commission found that the FMLA was ica. We’ve now had 15 years of solid evi- working well for both workers and employ- dence. You have given us that in schools like ers. Today the U. S. Department of Labor this one. released the results of its new surveys, which And so I would just say, I wanted to come updated the Commission’s work. Once again, here because Chicago has been good to me, the data show that the Family and Medical and Chicago has been very good to its chil- Leave Act remains a balanced approach to dren these last 6 years. I wanted to come meeting the needs of workers and employers. here because, as I leave office, I don’t want We know that when needed most, covered America to let its concern for education re- and eligible workers were able to take this form and improvement abate; I want it to benefit—in fact, more than 15 million have increase. I want more people to believe that done so since January 1999, the period cov- every child can learn, and that in this global ered by this survey. economy, every child must learn, not only FMLA has given millions of workers the for himself or herself but for the rest of us, ability to care for their seriously ill child, as well. spouse, or parent, or stay home with their Of course, there are big challenges that newborn child, without worrying about whether their job will be there when they remain. But your school, like so many I vis- return. Our work is not done, however. We ited over the past 8 years, teaches us all the must now build on the success of FMLA by most important lesson: We can do it. giving more workers the protections of the Thank you very much, and God bless you. act and finding new ways to provide paid leave to those workers who need to take off NOTE: The President spoke at 5:35 p.m. in the but cannot afford to do so. auditorium. In his remarks, he referred to Sharon R. Wilcher, principal, James Ward Elementary School; Mayor Richard M. Daley of Chicago; Illi- Remarks to the People of Chicago nois State Comptroller Daniel W. Hynes; and January 9, 2001 Gery Chico, president, board of directors, and Paul Vallas, chief executive officer, Chicago Public Thank you. You know, I thought we should School District. come over here to sort of finish the circle 64 Jan. 9 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 of my political history in Illinois, and I didn’t in 1992, I knew I had to do pretty well in know if anybody would show up. [Laughter] New Hampshire. And when I started out, I Apparently, the lobby’s full, too. Let me say was running fifth. But it was a small State to all of you how grateful I am to the people of tough-minded but fairminded people, and of Chicago and Illinois. I thank the mayor I thought if I could just get up there and for his great leadership and for giving me stir around, I could do all right. They were a chance to be a good President for Chicago; good to me, and I love them, and they voted if I didn’t have a great mayor, I couldn’t have for me twice. So I got out of it alive, anyway. been. Then I got through all the rest of that stuff. I asked Rich, when Bill was up here talk- Then we had Super Tuesday, and I won ing, I said, ‘‘You get your brother to intro- them, but I was supposed to because it was duce you very often?’’ He said, ‘‘No, but I in the South. But I knew that to be nomi- love it every time he does it.’’ [Laughter] I nated, I had to do well on Saint Patrick’s Day want to thank Bill Daley for his exemplary in Illinois and Michigan, and I knew some service as Secretary of Commerce. He was things about Illinois other people didn’t brilliant. I think he did a brilliant job in lead- know. First, I had a wife from Chicago; that ing Vice President Gore to victory myself. didn’t hurt. [Laughter] Second, I knew Let me just remind you, when he went southern Illinois was south of Richmond, and over there as the chairman of that campaign, I spent a lot of time down there, which other we were way behind. And then we had a guys didn’t know, but when I was a Gov- great convention and we got ahead a little ernor. And the third thing I knew was that bit. Then they got ahead again. Daley kept half the people from Chicago had kinfolks them on track. We started out, they were in Arkansas, which nobody knew but me. whizzing—we were way behind when Daley [Laughter] took over. They thought the election was So I figured if I sort of sidled around here, over, the Republicans did. By the time it was I could do pretty good. So I showed up here over, our candidate had won the popular in 1991, and in this very room we had a meet- vote, and the only way they could win the ing of all the State Democratic chairs, and election was to stop the voting in Florida. I tried to make a fairly presentable impres- He did a great job. sion. And I had been thinking about what I want to thank my great friend Alexis Her- we ought to do as a country for a long time, man. I did not know until she started talking and I put my ideas out. And then we went that her grandfather once worked here. But over to the Navy pier, and I announced that I appreciate it, and since she said that, in David Wilhelm of Chicago would be my na- a minute I’m going to tell a family story. I tional campaign manager. He did a great job, want to thank Bobby Rush and your great and you should be very proud of him. Senator, Dick Durbin. What a great job he’s And then—so we rocked along and every- done. Our treasurer, Mr. Hynes, and his thing went according to plan, and it was time daddy, Mr. Hynes, thank you for being here, to stand and deliver in Illinois. And on the Tom. Good to see you. And Secretary Riley, election night and the primary—it was Saint our Secretary of Education, and the best Sec- Patrick’s Day, 1992—now, I remember retary of Education we ever had, thank you. marching in the Saint Patrick’s Day parade And if I have forgotten anybody, I apologize. in Chicago. It was an interesting experience. I also bring you greetings from the newest [Laughter] Most people were waving all five United States Senator from New York, fingers. Think about it. [Laughter] And on Hillary. I told Dick, ever since Hillary won election night, a majority of the people in that election in New York, you should just Illinois gave me their votes in the primary consider that Illinois has two Democratic over my opponents. And I knew then it was Senators again. She told me to tell everybody just a matter of time. And the people in hello. Michigan were very good to me. We won You know, this place has a special place there by 10 points, but by more in Illinois. in my heart, and I just want to briefly review And ever since then, I have known that I the history for you. When I ran for President could count on Illinois, that when the chips Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 / Jan. 9 65 were down, Chicago and the State of Illinois of the country had been quadrupled in the would be there for the Clinton/Gore ticket. previous 12 years. Now we have the lowest And I am profoundly grateful. unemployment rate in 30 years, the lowest We had the party that election night down- female unemployment rate in 40 years, the stairs in the lobby, where the overflow crowd lowest minority unemployment rate ever re- is, and I’m going to go down there and see corded, 22.5 million new jobs. The deficit has them in a minute. And every day for 8 years, been turned into the biggest surpluses in his- in my little private office, right off the Oval tory, and when this year is over, my last budg- Office, every single day for 8 years, I have et will have paid down $500 billion on the looked at the picture of Hillary and me stand- national debt. We can be out of debt in 10 ing with the confetti, the green confetti, com- years for the first time since 1835. ing down in the lobby of this grand old hotel, Now, in addition to that, Bobby Rush said on Saint Patrick’s Day. I wanted to be President for the little people; So I wanted to come here to say goodbye I did. I didn’t know the difference in little and to say thank you. But let me tell you and big people. I was so naive when my pred- what else I want you to know. I have a— ecessor referred to me in rather derisive look, I’ve got a Senator to support, that’s terms as the Governor of a small southern what I’ve got—and I’m not really saying State—I was so naive, I thought he was pay- goodbye. I’m just saying goodbye as Presi- ing me a compliment. [Laughter] And I still dent. do. [Laughter] But let me tell you, I also have another People ask me what was my Presidency picture of this hotel, which I don’t think I’ve about. It was about those 22.5 million people ever told anybody in Illinois. I have another that have jobs now that didn’t, about the 25 picture that I have seen every night for the million people that took advantage of the last 4 years—for the last 8 years, excuse me. family and medical leave law, about the 13 It is a picture of my mother in early 1946, million people that took advantage of the and my father, who were living here, when HOPE scholarship tax credit and the other my mother went home to Arkansas to have tax credits to go on and have family members me and my father was killed in a car wreck in college, about the 90 percent of kids under driving home. And right before that hap- 2 who are immunized against serious child- pened, they were here in this hotel with an- hood diseases for the first time, about the other young couple having what my mother 3.3 million children who have been covered told me was one of the happiest nights of with health insurance for the first time under her life. And she gave me that picture when the Children’s Health Insurance Program. I was a young man. We got the uninsured population going down And I put it up on my desk in the White for the first time in 12 years. That’s what House in the Residence. And I look at this it’s about—about the 1.3 million kids in after- hotel in that picture twice, every day for 8 school programs with Federal funds for the years, once in Saint Patrick’s Day, 1992, and first time. And I could go on and on. once when my mother and father were here It’s about people—600,000 felons, fugi- before I was born. This is an important place tives, and stalkers couldn’t get handguns be- for me, and you’re important people to me. cause of the Brady bill. How many people And I thank you from the bottom of my are alive because of that, because of the heart. 100,000 police on the street? That’s what this Now, here’s the second thing I want to was about. It was about trying to bring Amer- say. Now, I want to say two things, seriously. ica together, to create more opportunity for Number one, this is a different, a stronger, every responsible citizen, to make our diver- a more united, and a better country than it sity a blessing instead of a source of division, was 8 years ago. The ideas we had worked. to be a force for peace and freedom and de- They worked. And let me just take you on mocracy and decency around the world. And a little walk down memory lane here. I am proud of where America is today. Eight years ago, we had high unemploy- I’m also proud that we did have an urban ment; the deficit was $290 billion; the debt policy, an urban policy that gave 15 million 66 Jan. 9 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 families a family tax cut because the people deter you from your determination to be the weren’t making enough money working full best citizen you can be, to make Chicago and time to get their kids out of poverty, and now Illinois and America as great as they can be. they can, because of the earned-income tax I’m telling you, there are still a lot of big credit; an urban policy in which the Vice challenges out there, but I’m leaving this President ran an empowerment zone pro- country in good shape and the best is still gram that brought billions of dollars of new to be. You just rear back, stay together, and investment into cities all across America; an keep fighting for tomorrow. urban policy which cut the welfare rolls in God bless you. Thank you very much. half, which diversified public housing—and Chicago is leading the way in that—which NOTE: The President spoke at 6:50 p.m. in the gave people a sense that we could go forward Grand Ballroom at the Palmer House Hilton together again. Hotel. In his remarks, he referred to Mayor Now, this was about people, putting them Richard M. Daley of Chicago; Illinois State Comptroller Daniel W. Hynes and his father, first, preparing them for a new century and Thomas C. Hynes, member, Democratic State a whole new era in human affairs. Look how Central Committee; and David Wilhelm, former much more diverse Chicago is now then it national chair, Democratic National Committee. was 10 years ago, racially, religiously. Look how we’re learning to live together across all the lines that have previously divided us. Remarks at a Private Party That’s what I want for America, one America, in Chicago going forward together, helping each other, January 9, 2001 making the most of what we can do. You know, politics and public life is a lot We had a rally upstairs. You heard them, like athletics. It’s a team sport. I don’t care didn’t you? In the ballroom. A little loud. how good the quarterback is or the center. And I hope we didn’t interrupt you. So If you don’t have a good team, you’re no- there’s an overflow crowd in the lobby. And where. You were my team, and we won for they said they have to go through the edge America. of another ballroom. [Laughter] So here I So whether you’re old or young, white, am. [Laughter] black, or brown or whatever, straight or gay, So I’ve invaded your dinner. [Laughter] abled or disabled—we’re all disabled some Well, thank you for the wonderful, warm wel- way or another—I thank you, because you come. I’m in Chicago today to basically say were my team, and we won for America. And goodbye to the people of Chicago and Illinois I want you to know—the second thing I want as President. to say is this. America is always about becom- It’s a very happy day for me in many ways. ing. It’s always about new beginnings. It’s al- This hotel—since you’re here for that, I ways about tomorrow. The reason we’re still should tell you, this hotel plays a huge role around here after over 220 years is that we’ve in my life. And I have two pictures of this always had a focus on the future. We always hotel. That’s what I told them upstairs, I have thought we could do better. We always two pictures of this hotel which I look at thought we had a moral obligation to do bet- every day of my life. One is of the lobby on ter. We always thought we could widen the Saint Patrick’s Day of 1992. Hillary and I are circle of opportunity and deepen the mean- standing there with green graffiti—not graf- ing of freedom and strengthen the bonds of fiti, what do you call it?—confetti, not graf- our community and be better neighbors fiti, confetti—[laughter]—it’s been a long around the world. We always thought that. day and a long 8 years—[laughter]—confetti I still believe that. And you cannot let any coming down, because that’s the night that disappointment you may feel in this last elec- we won the Democratic primary in Illinois, tion take away any pride you feel in what which basically sealed my nomination. Al Gore and I and our team were able to The second picture was my mother and accomplish with you these last 8 years. And my father dining here in 1946. And that’s you cannot let—you cannot let anything in my private office in the Residence of the Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 / Jan. 9 67

White House. I look at it every night—every had to stop the vote in order to change the single night. So I’ve seen those two pictures outcome. It was brilliant. of this place every day for 8 years. This is Now, I want to say two other things. Up- also where I basically kicked off my campaign stairs, I said that this hotel was very impor- in Illinois in December of 1991, and so I’m tant in my life. I spoke to the Democratic very happy to be here. chairs here in December of ’91. I had my And I wanted to come here for my last party here on Saint Patrick’s Day in 1992 appearance in Chicago as President. And I when we won the primary. Were you there? want to tell all of you that it’s been an honor Some of you were there. And I still have a to serve. I’m glad my country is in better picture in my little office off the Oval Office shape than it was 8 years ago. I thank all of Hillary and me standing here in this lobby of you for the role that you’ve played in revi- with the confetti coming down on Saint Pat- talizing our country. And I wish only the best rick’s Day. I’ve had it there every single day for the future. for 8 years to remind me that Chicago and I’ve said many times, and I’ll say again, Illinois made me President. America may find people who do this job bet- I thank you for voting for us overwhelm- ter than I have, but you will never find any- ingly in ’92, in ’96. I thank you for a fabulous body who loved doing it any more. convention in 1996, which was a joy. And Thank you very much. I thank you for sticking with us in the year 2000, which you did. I thank you for that. I thought—it was really important to me NOTE: The President spoke at 7:30 p.m. in the Empire Room at the Palmer House Hilton Hotel. to come here before I leave office to say A tape was not available for verification of the thank you. And I also want to bring you content of these remarks. greetings from the new Senator from the State of New York. Hillary said to tell you hello. And I told Senator Durbin that you Remarks to an Overflow Crowd should just sort of consider that Illinois also in Chicago has two Democratic Senators again. January 9, 2001 I am honored to have been President at a time when a lot of changes were going on Let me ask you a question. Did you hear in America and in the world. And as I look what went on upstairs? This is troubling. Half back, I am profoundly grateful that our coun- are saying yes; half are saying no. Let me try is so much stronger and more united and say to all of you, I’ll give you a brief version more successful and so much more future- of what I said there. oriented and self-confident today than it was First, I want to thank Chicago and the 8 years ago when we started. And you had State of Illinois for being so good to me. I a lot to do with that. thank Mayor Daley for his leadership and I believe politics and public service is a partnership and for making it possible to team sport. And you can have a great quar- prove that our crime policies and our welfare terback; you can have a great captain; but policies and our economic policies would all if you don’t have a team, you’re going to lose work, because they worked here in Chicago. every time. So you were my team, and we I thank Bobby Rush for helping me in ’92. won for America together. I thank Bobby and Dick Durbin and the en- So when you think about the lowest unem- tire crowd in your congressional delegation ployment rate in 30 years or the lowest mi- who have been so good to me. But Senator nority unemployment rate ever recorded or Durbin, I especially thank you for all the 22.5 million new jobs or 25 million people things you’ve done. Thank you. taking advantage of the family leave law or I thank Bill Daley for being a superb Sec- 13 million more people getting college tax retary of Commerce and a brilliant campaign aid through the HOPE scholarship tax credit manager. What I told them upstairs was, Bill or over 3 million more kids with health insur- Daley ran the first Presidential campaign in ance or 90 percent of our little kids with im- history that was so clearly winning, a court munization against serious diseases for the 68 Jan. 9 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 first time or more land set aside for protec- of broadcasting operations by the Iraqi Na- tion for all time than any time in 100 years— tional Congress. when you say all those things—that wasn’t Sincerely, just me; it wasn’t just us with the Democrats William J. Clinton and the Congress; it was you, too. We did it together. We were a team, and I thank NOTE: Identical letters were sent to Robert C. you for that. Byrd, chairman, and Ted Stevens, ranking mem- The last thing I want to say is this. I want ber, Senate Committee on Appropriations; and you to keep fighting for the future. And I’ll C.W. Bill Young, chairman, and David R. Obey, ranking member, House Committee on Appro- be there with you. I’ll just be a citizen, but priations. This letter was released by the Office I can serve well. I’ve still got a voice. I’ve of the Press Secretary on January 10. still got a heart, and I’ve got a mind to spend the rest of my life trying to pay America back for all the good things the American people Interview With Allison Payne gave me these last 25 years. of WGN–TV in Chicago So don’t get discouraged; don’t be frus- January 9, 2001 trated by what happened in November. But don’t be passive. Just take a breath and keep Accomplishments in the Final Days looking forward and keep doing what will Ms. Payne. Congratulations, sir. come naturally—to fight for the things we The President. Thank you. Hi. believe in, to build the future we want for Ms. Payne. I understand you’re working all of our children together. just as hard these last few weeks as you have I can honestly tell you that in 11 days at been the last 8 years. What’s driving you? high noon, when I walk out of the White The President. Well, I get paid until Janu- House for the last time as President, I will ary the 20th. I think I ought to show up for leave more optimistic and more idealistic work. Also, I think there’s a lot of things to about the people of this country and their do. We just had, in some ways, the best legis- potential, and especially about the young lative year we’ve had, certainly in the last 4 people of this country, than I was the day years. We had the biggest increase in invest- I took the oath of office in 1993. ment in education, the first time we’ve ever I love you. Thank you. God bless you. gotten any funds for school repair and con- Goodbye. struction, a big increase in funds for the after-school programs that have been so im- portant to Chicago. We got the new markets NOTE: The President spoke at 7:37 p.m. in the initiative that I worked hard on here with lobby of the Palmer House Hyatt Hotel. In his Congressman Danny Davis and Speaker remarks, he referred to Mayor Richard M. Daley Hastert, across party lines, to get more in- of Chicago and Gore 2000 campaign director William M. Daley. A tape was not available for vestment into poor areas in America, and a verification of the content of these remarks. big debt relief initiative for the poor coun- tries. We’re doing a lot of stuff here. And I went to Vietnam. I was able to set Letter to Congressional Leaders aside some more land, preserve it. I’m still Transmitting a Report on Iraq working, and I’m going to work to the very end. And of course, I’m trying one last time January 9, 2001 to make peace in the Middle East. I’m doing the best I can. Dear lllll : Pursuant to section 575 of the Foreign Op- Chicago erations, Export Financing, and Related Pro- Ms. Payne. What are you going to miss grams Appropriations Act, 2001 (Public Law most about Chicago? 106–429), enclosed is a report on plans for The President. Oh, the people. I love it the provision of humanitarian assistance for here. But I’ll still come a lot. It’s still Hillary’s the Iraqi people and for the commencement home; a lot of her people are from here. A Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 / Jan. 10 69 lot of her friends are here, and I’ve got the we’re better off economically, but we’re a friends of a lifetime here. So I’ll still come stronger country, too. And I’m very proud a lot. And I hope that for the rest of my of that. life I can be a good citizen and really do some good things for America and around the President’s Legacy world. So I’ll be around. I just have—I fell Ms. Payne. How do you hope Chicagoans in love with Chicago the first time I came and all Americans will remember William here, and nothing ever changed. It just got Jefferson Clinton? better. The President. As a person who did what he said he’d do when he ran for President, Richard and William Daley who put the American people first, who Ms. Payne. Tell me something about your helped to prepare us for the 21st century, relationship with the Daley brothers we don’t and left the country a little better then he already know. I know it’s a good one. found it. The President. It is good. Well, the mayor I’ve known for some time, and I knew Bill President’s Future Plans actually a little before then. I just think Ms. Payne. Sir, what are you going to do? Mayor Daley is a great mayor. In addition Are you going to come back and watch a cou- to being a friend, he’s a great mayor. He’s ple Cubs games with us? not afraid of new ideas. He’ll work with any- The President. I certainly hope so. I hope body. He’s always trying to get something so. Mr. Sosa says he’ll keep inviting me, and done. And he enabled me to be an effective I want to do that. I’ll stay very active. I now President, because we had these—whether have a United States Senator to support and it was welfare reform or housing or economic a daughter to finish educating, so I’m going development or you name it, whatever we to go out and make a living. But I’m going were doing, I knew Chicago would be on the to try to spend about half my time on public cutting edge—community policing, sensible service, and then as soon as I can do so, I gun safety measures, all of that stuff. would like to spend my whole life just trying And Bill Daley, of course, and I have been to give back what I’ve learned and the experi- very close, because he was in my Cabinet. ences I’ve had as President. I think I can He was an absolutely superb Secretary of do a lot of good for the country and for the Commerce. I know he’s hated to leave it, but world as a citizen. I’m going to do my best. he answered Vice President Gore’s call. And what I said tonight was true; we were way The Presidency behind when he took over, and we won the Ms. Payne. May I just say that I’ve been popular vote, and when they get all the votes so inspired by your drive and your fire. Can counted in Florida, we’ll see what happened you tell the common man a little bit what there. But Bill Daley’s got a lot to be proud it’s like, from your perspective as a common of, and Chicago should be very proud of him. man from Hope, Arkansas, to be the man sitting inside the Oval Office? Administration Accomplishments The President. All I can tell you is, it’s Ms. Payne. What are you most proud of, still the biggest thrill—it’s as big a thrill for sir? me today to land on the back lawn of the The President. I am most proud of the White House in the helicopter, to walk into fact that all Americans, not just a few, are the White House and spend the night, to better off than they were 8 years ago and walk over to the Oval Office every morning. that there’s a greater sense of community It’s as big a thrill for me today as it was on here. I was very worried when I took office the first day I showed up as President. that dividing our country was becoming a I believe in the promise of this country. habit, and a bad one. And I think the coun- I believe in the American system. Politics is try’s more united now across racial and in- a rough game, and it’s a contact sport, and come lines and religious lines. And I think if you can’t take a hit, you shouldn’t play. we understand we need each other. So, yes, But if you’re prepared to pay the price and 70 Jan. 10 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 try to bring people together, the American other members who are here who supported people can do anything, and we can meet this in every way. any challenge. We can overcome any obsta- Thank you, Max Cleland, for the power cle. We can seize any opportunity. And for of your example and the largeness of your me, I will leave the White House more ideal- heart. Thank you, Tom Harkin. Every day istic and optimistic about America and its you redeem the promise of your brother’s promise and its young people than the day life and your love for him in what you have I took office. done. Thank you, Senator Levin and Con- Ms. Payne. Listen, I baked you a home- gressman Levin; Congressman Eliot Engel. made pound cake, but it’s stuck with our I like your beard. [Laughter] I had a note makeup artist on the other side of the room. that said, Eliot Engel was here, and I thought So I’m going to have to send you a fresh instead it was Fidel Castro for a moment. one to the White House. [Laughter] But you look very good. The President. Would you do it? I’d be Thank you, Jim Langevin, for running for honored to have it. Congress and for winning. Ken Apfel, our Ms. Payne. Absolutely, and I want you to Social Security Administrator, is here. Thank taste it. Everybody in Chicago has had it. Ask you. Thank you, Justin Dart, for seeding the Mayor Daley. He gets one every year. crowd with signs. I think you must have The President. I’m nuts about pound something to do—[inaudible]. cake. I love it. I want to thank all the donors, and a special Ms. Payne. God bless you. God bless you, word of appreciation to two folks who did sir. a lot of our work—one who has been ac- The President. Thank you. knowledged—thank you, Jonathan Young; Ms. Payne. All the best to your family. thank you, Bill White. Thank you very much. The President. Thank you. You guys have been great. Thank you. And I, too, want to thank Larry Halprin and Bob Graham. NOTE: The interview was taped at 7:17 p.m. in Grand Ballroom at the Palmer House Hilton This whole memorial has exceeded my Hotel for later broadcast. In his remarks, the wildest dreams for it. It gives you a feel that President referred to Mayor Richard M. Daley is completely different from any other me- of Chicago and Gore 2000 campaign director Wil- morial. It is grand and beautiful, all right, liam M. Daley. The transcript was released by the but it is so accessible, in a way that I think Office of the Press Secretary on January 10. A would have pleased President Roosevelt and tape was not available for verification of the con- Mrs. Roosevelt. And of course, this last addi- tent of this interview. tion is even more than the icing on the cake. But I know that for Larry and for Bob this Remarks on the Unveiling of a Statue has been a labor of love and honor. And we honor them for what they have done. Thank at the Franklin D. Roosevelt you very much. Memorial I would like to also say to all of you that, January 10, 2001 as a person who has loved the history of my country and tried to learn more about it every The President. Calm down. day, it would have been under any cir- Audience members. Four more years! cumstances an honor in my life to become Four more years! Four more years! friends with Jim Roosevelt and his wife, The President. You still have to do what Anne—and Ann. But what I want you to I ask for 9 more days. Calm down. [Laughter] know is they are the true heirs of their ances- Secretary Herman, thank you for your elo- tors because they are exceptional and won- quence and your passion on this issue. I derful people, and I’m very glad to be here thank all the members of the administration with them. who are here: Secretary Babbitt, thank you; Last Saturday marked the 60th anniversary Secretary Shalala; Secretary Slater; SBA Di- of President Roosevelt’s speech on the four rector Alvarez; Janice Lachance. I thank the freedoms. It is fitting to remember it here Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 / Jan. 10 71 today, for this is the story of freedom in this hospital in Hawaii. The men there had been memorial: Freedom’s steady advance across seriously wounded, and many had lost limbs the land, from the school room to the voting in the war. He insisted on wheeling himself booth to the corridors of power; freedom’s into their wards. He wanted to show them open arms embracing the tired, the poor, the that he, the President of the United States, huddled masses from every shore; freedom’s could not walk any better than they, but he rising tide across the globe as more people could still show courage and hope and inner and more places secure the blessings of lib- strength. erty; and freedom’s march for people with He said that returning Americans with dis- disabilities here at home and around the abilities to active and productive lives was a world. great objective for the Nation, one of the This is a monument to freedom, the power greatest causes of humanity. It’s hard to be- of every man and woman to transcend cir- lieve that that was a very unusual statement cumstance, to laugh in the face of fate, to to make back then. make the most of what God has given. This It was one of the basic tenets of the New is a statue of freedom. I, too, am glad that Deal, the inherent worth of all Americans, the statue is built at a scale not larger than our shared responsibility to empower them. life but lifelike. Not raised on a pedestal but That is what we have sought to do here for available, touchable, for people who are in 8 years, to avoid any barrier that would keep wheelchairs and people who cannot see. The the potential of any American from being power of the statue is in its immediacy, and fully tapped. in its reminder to all who touch, all who see, We have tried to reward work and give all who walk or wheel around, that they, too, people the support they need to live their are free, but every person must claim free- lives in freedom. Even in the last days of the dom. administration, we are still working on efforts In April of 1997, when I asked for a depic- to increase employment of Americans with tion of FDR’s disability here at the memorial, disabilities, to provide alternatives to institu- I, like every other American who had paid tions, and we’re going out with a report on attention, knew that he went to some length the progress we’ve made and what we still to hide his disability on almost all occasions. have to do. But he lived in a different time, when people We must always remember that in the end, thought being disabled was being unable, the story of America is the story of freedom though he proved them wrong every day. He and interdependence. The crowd that started was a canny fellow, and he didn’t want to us off pledged their lives, their fortunes, their risk any vote loss by letting people see him sacred honor to forming a more perfect in a wheelchair. [Laughter] Union. That’s what they said. Of the more than 10,000 photos in his ar- What does that mean? It means that peo- chives, only four show him as he is depicted ple can never fulfill their own lives com- in this magnificent statue today. He knew the pletely unless they’re working with their impact of the image, and he knew, seen neighbors to help them fulfill theirs. And so wrong in those days, it could have ended his we have to constantly work to push back the political life. But he also knew he had an frontiers of our imagination, to advance the obligation to use it when appropriate. On cause of both freedom and community—that rare occasion, he did so to great effect. His interdependence which makes life richer. speech writer Sam Rosenman said he could That means we have to encourage each other never forget, as he put it, ‘‘The look of cour- along the way, as well. age and faith and self-reliance and affection President Roosevelt once told a little girl in the faces of disabled Americans who were who, like him, had been stricken with polio, given the privilege of seeing FDR struggle that she must keep up the splendid fight. For with his own disability and the joy of watch- someone else who has not suffered in that ing him overcome it.’’ way, to say it is splendid, for Max Cleland For example, in the summer of 1944 Presi- to labor all those years against his horrible dent Roosevelt spent an afternoon at a naval war injuries to become a great Member of 72 Jan. 10 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 the United States Senate, seems almost out Remarks at a Luncheon Honoring of place. But the truth is we have to learn Senator Max Baucus to talk to each other that way. The thing I like about the disability move- January 10, 2001 ment today is, it has moved beyond trying Well, Max, I thank you for what you said. to get the rest of us to do the right thing But you were entirely too generous to a per- out of compassion, doing the right thing be- son who can’t run for anything anymore. cause it’s the right thing and the only sensible [Laughter] I thought, wow, I wish I had that thing to do. on tape 4 years ago. [Laughter] And in terms I want you all to go out when you leave of going to meetings without cue cards, look, here not just to look at the statue but to when you’re dealing with a guy from Mon- read—in letters or Braille—the quote behind tana who knows who Sisyphus was, you can’t the statue by Eleanor Roosevelt, who pointed carry your cue cards, right? [Laughter] out that before he was stricken with polio, I want to say, first of all, how honored I President Roosevelt had never been forced am to be here. I like Max Baucus a lot, and to become a truly great man, had never been I respect him. And I want to say just a few forced to develop those habits of infinite pa- words about that, but I also want to join in tience and persistence without which life what you said, because this is maybe one of cannot be fully lived. And I want you to think the last public occasions I’ll have to say it about that. in Washington, DC. I don’t think there’s any The reason this is a story of freedom is way for me to explain to the rest of you what that what matters most in life is the spirit having Tom Daschle as a leader of our crowd and the journey of the spirit. And we lug in the Senate has meant to me and to the along that journey whatever body God gives United States of America. And I do agree us and whatever happens to it along the way that his leadership had a lot to do with the and whatever mind we were born with. But fact that we were able to pick up five seats. a clever mind and a beautiful body can them- And I was honored to work with him, and selves be disabilities on the spirit journey. he’s been great. And so we celebrate freedom and dignity And I also think you were right about my for incredibly brave people whose lives were good friend Harry Reid. You know, Harry all embodied by that incredibly brave man, Reid never lifts his voice. He talks real soft. whose disability made him more free for his And pretty soon you’re looking for your bill- spirit to soar and his Nation to survive and fold. [Laughter] He is such a good man and prosper. so effective, and I am very grateful to him. Thank you very much. Mary Landrieu and I have been friends for many, many years, as she’s from my neighboring State of Louisiana, which has NOTE: The President spoke at noon. In his re- been very good to me and whom I’m very marks, he referred to Justin Dart, former Chair, President’s Committee on Employment of People grateful. And I’m thrilled that she got elected With Disabilities; Representative Jim Langevin, to the Senate and has done so well. And I newly elected to Rhode Island’s Second Congres- am especially proud of Maria Cantwell be- sional District; event organizer Jonathan Young; cause Maria Cantwell is one of the people Bill White, White House Office of Political Liai- who gave up her seat in 1994 that turned son for Disability Outreach; landscape architect the miserable economic condition of this Lawrence Halprin; sculptor Robert Graham; country and that terrible deficit around. And FDR’s grandson James Roosevelt, and his wife, she got beat because of it. And she didn’t Anne; and FDR’s granddaughter Ann Roosevelt. whine around. She went out and made a Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 / Jan. 10 73 bunch of money and went on with her life. But to get back to the main event here, And then she ran for the Senate. I’m here for a lot of reasons. First, I love And they have this unusual system in Montana. I was a Governor for a dozen years, Washington State—they actually count all and former Governor of Montana Ted the votes. [Laughter] And when they were Schwindler was one of the best friends I ever counted, she was a Senator for Washington. had in the Governors Conference. And in And we are thrilled. And I’m very proud of 1985, Hillary and Chelsea and I went to her. And you mark my words, she’s going Montana before the Governors met in Idaho to have a big impact on this country, and and had what maybe was the best family va- she has, I think, a well-deserved chance to cation we ever had. It is the most spectacu- serve. larly beautiful place I believe I have ever I kind of am partial to this new crowd of seen anywhere in the world. In 1992, we ac- Senators. It got me in the Senate spouses’ tually carried Montana, maybe because Ross club, that’s true, where I intend to be a very Perot got so many votes. But anyway, for vigorous member. I may run for president whatever reason, I was proud to have those of the Senate spouses’ club. [Laughter] votes in the column. [Laughter] Secondly, I believe that Montana is—first Some of you may have seen this in the of all, as you saw in these last elections, we paper, but I can’t help mentioning it again, lost both the Congress and the Governor’s since Max said something about deregulation race. It was a pretty closely divided State, of the airlines. Hillary and Chelsea and I for and we have a real chance there, I think, 8 years have gone to Foundry Methodist to bring the Democrats back. But the key Church here in Washington, and the minister to that is Senator Baucus winning reelection. there is a great guy. So he says, ‘‘I want you Now, the people of Montana know he’s done to come give a little talk on Sunday.’’ I said, a good job, but I’m not sure they know just ‘‘What do you want me to say?’’ He said, how good a job he has done. And I want ‘‘Just talk about whatever you want.’’ So I to talk about that, because I’m interested in said, ‘‘Well, I’m going to stand up and thank the country, and I’m not running for anything the church for everything they’ve done,’’ and anymore. I had this whole long list of things they’ve But the reason I always liked Max Baucus done. It’s a wonderful place. So I had this is, he cares about ideas; he cares about list of things. things. And he also cares about how things And I walked into church, and they gave are going to work. He’s not just a talker. He me a program, and I see that I am giving cares about whether something will work or the sermon, and the sermon has a title. And not. He had—last summer, I think it was, the title of the sermon is ‘‘Reflections and he had an economic development conference Anticipation.’’ So I get up and give my little in Montana and then set up an action group talk, and I thank them all for everything I to implement the ideas that they came up want to thank them for. And I said, ‘‘I didn’t with. That’s not something Senators normally know what I was talking about until I got do. here and read it in the program, but do you But a lot of rural parts of this country and want to know what my anticipations are? I a lot of people that have depended on natural anticipate my Christian spirit will be sorely resource-based economies have not done all tested by a return to commercial air travel.’’ that well in this economy. And the farmers [Laughter] ‘‘I anticipate being disoriented in have been having a terrible time in the last large rooms for several months because when 2 or 3 years. And the ones that get a lot of I walk in, nobody will play a song anymore.’’ payments based on the way the old farm bill [Laughter] doles the money out, when we come out with So anyway, I gave them a few anticipa- the emergency appropriations, they’re get- tions. I anticipate that Terry McAuliffe will ting by. But it’s really been tough out there. still ask me to help raise money for the So Max actually decided to do something Democratic Party, and I hope he will. [Ap- about it. And I think that makes him a better plause] Thank you. legislator, because if you think about how 74 Jan. 10 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 something’s going to work, you’re more likely about the whole issue of globalization. And to vote for the right kind of bills and draft I’ve talked ad nauseam about this. I went them in the right way. And I am particularly to England and gave a speech with Tony interested in that. Blair about it, and I don’t want to bore you I also am interested in the fact that he with all of it again. But let me just say that wants to bring the benefits of high tech- the growing interdependence of people on nology to people in rural America, to small this increasingly shrinking planet, and the ex- communities, to the Native American res- plosion of population—almost a hundred ervations, to the schools. This is a big deal. percent of which is supposed to be in the I really believe we can skip a whole genera- poorest countries of the world—and the phe- tion of economic development in places that nomenal explosion of wealth in this country, have been badly left behind in this country which has helped everybody—yes, we’ve got if we get the technology out there in the right more billionaires and more millionaires, but way and train the people to use it. we also have people in the lower 20 percent And the third thing that I want to say is, of the population the last 3 years had the even after the 20th, he’ll be the ranking biggest percentage increase in their income. Member on the Senate Finance Committee. If you look at all that good and all those They’re going to write tax legislation that will storm clouds, we’ve got to work out a new have an impact on this economy. They’re agreement with other wealthy countries going to deal with Medicare reform and the about how we’re going to continue to expand question of whether and in what form the trade and how it’s going to work in a way seniors of this country will get a prescription that lifts the lives of people everywhere. And drug benefit under Medicare. They’re going if we don’t, then you’re going to see a lot to continue to deal with trade. of these countries’ democracies themselves And you heard him say it, so I’ll just say under stress. thank you back. I did my best at least to cre- How are we going to do it in a way that ate a consensus within the Democratic Party helps everybody? And when a country has on all the big issues and then to work with a noneconomic problem and they’re a big the Republicans wherever we could. And this trading partner of ours, what are we sup- year we actually had the best year, in some posed to do about it? That’s another thing ways, we’ve ever had. We passed the China this Congress did for which I’m very grateful, trade bill, the Africa/Caribbean trade bill. We the Plan Colombia program. You know, it passed the most massive debt relief for poor may or may not work, but if we lose the old- countries in the world, if they’ll put the est democracy in South America because the money—if, but only if, they’ll put the money narcotraffickers and the guerrillas have back into education, health care, and devel- teamed up, that’s not a good omen for the opment in their own countries. We lifted the 21st century. earnings limit on Social Security. We passed These are big questions. You want some- the largest bill in history—thank you, Mary body, to go back to Max’s term, who doesn’t Landrieu and others—to buy land and pre- have to look at his note cards. This guy thinks serve it for all time to come. Permanent about these kinds of things all the time, and funding has never been done before like this. he understands how these big sort of trade And we passed the best education bill we’ve issues affect people in Montana. He under- ever passed. stands why it’s important to have sustainable When I—4 years ago we weren’t funding economies in other parts of the world so they any kids in after-school programs. This year can buy the products that people in his State the Federal Government will fund 1.3 mil- want to sell. And he can connect it all to lion children in after-school programs, to what he’s trying to do to help empower peo- learn and stay off the street and out of trou- ple at the grassroots level to make a decent ble. And I was yesterday in Chicago in a living, get a good education, and hook into school that’s getting some of that money. the technology of the 21st century. So we had a great, great year. But there’s We need people like this in the Senate. a lot of big questions that have to be faced We need people who read things and think Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 / Jan. 10 75 about things. I tell people all the time, the became President I knew her, thanks to my main reason I’m for campaign finance reform wife. They were on the board of the Chil- is so people like Max and Harry and Mary dren’s Defense Fund 25 years ago, when I and Maria and Tom won’t have to spend was still a child. [Laughter] quite so much time at fundraisers like this, And I was just looking at her speak today, because if you’re from a little State and it as she was just up here speaking, and how costs you a lot of money to run, by the time fluid and eloquent she was, and I thought, you run all over the country—especially if she has more energy at 88 than most people you’re on a crowded airplane—you’re too have at 22. tired to read a book or call the guy that wrote I wanted to come here to help you with an article that struck you as interesting or your Dorothy Height’s legacy initiative, to meet with a bunch of people who have got pay off the mortgage of this magnificent old a new idea. building. It’s an extra added treat to see the That’s why Max Baucus—and from my chair where Mr. Lincoln posed for Mathew honest opinion now—this is all the Montana- Brady. I love those old photographs. And I specific issues—but when I think about have two myself, Dorothy, that I’ve collected America, to have somebody like him in the over the years—two that Abraham Lincoln most important position our party can have sat for in 1861 and 1862, as well as a copy on the Senate Finance Committee, who has from the original plate of the photograph he read and thought about these issues and tried took in June of 1860, 2 weeks before he be- to make some sense out of them and who came the nominee of the Republican Party thinks about how the big things translate into for President. the practical daily lives of ordinary citizens, So I’m honored to be here with that mem- that’s a big deal for a democracy. And the ory and that legacy, but mostly with your leg- more complicated the world gets and the acy. And I think you belong in this building, more we’ll have to process all this informa- and you belong midway between the Capitol tion and make decisions in a hurry without and the White House, so you can keep an knowing everything, the more you’re going eye on both parties. [Laughter] to need people like Max Baucus in positions You know, Dorothy said that the National of responsibility. Council of Negro Women has been in busi- So I thank you for helping him today, and ness since 1935. You just think about what I hope you’ll help him all the way through America was like in 1935 and think about to the election next year. all the hills we’ve climbed since then. And Thank you very much. as generous as you were to me, frankly, all I did was what was self-evident, what I be- NOTE: The President spoke at 1 p.m. at the Cau- lieved in my heart. What you have had to cus Room Restaurant. In his remarks, he referred do was to change the laws and the heart of to Dr. J. Philip Wogaman, senior minister, Found- ry United Methodist Church; Democratic fund- America, and you did it in a magnificent fash- raiser Terence McAuliffe; former Reform Party ion, and I thank you. Presidential candidate Ross Perot; and Prime You mentioned our efforts to build one Minister Tony Blair of the United Kingdom. America. Ben Johnson has done a great job heading our one America effort in our offices there. I hope that in the future this will be Remarks Honoring Dorothy Height a nonpartisan effort, because America is at the National Council of Negro growing so much more racially and ethnically Women and religiously diverse. January 10, 2001 I was in a grade school in Chicago yester- day, where half the kids were Asian, 18 per- I’d like to thank Representative Sheila cent were African-American, 17.5 percent Jackson Lee, and Donald Payne from New were Hispanic, the rest were white ethnic, Jersey, and our neighbor, Elijah Cummings, mostly Croatian. And that’s where we’re thank you for being here. I’ve actually known going. And it’s going to be a great ride if Dorothy Height for several years. Before I we get it right. But whatever is still there 76 Jan. 10 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 we need to give up, we’re going to have to lished the President’s Disability Employment shed it, because we don’t have a lot of time Partnership Board (Board). to waste now. (b) The Board shall be composed of not And I think that if you look all over the more than 15 members who shall be ap- world, all the trouble spots of the world, most pointed by the President for terms of 2 years. countries and most people get in trouble The membership shall include individuals when they try to organize folks around hatred who are representatives of business (includ- or disdain or disregard for people or groups ing small business), labor organizations, State who are different from them. They either or local government, disabled veterans, peo- look different than they do, they worship ple with disabilities, organizations serving God in a different way, or they’re just dif- people with disabilities, and researchers or ferent. And it’s hard to get to the point in life where you can have an honest disagree- academicians focusing on issues relating to ment with somebody and still acknowledge the employment of people with disabilities, that their humanity is just as valid as yours and may include other individuals rep- and that life’s a lot more interesting because resenting entities involved in issues relating they’re not just like you are. to the employment of people with disabilities If everybody were just like us, then life as the President finds appropriate. wouldn’t be nearly as interesting as it is. (c) The President shall designate a Chair- Sometimes, life in America is a little too in- person from among the members of the teresting to suit me, but—[laughter]—but Board to serve a term of two years. still, it’s good. You know, it keeps us flour- (d) Members and the Chairperson may be ishing, and it keeps the country forever reappointed for subsequent terms and may young. continue to serve until their successors have I honestly believe that Dorothy is so young been appointed. after all these years of effort because she has Sec. 2. Functions. (a) The Board shall pro- given herself to a larger and higher calling. vide advice and information to the President, If you get up every day and do good, it even- the Vice President, the Secretary of Labor, tually will show on your face; it will be heard and other appropriate Federal officials with in your voice. It just is unavoidable. And her respect to facilitating the employment of beauty and youth is a testament of the time- people with disabilities, and shall assist in lessness of her cause. And I’m just glad to other activities that promote the formation be one of her foot soldiers here today. Thank you very much. of public-private partnerships, the use of eco- nomic incentives, the provision of technical NOTE: The President spoke at 1:48 p.m. in the assistance regarding entrepreneurship, and lobby. A tape was not available for verification of other actions that may enhance employment the content of these remarks. opportunities for people with disabilities. (b) In carrying out paragraph (a) of this Executive Order 13187—The section, the Board shall: President’s Disability Employment (i) develop and submit to the Office of Dis- Partnership Board ability Employment Policy in the Depart- ment of Labor a comprehensive written plan January 10, 2001 for joint public-private efforts to promote By the authority vested in me as President employment opportunities for people with by the Constitution and the laws of the disabilities and improve their access to finan- United States of America, including the Fed- cial institutions and commercial and business eral Advisory Committee Act, as amended (5 enterprises; U.S.C. App.), and in order to promote the (ii) identify strategies that may be used by employment of people with disabilities, it is employers, labor unions, national and inter- hereby ordered as follows: national organizations, and Federal, State, Section 1. Establishment and Composi- and local officials to increase employment tion of the Board. (a) There is hereby estab- opportunities for people with disabilities; and Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 / Jan. 11 77

(iii) coordinate with the Office of Dis- office space, equipment, supplies, services, ability Employment Policy in the Depart- and staff. The functions of the President ment of Labor in promoting the collaborative under the Federal Advisory Committee Act, use of public and private resources to assist as amended, except that of reporting to the people with disabilities in forming and ex- Congress, that are applicable to the Commis- panding small business concerns and in en- sion, shall be performed by the Department hancing their access to Federal procurement of Labor in accordance with guidelines that and other relevant business opportunities. have been issued by the Administrator of Public resources include those of the Depart- General Services. ment of Labor, the Small Business Adminis- (e) The heads of executive departments tration, the Department of Commerce, the and agencies shall, to the extent permitted Department of Education, the Department by law, provide the Board such information of Defense, the Department of Treasury, the as it may need for purposes of carrying out Department of Veterans Affairs, the Federal the functions described in section 2 of this Communications Commission, and of execu- order. tive departments and agency offices respon- Sec. 4. Prior Orders and Transition. (a) sible for small, disadvantaged businesses uti- Executive Order 12640 of May 10, 1988, as lization. amended, relating to the establishment of the (c) The Board shall submit annual written President’s Committee on Employment of reports to the President, who may apprise People with Disabilities, is hereby revoked. the Congress and other interested organiza- The employees, records, property, and funds tions and individuals on its activities, of the Committee shall become the employ- progress, and problems relating to maxi- ees, records, property, and funds of the De- mizing employment opportunities for people partment of Labor. with disabilities. (b) Executive Order 13078 of March 13, (d) The Chairperson of the Board shall 1998, is amended in sections 1(a) and (b) by serve as a member and Vice Chair of the striking ‘‘Chair of the President’s Committee National Task Force on Employment of on Employment of People with Disabilities’’ Adults with Disabilities established under and inserting ‘‘Chairperson of the President’s Executive Order 13078 of March 13, 1998. Disability Employment Partnership Board.’’ Sec. 3. Administration. (a) The Board William J. Clinton shall meet when called by the Chairperson, at a time and place designated by the Chair- The White House, person. The Chairperson shall call at least January 10, 2001. two meetings per calendar year. The Chair- person may form subcommittees or working [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, groups within the Board to address particular 8:45 a.m., January 12, 2001] matters. NOTE: This Executive order will be published in (b) The Chairperson may from time to the Federal Register on January 17. time prescribe such rules, procedures, and policies relating to the activities of the Board as are not inconsistent with law or with the Executive Order 13186— provisions of this order. Responsibilities of Federal Agencies (c) Members of the Board shall serve with- To Protect Migratory Birds out compensation but shall be allowed travel January 10, 2001 expenses, including per diem in lieu of sub- sistence, as authorized by law for persons By the authority vested in me as President serving intermittently in Federal service (5 by the Constitution and the laws of the U.S.C. 5701–5707). United States of America, and in furtherance (d) The Department of Labor shall provide of the purposes of the migratory bird conven- funding and appropriate support to assist the tions, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (16 Board in carrying out the activities described U.S.C. 703–711), the Bald and Golden Eagle in section 2 of this order, including necessary Protection Acts (16 U.S.C. 668–668d), the 78 Jan. 11 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001

Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act (16 (f) ‘‘Migratory bird convention’’ means, U.S.C. 661–666c), the Endangered Species collectively, the bilateral conventions (with Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531–1544), the Na- Great Britain/Canada, Mexico, Japan, and tional Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 Russia) for the conservation of migratory bird U.S.C. 4321–4347), and other pertinent stat- resources. utes, it is hereby ordered as follows: (g) ‘‘Federal agency’’ means an executive Section 1. Policy. Migratory birds are of department or agency, but does not include great ecological and economic value to this independent establishments as defined by 5 country and to other countries. They con- U.S.C. 104. tribute to biological diversity and bring tre- (h) ‘‘Action’’ means a program, activity, mendous enjoyment to millions of Americans project, official policy (such as a rule or regu- who study, watch, feed, or hunt these birds lation), or formal plan directly carried out by throughout the United States and other a Federal agency. Each Federal agency will countries. The United States has recognized further define what the term ‘‘action’’ means the critical importance of this shared re- with respect to its own authorities and what source by ratifying international, bilateral programs should be included in the agency- conventions for the conservation of migratory specific Memoranda of Understanding re- birds. Such conventions include the Conven- quired by this order. Actions delegated to or tion for the Protection of Migratory Birds assumed by nonfederal entities, or carried with Great Britain on behalf of Canada 1916, out by nonfederal entities with Federal as- the Convention for the Protection of Migra- sistance, are not subject to this order. Such tory Birds and Game Mammals-Mexico actions, however, continue to be subject to 1936, the Convention for the Protection of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Birds and Their Environment-Japan 1972, (i) ‘‘Species of concern’’ refers to those and the Convention for the Conservation of species listed in the periodic report ‘‘Migra- Migratory Birds and Their Environment- tory Nongame Birds of Management Con- Union of Soviet Socialist Republics 1978. cern in the United States,’’ priority migratory These migratory bird conventions impose bird species as documented by established substantive obligations on the United States plans (such as Bird Conservation Regions in for the conservation of migratory birds and the North American Bird Conservation Ini- their habitats, and through the Migratory tiative or Partners in Flight physiographic Bird Treaty Act (Act), the United States has areas), and those species listed in 50 C.F.R. implemented these migratory bird conven- 17.11. tions with respect to the United States. This Sec. 3. Federal Agency Responsibilities. Executive Order directs executive depart- (a) Each Federal agency taking actions that ments and agencies to take certain actions have, or are likely to have, a measurable neg- to further implement the Act. ative effect on migratory bird populations is Sec. 2. Definitions. For purposes of this directed to develop and implement, within order: 2 years, a Memorandum of Understanding (a) ‘‘Take’’ means take as defined in 50 (MOU) with the Fish and Wildlife Service C.F.R. 10.12, and includes both ‘‘intentional’’ (Service) that shall promote the conservation and ‘‘unintentional’’ take. of migratory bird populations. (b) ‘‘Intentional take’’ means take that is (b) In coordination with affected Federal the purpose of the activity in question. agencies, the Service shall develop a sched- (c) ‘‘Unintentional take’’ means take that ule for completion of the MOUs within 180 results from, but is not the purpose of, the days of the date of this order. The schedule activity in question. shall give priority to completing the MOUs (d) ‘‘Migratory bird’’ means any bird listed with agencies having the most substantive in 50 C.F.R. 10.13. impacts on migratory birds. (e) ‘‘Migratory bird resources’’ means mi- (c) Each MOU shall establish protocols for gratory birds and the habitats upon which implementation of the MOU and for report- they depend. ing accomplishments. These protocols may Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 / Jan. 11 79 be incorporated into existing actions; how- tions promote programs and recommenda- ever, the MOU shall recognize that the agen- tions of comprehensive migratory bird plan- cy may not be able to implement some ele- ning efforts such as Partners-in-Flight, U.S. ments of the MOU until such time as the National Shorebird Plan, North American agency has successfully included them in Waterfowl Management Plan, North Amer- each agency’s formal planning processes ican Colonial Waterbird Plan, and other (such as revision of agency land management planning efforts, as well as guidance from plans, land use compatibility guidelines, inte- other sources, including the Food and Agri- grated resource management plans, and fish- cultural Organization’s International Plan of ery management plans), including public par- Action for Reducing Incidental Catch of ticipation and NEPA analysis, as appropriate. Seabirds in Longline Fisheries; This order and the MOUs to be developed (6) ensure that environmental analyses of by the agencies are intended to be imple- Federal actions required by the NEPA or mented when new actions or renewal of con- other established environmental review proc- tracts, permits, delegations, or other third esses evaluate the effects of actions and agen- party agreements are initiated as well as dur- cy plans on migratory birds, with emphasis ing the initiation of new, or revisions to, land on species of concern; management plans. (7) provide notice to the Service in ad- (d) Each MOU shall include an elevation vance of conducting an action that is in- process to resolve any dispute between the tended to take migratory birds, or annually signatory agencies regarding a particular report to the Service on the number of indi- practice or activity. viduals of each species of migratory birds in- (e) Pursuant to its MOU, each agency tentionally taken during the conduct of any shall, to the extent permitted by law and sub- agency action, including but not limited to ject to the availability of appropriations and banding or marking, scientific collecting, within Administration budgetary limits, and in harmony with agency missions: taxidermy, and depredation control; (1) support the conservation intent of the (8) minimize the intentional take of species migratory bird conventions by integrating of concern by: (i) delineating standards and bird conservation principles, measures, and procedures for such take; and (ii) developing practices into agency activities and by avoid- procedures for the review and evaluation of ing or minimizing, to the extent practicable, take actions. With respect to intentional take, adverse impacts on migratory bird resources the MOU shall be consistent with the appro- when conducting agency actions; priate sections of 50 C.F.R. parts 10, 21, and (2) restore and enhance the habitat of mi- 22; gratory birds, as practicable; (9) identify where unintentional take rea- (3) prevent or abate the pollution or detri- sonably attributable to agency actions is hav- mental alteration of the environment for the ing, or is likely to have, a measurable negative benefit of migratory birds, as practicable; effect on migratory bird populations, focus- (4) design migratory bird habitat and pop- ing first on species of concern, priority habi- ulation conservation principles, measures, tats, and key risk factors. With respect to and practices, into agency plans and planning those actions so identified, the agency shall processes (natural resource, land manage- develop and use principles, standards, and ment, and environmental quality planning, practices that will lessen the amount of unin- including, but not limited to, forest and tentional take, developing any such conserva- rangeland planning, coastal management tion efforts in cooperation with the Service. planning, watershed planning, etc.) as prac- These principles, standards, and practices ticable, and coordinate with other agencies shall be regularly evaluated and revised to and nonfederal partners in planning efforts; ensure that they are effective in lessening the (5) within established authorities and in detrimental effect of agency actions on mi- conjunction with the adoption, amendment, gratory bird populations. The agency also or revision of agency management plans and shall inventory and monitor bird habitat and guidance, ensure that agency plans and ac- populations within the agency’s capabilities 80 Jan. 11 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 and authorities to the extent feasible to facili- the Conservation of Migratory Birds (Coun- tate decisions about the need for, and effec- cil) to oversee the implementation of this tiveness of, conservation efforts; order. The Council’s duties shall include the (10) within the scope of its statutorily-des- following: (1) sharing the latest resource in- ignated authorities, control the import, ex- formation to assist in the conservation and port, and establishment in the wild of live management of migratory birds; (2) devel- exotic animals and plants that may be harm- oping an annual report of accomplishments ful to migratory bird resources; and recommendations related to this order; (11) promote research and information ex- (3) fostering partnerships to further the goals change related to the conservation of migra- of this order; and (4) selecting an annual re- tory bird resources, including coordinated cipient of a Presidential Migratory Bird Fed- inventorying and monitoring and the collec- eral Stewardship Award for contributions to tion and assessment of information on envi- the protection of migratory birds. ronmental contaminants and other physical (b) The Council shall include representa- or biological stressors having potential rel- tion, at the bureau director/administrator evance to migratory bird conservation. level, from the Departments of the Interior, Where such information is collected in the State, Commerce, Agriculture, Transpor- course of agency actions or supported tation, Energy, Defense, and the Environ- through Federal financial assistance, reason- mental Protection Agency and from such able efforts shall be made to share such infor- other agencies as appropriate. mation with the Service, the Biological Re- Sec. 5. Application and Judicial Review. sources Division of the U.S. Geological Sur- (a) This order and the MOU to be developed vey, and other appropriate repositories of by the agencies do not require changes to such data (e.g, the Cornell Laboratory of Or- current contracts, permits, or other third nithology); party agreements. (12) provide training and information to (b) This order is intended only to improve appropriate employees on methods and the internal management of the executive means of avoiding or minimizing the take of branch and does not create any right or ben- migratory birds and conserving and restoring efit, substantive or procedural, separately en- migratory bird habitat; forceable at law or equity by a party against (13) promote migratory bird conservation the United States, its agencies or instrumen- in international activities and with other talities, its officers or employees, or any other countries and international partners, in con- person. sultation with the Department of State, as William J. Clinton appropriate or relevant to the agency’s au- thorities; The White House, (14) recognize and promote economic and January 10, 2001. recreational values of birds, as appropriate; and [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, (15) develop partnerships with non-Fed- 8:45 a.m., January 12, 2001] eral entities to further bird conservation. NOTE: This Executive order was released by the (f) Notwithstanding the requirement to fi- Office of the Press Secretary on January 11, and nalize an MOU within 2 years, each agency it will be published in the Federal Register on is encouraged to immediately begin imple- January 17. menting the conservation measures set forth above in subparagraphs (1) through (15) of this section, as appropriate and practicable. Remarks to the Community (g) Each agency shall advise the public of in Dover, New Hampshire the availability of its MOU through a notice January 11, 2001 published in the Federal Register. Sec. 4. Council for the Conservation of Thank you all so much. Governor, thank Migratory Birds. (a) The Secretary of Inte- you very much for being here and for your rior shall establish an interagency Council for leadership and your friendship. And I agree, Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 / Jan. 11 81 that 4 more years sounded good to me, too— it to you.’’ [Laughter] So I thought that was for you. a pretty good reminder. And all the tough I want to thank my good friend Ron days I’d go back and look at that picture, and Machos and his wonderful wife, Rhonda, and I would remind myself of why I ran for Presi- my buddy Ronnie and his brothers for being dent and what we were doing. here—don’t cry, Ronnie; I’m just not going It was a tough time 8 years ago for our to be President; I’m still going to be country when I came here. You’ve just heard around—[laughter]—for being to me the a little bit about it. It was also a fairly tough symbol of what my efforts in 1992 were all time for me. I was taking a whipping in the about. press, and I was dropping in the polls. But I want to thank the mayor for welcoming I said then, and I would like to say again, me to Dover and giving me the key to the that was nothing compared to the punish- city. I told him—he said, ‘‘You don’t have ment that the people of this State and this to carry this if it’s too bulky.’’ He gave me Nation were enduring. As I said to—you a little ribbon. I said, ‘‘I might wear it around heard Ron talking about it. my neck.’’ [Laughter] I remember walking down Elm Street in I want to thank the Green Wave Band. Manchester with now-Judge Broderick. I’m Weren’t they great? [Applause] I thought glad I’m not here on a political trip so you they were terrific, and they did a great job. can come to my meetings for a change. It’s On the way in, George Maglaras was re- nice to see you, John—Patty, thank you. Half minding me of all the times I’ve been to the stores were vacant. Nobody could find Dover, and he said, ‘‘Now, when you get up a job. I remember a man in Merrimack who here, you’re going to have my mother and told me he had lost his job 30 days—30 my first grade teacher.’’ I met her in the days—before his pension vested. I remember bingo center in Dover in 1992. [Laughter] a little girl telling me that she could hardly And I would say, ma’am, I’ve aged a lot more bear to go to dinner anymore, when I was than you have in the last 8 years. [Laughter] in a high school in Manchester, because her I can’t tell you what a great trip this is. father had lost his job, and he wept at the Some of my friends in New Hampshire actu- dinner table because he felt he had let his ally came up here from Washington with me, family down. and a lot of the—all the people who worked These and so many other New Hampshire in the campaign wanted to come. Nick stories became the lifeblood of my campaign. Baldick is here. Of course, he’s practically Across America, 10 million of our fellow citi- been here since I left. And David Neslin zens were out of work; most with jobs were came with me, who worked in that campaign. working harder for less; interest rates were And every day for 8 years, by the way, high. The Government deficit was $290 bil- every single day I have been reminded of lion a year and rising. Our debt had quad- New Hampshire because I had in my private rupled in the previous 12 years. There was office off the Oval Office a painting done by a crushing burden on our economy and on my friend Cindy Sexton Lewis—she and her our kids. husband, John, helped me so much—of We were also in trouble as a society. Wel- Portsmouth, New Hampshire, right before fare rolls, crime, drug abuse, teen pregnancy, the primary with David Neslin and me. income inequality—all of these things were We’re walking across the street together. And rising. And some people said they didn’t Cindy gave me the painting, but right before think we could do anything about it, but I I was inaugurated, because it was 10 days didn’t believe that for a minute, because as before the primary and everybody said I was I traveled around this State, as I traveled dead as a doornail—[laughter]—and she around my own home State where I had been said, ‘‘I looked at your expression in the Governor for a dozen years, I went across paper, and you had your fist clenched and this country, I saw a lot of determination and your jaw clenched, and I thought you would hope, good people with good ideas for solving win anyway. So I painted this, and I decided problems. I knew the American people could I would wait, and if you won I would give turn the country around if we had some good 82 Jan. 11 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 ideas and we acted on them. That means— sense ideas for the economy, for education, to me, that meant that we had to have, first, for crime, for welfare, for the environment, a Government that was on the side of the tied together by a simple philosophy: oppor- people, that put the American people first, tunity for every responsible American. changed to meet the challenges of a new era. I said, ‘‘You know, if you elected me Presi- And so I set out, as Governor Shaheen dent, we might not solve all the problems, said, 9 years ago in New Hampshire with this but at least you would know if you supported simple conviction, that the American people me, when you got up in the morning, you were hungry for ideas and sick of the politics wouldn’t have to worry about whether your of personal destruction and paralysis. President cared if your business is failing, if I put out this little book, which I bet some you were losing your home, if you couldn’t of you still have copies of, called the ‘‘Plan get an education for your kids.’’ And I prom- for America’s Future.’’ And people made fun ised in that now-famous line that I would of me. They said, ‘‘What’s this guy doing run- work my heart out for you until the last dog ning for President with all this—look at this dies. After 8 years, and with almost exactly single-spaced type. Who’s going to read that 9 days to go, the last dog is still barking. stuff?’’ And we went to Keene one night, I’ve worked hard for 8 years to make good early in the primary, and the people helping on the commitments I made to you. Here me up there said, ‘‘Now look, here’s the way in Dover, the unemployment rate then was New Hampshire works. If we get 50 people nearly 8 percent; today, it is 1.7 percent. at this town meeting’’—I was running fifth Across the Nation, the unemployment rate in the polls here, by the way, at the time— has dropped from 71⁄2 percent to 4 percent, ‘‘if we get 50 people at this town meeting, the lowest in 40 years. We have the longest you won’t be embarrassed. They won’t write economic expansion in history, the lowest fe- in the newspaper that you’re an abject fail- male unemployment rate in 40 years, the ure.’’ [Laughter] ‘‘If we get 150, it will be lowest Hispanic- and African-American un- a triumph.’’ Four hundred people showed employment rate ever recorded, the highest up, when I was running fifth in the polls, homeownership in history. and they had—the fire marshal wouldn’t let We’ve gone from record deficits to record them all in. And I said, ‘‘Holy Moses, some- surpluses. At the end of this budget year, thing’s going on here. It turns out people which is the last one for which I am respon- really do care.’’ sible, we will have paid off over $500 billion And I remember talking to Hillary, and of the national debt. Since 1993, after infla- saying, ‘‘You know, we actually have a chance tion, the yearly income of the typical family here.’’ When 400 people showed up in is up $6,300, hourly wages up by more than Keene, I knew we had a chance. [Laughter] 9 percent. This economy has created—I’m And by the way, my wife said to tell you hello proud to say—yes, more billionaires and and thank you and when you really need it, more millionaires, but unlike some previous you might have a third United States Senator recoveries, this rising tide has lifted all boats. now. All income groups have had their income in- So, we were getting toward the end of the crease, and in the last 3 years the biggest primary, and I came to Dover. And as I was percentage increase has come in the 20 per- reminded on the way in, we were at the Elks cent of our workers that are earning the low- Club, I think. There were tons of people est wages. We are moving forward together. there; the place was packed. And I didn’t But I want to talk today about some of have any notes, and all the experts said I was the other issues, too, because one of the dead. But I said what we really needed was things that really touched me in New Hamp- to think about what we were going to do as shire was that people were not just interested a people, that we needed a new Government, in the economy, as miserable as it was. Peo- less bureaucratic but more active, a new kind ple cared about health care here. They cared of politics that treated issues not as a way about the environment. They cared about of dividing people but as a way of solving education. They cared about crime policy. problems together; a new set of common- They cared about welfare policy. Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 / Jan. 11 83

In the closing weeks of my administration, were going to move forward as a nation, I’ve been trying to give a few speeches recap- which meant we had to get rid of a lot of ping where we were, how we’ve gotten where inessential spending, eliminate a lot of Gov- we are, and where I hope we will go. I went ernment programs that weren’t necessary to the University of Nebraska at Kearney, the anymore, get the deficit down. And we even only State I had not visited as President. I asked the people who had been most fortu- told them, just because they never voted for nate in the 1980’s to pay more taxes, but we me didn’t mean they weren’t better off, and promised to use it to get their interest rates I thought I ought to come and say I was glad. down, and we said they’d be better off. [Laughter] And I talked about the world So we cut the deficit, and we got lower challenges we faced, the foreign policy chal- interest rates. That meant more business in- lenges. vestment, lower home mortgage rates, lower I was in Chicago talking about the edu- car loans, lower college loans. It meant more cation record and where I hope we’ll go jobs, higher incomes, and a rising stock mar- there. And so I want to try to talk about these ket. At the same time, we doubled our invest- social issues today, where we’re going as a ment—more than doubled our investment in people, because we’re not just better off. education and increased our commitments in We’re a stronger, more united country: crime health care, the environment, research and is down; welfare down nearly 60 percent; technology, the things that are necessary to teen pregnancy is the lowest rate it’s been build the capacity of America for this new in decades; we are growing more diverse, but age and all these young people who are in we’re also growing more united. this audience. And so I came here one last time as Presi- On welfare, in the past all, the debate was dent to New Hampshire to thank you for our compassionate obligation to help the making me the Comeback Kid but more, and poor, on the one hand, or other people say- far more important, to thank you for making America the Comeback Country. Through all ing, ‘‘No, everybody ought to just go to the ups and downs of the last 8 years, I never work.’’ We thought that was a false choice. forgot the lesson I learned from you here And we replaced yesterday’s welfare system in those amazing weeks in the winter of 1991 with one in which work is both required of and 1992: What’s important is not who is up those who can work but rewarded and one or down in Washington; what’s important is in which the children are not punished for who is up or down in Dover. the challenges facing the parents. So let’s talk a little bit about that booklet So we cut the welfare rolls by 60 percent I had and what it’s meant. We abandoned nationwide. Millions of people have moved a lot of the false choices that had paralyzed from welfare to work. We insisted, however, Washington: You had to be liberal or con- that if people are required to work, they servative; you had to be left or right; you had should have job training and child care and to be this or that. And we replaced them with transportation and that the parents should a new set of ideas that have now come to not lose their children’s rights, if they’re low be called the Third Way, because they’ve income workers, to Medicaid and to food been embraced not just here in America but support, so that you can succeed at home increasingly all across the world by people and at work, even if you’re a poor worker. who were trying to break out of outmoded I think that’s very, very important. political and economic and social arrange- And we raised the minimum wage, and we ments to deal with the real challenges of the doubled the earned-income tax credit. That 21st century. earned-income tax credit goes to the lowest Let’s just go through a few of them. Num- earning workers in our society, especially ber one, in the past, people believed you ei- those with children, because I don’t believe ther had to cut the deficit or increase invest- anybody who works 40 hours a week ought ment, but nobody thought you could do it to raise a kid in poverty. I don’t think that’s at the same time. I thought that was a false right. If somebody’s out there doing what choice. I thought we had to do both if we they’re supposed to do, they ought to do that. 84 Jan. 11 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001

Now, what is the result? We have the low- street and out of trouble. We need to do est poverty rate we’ve had in 20 years, and more with commonsense measures to keep last year we had the biggest drop in child guns out of the hands of criminals and chil- poverty in 34 years. This is working. You can dren. And we can do that without interfering reward work. with the legitimate rights of hunters and We also tried to do some important things sportsmen.’’ And that’s exactly what we did. in health care. We made sure people with We put 100,000-plus—we’re now to about disabilities could go to work without losing 130,000 police on the street. We passed a their health care coverage. We provided cov- lot of measures to keep kids out of trouble erage in Medicare for screenings for breast and give them positive things to do. Six hun- and prostate cancer. We provided health care dred thousand people who were felons, fugi- coverage for women with breast cancer or tives, or stalkers were not able to get hand- cervical cancer. We did dramatic things in guns because of the Brady law. And notwith- diabetes research and health care coverage standing all the recent election-season rhet- and sped the delivery of drugs to people who oric, not a single hunter missed an hour in needed it, with HIV and AIDS, which has the deer woods, not a single sports person changed the entire landscape from 1992 in missed a sporting event, but we have the low- the length and quality of life. est crime rate in 25 years. And we made sure that people who lose One of the things that really impressed me their jobs or who switch jobs can do so with- about being in New Hampshire in ’92 and out losing their health insurance. And we late ’91 was, as terrible as the economy was, limited the ability of people to be dropped there were still people who cared passion- for preexisting conditions. We created the ately about the environment and who under- Children’s Health Insurance Program, which stood the beauty that you have been graced has enabled States to insure the children of with in this gorgeous State and who did not lower income working families, so that now 3.3 million more kids have health insurance. believe that we had to sacrifice a clean envi- And for the first time in a dozen years, the ronment for a strong economy. But that was number of people without health insurance the prevailing view, not only in America but is going down in America. in a lot of the world, that you couldn’t have— Now, I remember at these town meetings if you wanted to continue to have economic we’ve talked a lot about crime. And I had growth, you just had to put up with a certain been attorney general of my State and Gov- amount of environmental degradation. It just ernor, and I spent a lot of time on this. And was inevitable. one thing a politician knows, running for of- But the truth is, in the new economy of fice, you will never get in trouble as long the 21st century, which is based more on as you sound like you’re the toughest person ideas and information and technology than on the block about crime. on using more energy in ways that are de- So nobody has to think. You just say, structive to the environment, that is not true ‘‘Somebody commits a crime—put them in anymore. So what do we do? We had new jail and throw the key away.’’ But if you look standards to clean the air, and the air is clean- at the facts where crime is going up and er. The water is cleaner; the drinking water crime is going down, it is more complicated. is safer. We’ve cleaned up more toxic waste Yes, serious offenders should be punished dumps, twice as many in our 8 years as in and punished severely. But it was clear that the previous 12 years. we had to do more to change the environ- We’ve set aside more land than any admin- ment. istration since Theodore Roosevelt. It in- We had had a tripling of violent crime in cludes not only the big, famous places like America in the previous 30 years, the number protecting Yellowstone, the California red- of police on the beat had only gone up by woods, the Florida Everglades, the great 10 percent. And so, we said, ‘‘We need to roadless tracks of our national forests, but do more to put more police on the beat. We green spaces in communities all across Amer- need to do more to help keep kids off the ica. And it turned out it worked. It hasn’t Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 / Jan. 11 85 hurt the economy one bit, and we should do problem. We’ve got schools that are so old more of it, not less. and so overcrowded, they literally—I’ve been Now, in education, the debate in the past in school buildings where all the power went was, I thought, a horribly false choice: raise out when they tried to hook up to the Inter- standards or spend money. The people that net. They literally can’t do it. wanted to raise standards said, if you just The Vice President supervised a program throw more money into the education sys- that—we did an event in a school here in tem, it won’t improve the schools. People New Hampshire to highlight this—to try to that wanted to spend more money said, if hook up all of our schools and classrooms you raise standards without spending more to the Internet. In 1994, when we started, money, you’re just going to punish innocent 3 percent of the classrooms and 35 percent children. I thought to myself, having spent of the schools had an Internet connection. enormous amounts of time in schools, that Then we passed the Telecommunications Act that was the nuttiest debate I ever heard. of 1996 that had the E-rate, to make sure [Laughter] that even the poorest schools could afford So we said, look, here’s a simple strategy to hook up. We got the private sector in- based on what principals, teachers, and par- volved. Today, 2000, we’ve gone from 3 per- ents say; based on the fact that we had cent of the classrooms to 65 percent, from schools, even then, all across America, in- 35 percent of the schools to 95 percent of cluding in New Hampshire, that were suc- the schools connected to the Internet. And ceeding against enormous odds; that we SAT scores are at a 30-year high, in no small needed a strategy which said, higher stand- measure because there’s been a 50 percent ards, more accountability, more investment, increase in the number of kids taking ad- and equal opportunity. And we set about vanced placement courses. doing that. We’ve got more people than ever going I asked Dick Riley, the Governor of South on to college, thanks in large measure to the Carolina, who had a superb record in edu- biggest increase in college aid since the GI cation, to be the Education Secretary. He is bill passed 50 years ago. We passed the the longest serving and the finest one in our HOPE scholarship tax credit to make the history, I believe. And here’s what happened. first 2 years of college affordable to all Ameri- In 1992 there were only 14 States that had cans. We passed a lifetime tax credit for jun- core academic standards for what all kids ior-senior years, for adults going back to should learn. Today, there are 49. We more school, for graduate schools—13 million than doubled our investment in schools. American families are taking advantage of We’ve expanded and improved Head Start. this. We raised the maximum Pell grant. It The last budget had the biggest Head Start will be about $3,700, a little more actually, increase in history. We’re now providing this year. And with the Direct Student Loan Federal support for the very first time for Program, we cut the cost of college loans by summer school and after-school programs. $9 billion over the last 7 years to our stu- This year, we’ll cover 1.3 million children. dents. It’s worth about a $1,300 savings on We’ve helped schools across America to hire every $10,000 a student borrows to go to col- 37,000 new teachers to lower class size in lege. We’ve opened the doors of college to the early grades, well on our way to meeting all Americans, and I’m very proud of that, our goal of 100,000 new teachers, which will and I think you should be. give us an average class size of 18 throughout In the past, there was this big debate about America up to grade three. the cities. Some people thought if we just This year, for the very first time, we got poured a lot more money into the cities, we Federal support—since World War II, the could solve all those problems. Other people very first time since right after World War thought they were a lost cause, and more II, when my generation was in school, the money wouldn’t help. I thought both sides baby boomers—we got Federal support to were wrong. So what we said is, we need help to repair the most severely distressed to drive crime out, empower people to take schools, over a billion dollars. It’s a huge responsibility for their own lives, and get 86 Jan. 11 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 more private sector investment in, because Anybody who has ever had kids can tell we know that Government programs alone you that if things aren’t going right for your can’t do the job. kids, it doesn’t matter what else is going right So we brought in more money through the in your life. You know, it just doesn’t. It Vice President’s empowerment zone pro- doesn’t matter how much money you’ve got. gram, through community development It doesn’t matter—nothing else matters. banks, through strengthening a law called the And so we set about trying to change that. Community Reinvestment Act, which had I am very proud of the fact the first bill I been on the books for over 20 years but had signed as President was the family and med- never really been enforced. Over 95 percent ical leave law. It had previously been re- of the investment by private banks in poor jected. It had previously been rejected on the areas in America has occurred since we’ve grounds that it was a perfectly nice idea, but been in office. And it’s worked. It’s paid off. if we gave some people time off from work Bank profits are up. There are jobs up. Busi- when their kids were sick or their babies nesses are up. were born or the parents were sick, it would That street in Manchester I mentioned, be so burdensome to the economy. Well, where half the storefronts were vacant in 22.5 million jobs later, 35 million people have 1993, is filled with businesses today, from taken advantage of the family and medical banks to Internet cafes. And that kind of leave law. We have to be pro-work and pro- turnaround is going on all over the country. family. Poverty in the inner cities down 23 percent The work we’ve done in child care, all this since 1993. And late last year our bipartisan work has been good for America. The last new markets initiative passed, which will get point I want to make is this. When I spoke even more money into the inner cities, into here in Dover back in ’92, I said that small rural communities, into Native Amer- throughout our country’s history we’ve al- ican reservations across America that have ways gotten in trouble when we were di- been left out and left behind by this recovery. vided, and when we were united, there was Now, one other thing I would like to men- nothing we couldn’t do; that we were becom- tion, because in some ways it’s the most im- ing a much more diverse country—racially, portant of all to me in this whole litany of religiously. I was in a school in Chicago a social issues, is embodied by Ron Machos up couple of days ago where half the—the grade there talking about his family. In the past, school—half the student body was Asian, 18 every time there was an initiative to make percent African-American, 171⁄2 percent His- a workplace more family-friendly, to do more panic. The rest were white ethnics, almost child care, to pass family leave legislation and all of them Croatian-Americans. And that’s things like that, the other side said, ‘‘Well, the future toward which we’re moving. we would like to do that. That seems like And I said I would do what I could to build a very nice thing, but it would be too burden- one America, to have us not tolerate each some to the business economy, and so we other but celebrate our differences. Life’s can’t.’’ But one thing I learned, traveling here more interesting when you can argue around and then going across the country, is that I a coffee table or in a school or at a civic club hardly met any people who were working and or something, about your differences, and had children, even people with very good in- celebrate them, but you know that you are comes, who hadn’t had experiences in their bound together by shared values and com- work life where they felt they were letting mon humanity and that those things are more their kids down. I hardly met anybody who fundamental. hadn’t had moments of tension where they One of the things I always tell people is were afraid that they couldn’t do right by that when it comes to anything that’s social, their kids or by their job; they were having whether it’s your family, your school, your to choose. And it seemed to me to be a ter- community, your business, or your country, rible dilemma, not only for families but for winning is a team sport. It’s like basketball. the society, because the most important work You can take—Michael Jordan may be the of any society is raising children. greatest basketball player that ever lived, but Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 / Jan. 11 87 if he’d gone out alone against five guys, he’d reward work, and support working families, have lost every game. we can expand the circle of prosperity and And this is a team sport. And I’m so glad still strengthen the fabric of our society. these young people from CityYear are back We’ve got 8 years of evidence to know that here, because the embodiment to me—I first these ideas were good for America, and this visited CityYear in Boston in 1991, and it be- direction is the right path. came the basis for my proposal for national The American people chose a vital, com- service, for the creation of AmeriCorps, monsense center 8 years ago. It seemed very which is the embodiment of my idea of one foreign back then to Washington. I can re- America. AmeriCorps, since we established member political writers who spent the pre- it in ’93 and it came into effect in ’94, has vious umpty-ump years in Washington say- given 150,000 young people a chance to serve ing, ‘‘I don’t know what this guy believes. in communities all across this country and Does he believe anything? I mean, you’ve earn a little money for college. In 6 years either got to be a conservative or a liberal. more people have served in AmeriCorps than You can’t be for—I mean you know, you’ve served in the Peace Corps in the first 30 years got to be in these little boxes we’ve been of its existence. We are building one America thinking in all these years in Washington.’’ together. And they were so good for America, these That’s my report to you. The stuff that was little boxes, right? [Laughter] in this little book people made fun of me Guess what. That’s now the new consensus about is now real in the lives of the American in Washington. People now believe that this people. The ideas have taken hold, and is the right direction. It’s even basically the America is at the top of its game. And I just landscape against whence the last election hope that we will continue the progress and was fought in such a close fashion. There is prosperity of the last 8 years. a consensus that we have to find ways to con- If we continue our policy of fiscal responsi- tinue to change consistent with our basic val- bility and investing in our people, we can ues and our common community and hu- keep the prosperity going and be debt-free manity. for the first time since 1835, when Andrew Now, as you look ahead, let me just say, Jackson was President. If we continue to put because conflict is always more interesting more police on the street, keep guns out of than consensus, I expect most of the press the hands of criminals, and give our kids coverage will continue to be about the poli- something to say yes to as well as something tics and the division. But let’s just look at to say no to, we can make this country the what happened last year in Congress, an elec- safest big nation on Earth. tion year for Congress and for the Presidency If we continue to support important envi- that was very closely fought in the Senate, ronmental initiatives and a strong economy, the House, and for the White House. we can meet the challenge of climate change Last year, while all this was going on— and any other thing that comes down the and you’d have thought nobody ever agreed pike. If we continue to add people to the on anything—here’s what happened. We had rolls of health insurance—and we ought to the biggest and best education budget in his- start by including the parents of all the kids tory. We passed for the very first time in his- we’re insuring with the Children’s Health In- tory a lands legacy initiative to give a stable surance Program, and the Federal Govern- source of funding to continue to set aside ment has the money to help the States do public lands, from big tracts to local green that now—we can achieve that cherished spaces—never happened before. We lifted goal that we talked so much about in New the earnings limit on Social Security. We pro- Hampshire in 1992 in providing health insur- vided health care coverage for people suf- ance to all American families. fering from breast and cervical cancer that If we keep investing more in our schools couldn’t get it elsewhere. We passed this new and demanding more from them, we can markets initiative, which is the biggest thing make sure every child gets a 21st century we’ve ever done, to try to get private invest- education. If we continue to require work, ment into poor areas. We had truly historic 88 Jan. 11 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 trade agreements with Africa, the Caribbean intensive, yearlong investigation into this in- nations—our neighbors—with China, with cident has served as a painful reminder of Vietnam, and one with Jordan which has the tragedies of war and the scars they leave groundbreaking language that I’ve always behind on people and on nations. wanted in all our trade agreement to include Although we have been unable to deter- basic labor and environmental standards. mine precisely the events that occurred at And we passed something that I think is pro- No Gun Ri, the U.S. and South Korean Gov- foundly important, that everybody from the ernments have concluded in the Statement Pope to international entertainers have asked of Mutual Understanding that an us to pass—a debt relief package for the unconfirmed number of innocent Korean poorest nations in the world that they can refugees were killed or injured there. To get but only if they invest 100 percent of the those Koreans who lost loved ones at No Gun money in education, health care, and eco- Ri, I offer my condolences. Many Americans nomic development for their people. have experienced the anguish of innocent Now, that’s what happened last year when casualties of war. We understand and sym- everybody told you how divided we were. pathize with the sense of loss and sorrow that There is a new consensus here in this country remains even after a half a century has for moving forward. And I just want to ask passed. I sincerely hope that the memorial you—you’re going to continue to be first in the United States will construct to these and the Nation. You’re going to continue to be, all other innocent Korean civilians killed dur- in some ways, the guardians of America’s pol- ing the war will bring a measure of solace itics. Don’t you ever forget that in the end, and closure. The commemorative scholarship our future is tied to people, that it’s more fund that we will launch will serve as a living about ideas than a tax. The New Hampshire tribute to their memory. town meetings proved that in ’92, and New As we honor those civilians who fell victim Hampshire’s success these last 8 years to this conflict, let us not forget that pain proved that. is not the only legacy of the Korean war. Thank you for lifting me up in 1992. Thank American and Korean veterans fought shoul- you for voting for me and Al Gore in 1992 der to shoulder in the harshest of conditions and in 1996. Thank you. And don’t forget, for the cause of freedom, and they prevailed. even though I won’t be President, I’ll always The vibrancy of democracy in the Republic be with until the last dog dies. of Korea, the strong alliance between our two Thank you. countries, and the closeness of our two peo- NOTE: The President spoke at 12:15 p.m. in the ples today is a testament to the sacrifices gymnasium at Dover High School. In his remarks, made by both of our nations 50 years ago. he referred to Gov. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire; Ron Machos, Jr., married father of three who in 1991 was jobless and without health Remarks at Northeastern University insurance for his family; Mr. Machos’ wife, in Boston, Massachusetts Rhonda, and son Ronnie; Mayor Wil Boc and former Mayor George Maglaras of Dover; Nick January 11, 2001 Baldick, head of Vice President Gore’s New Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank Hampshire campaign; and New Hampshire State Supreme Court Justice John Broderick, and his you. Those are the AmeriCorps rowdies over wife, Patty. there. Thank you very much. Well, President Freeland, let me begin by saying I’m delighted to be back at North- Statement on the Korean eastern. I remember so well when I spoke War No Gun Ri Incident here to your commencement early in my January 11, 2001 term. I remember the honorary degree I got. Now that I have to make a living, maybe I On behalf of the United States of America, can put it to some use. [Laughter] I remem- I deeply regret that Korean civilians lost their ber the young man who spoke there, rep- lives at No Gun Ri in late July 1950. The resenting the students, all the students whose Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 / Jan. 11 89 hands I shook and whose stories I heard. This administration called, and they said, ‘‘Gov- is a great American urban institution of op- ernor, we want you to moderate this panel portunity, and I am honored to be back. I in Memphis on health care.’’ And I had been thank you for that. a big supporter of President Carter, you Mayor Menino, Mr. Mayor, I thank you know. They said, ‘‘We think that you can for being my friend and for proving that the keep everything in a good humor. And on ideas that Al Gore and I brought to the our side, we’re going to have Joe Califano,’’ American people in 1992 and 1996 would who was the Secretary of Health, Education, work anywhere because you made them work and Welfare. He was a very great fellow, by in Boston. Whether it was the economy, the way, and the number one advocate in crime, welfare, education, you did it. America for doing something about the dan- You might be interested to know, Mr. gers of tobacco and a lot of other things. He Mayor, we’re still borrowing from Boston. had done a lot of great things. ‘‘And on the Just last week we announced that we’re going other side, we’re going to have Senator Ken- to give Federal employees the same benefit nedy, who thinks that we’re too weak on you have given to Boston city workers, time health care.’’ I said, ‘‘You want me to bridle off for medical screenings to catch cancer Ted Kennedy?’’ [Laughter] And I’m 32 years and other problems early on. Thank you old, and I—so I said, ‘‘Okay, I’ll do it.’’ again, Mr. Mayor. [Laughter] I just wanted to be on the pro- And to your Representative, Mr. Capuano, gram and see if I could keep up, you know? I have never heard you give such a vigorous So we had this incredible meeting on public speech in my life. [Laughter] And you health care. And I don’t even know if I’ve even talked about things I’d forgotten I’d ever said this to him, but he got up and he done. [Laughter] But your congressional dis- talked about his beloved son and the health trict and this State have been wonderful to problems he had had, how he had managed me. And you have been great, and I thank to survive, and survives to this day, had a you. And I thank you for what you’ve done magnificent life, and how wrong it was that for them in Congress. And I want to thank his son had done well because of the good Bill Delahunt, who has been so great on fortunes of his family but that other families many issues but who’s been particularly help- didn’t. ful in pushing our criminal justice agenda in And he made an impression on me that the United States Congress, giving us the day that had lasted over these 22-plus years. lowest crime rate in America in 25 years. And I promised myself that day that if I ever And I want to thank Jim McGovern for got a chance to give health care to more many things, but I think everyone in Massa- Americans and keep more young children chusetts should know that Congressman like his son alive, I would do it. I owe him McGovern was the number one advocate in that, for 22 years. Congress for one of the most recent initia- And I have not had a better friend or tives we announced, which is that the United stronger advocate in the United States Sen- States of America is going to provide a free, ate these last 8 years. And I can tell you that hot, nutritious meal to 9 million children in no Member of the Senate is more respected, poor countries throughout the world if they even by the Republicans. They hate to admit will come to school in their countries. Thank it in public, but you get them in private, and you, Jim McGovern. they’ll tell you the same thing. He is the best Now finally, let me say, I don’t know what and most effective Member of the United to say about Senator Kennedy. I met—Ted States Senate. Kennedy I met in 1978 in Memphis, Ten- Now, in these last 8 years, Ted and Vicki nessee, at the midterm convention of the and our families have become—we’ve be- Democratic Party. I was the Governor-elect come much closer. And he’s taken a lot of of my State, 32 years old, looked like I was risks for his friendship with me. I know what about 20. [Laughter] You all, in the last 8 you’re thinking, but that’s not the risk you years, have taken care of that. [Laughter] took. [Laughter] He let me sail his boat into And they said to me that President Carter’s the Menemsha Harbor. [Laughter] I come 90 Jan. 11 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 from a landlocked State, and he still let me always about the future. But I want to take sail his boat into Menemsha Harbor. I will a minute to walk down memory lane. never forget that. And all I could do in return Eight years ago, when I came here, 10 mil- was help send Hillary to the Senate to give lion Americans were out of work. The deficit him a little support, and I’ve done the best was $290 billion and rising. The debt of the I could. [Applause] Thank you. country had quadrupled in the previous 12 Three former Presidents have spoken in years, imposing a crushing burden on our this hall, three Presidents in whose tradition children. Welfare rolls, crime rates, drug and footsteps I have tried to follow: Theo- abuse, teen pregnancy, income inequality all dore Roosevelt, the last great progressive Re- were going up. What a difference 8 years can publican President; Franklin Roosevelt; and make. your John Kennedy. When Franklin Roo- The one thing that hasn’t been said tonight sevelt spoke here in 1932 in the campaign, that I want to say again is, I believe politics his first, he said, ‘‘We are through with delay. should be about uniting people, not dividing We are through with despair. We are ready them, should be about ideas, not insults. We for better things.’’ That’s exactly how I felt had ideas in 1992 that we believed could put when I came here in 1992. And Massachu- the American people first and build our setts and the city of Boston, as you have bridge to a new century and a whole new heard, more than any other State in the aspect of human affairs. Union, gave me a chance to work hard to All of you who are students here will live bring better things to the United States. in a time where people look, work, live, and Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. relate to one another in ways that are pro- foundly different than the America in which I am here, more than anything else, just I grew up. And it is important that we hold to say thank you. There are a few places I fast to the basic values of this country: oppor- felt I had to go in the closing days of my tunity for every responsible citizen; a com- term just to thank people. A couple of days munity of all Americans; and that we didn’t ago I went back to Chicago, which is my have the courage to implement ideas that will wife’s hometown, and to East Lansing, meet the challenges of this era. That’s what Michigan, where they have a basketball team I tried to do. I tried to make politics in Wash- you may have noticed. They come over here ington about you, not about the politicians sometimes. I went there because those two and the pundits in Washington; about ideas, States voted for me on Saint Patrick’s Day not about insults; about how you were doing, in 1992 and sealed my nomination. not how we were doing. I went back to New Hampshire today be- In Boston, when I took the oath of office, cause—anybody here from New Hamp- unemployment was 6.9 percent. Today, it’s shire?—because that’s where it all started 1.9 percent. Poverty is down. Average in- and because I was pronounced dead by all come is up nearly 20 percent. Crime has the pundits, and the people of New Hamp- dropped, as the mayor said, by more than shire decided they would lift me up. And a third, and we’ve been there to help. since they raised me up, I wanted to go back The same thing has happened in the Na- and thank them. tion. Unemployment is at a 30-year low. We But as you have heard repeatedly, in elec- have 221⁄2 million new jobs, the longest eco- tion after election and in good times and bad, nomic expansion in history, the lowest minor- the one place that I knew would always be ity unemployment ever recorded, the lowest there to stick with Bill Clinton, Al Gore, and female unemployment in 40 years. the direction we were taking America, was Now, because we turned those record defi- Boston and the State of Massachusetts. And cits into record surpluses in this last budget I could not leave office without coming here year—it’s the last one for which I am respon- to say thank you. [Applause] Thank you. sible—when it’s over, we will have paid down Now, I mostly want you to think about the $500 billion on the national debt, meaning future, because most of the people in this lower interest rates for college loans, home audience are young and because America is mortgages, car payments, business loans, Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 / Jan. 11 91 more jobs, higher incomes, a brighter future money to people who couldn’t get money for all Americans. otherwise. We did a lot of other things to But there were ideas behind this. There put more housing in, to let poor people who were ideas behind getting the crime rate were working have houses in different kinds down, ideas practiced in Boston. You know, of neighborhoods. The economic justice before I became President, I noticed out issue that your Congressman mentioned was there in the country, looking at Washington, very important, the environmental justice, that most politicians thought the only way because we found that we couldn’t get peo- to be safe on crime was just to talk tough. ple to invest unless we cleaned up urban And if you were just for catching whoever brownfields, for example, and we stopped you could catch and putting them in jail and people from being exposed to various kinds throwing the key away, you would never get of pollution just because they happened to in trouble on crime. On the other hand, you’d be poor. All over the country, poverty in the never lower the crime rate either. inner cities has fallen by 23 percent, and So we said, ‘‘No, let’s put 100,000 police wages have grown even faster than in the on the street. Let’s do more to keep guns country as a whole. out of the hands of children and criminals.’’ In education, with the leadership of Sen- The Brady bill kept 600,000 felons, fugitives, ator Kennedy, we have reduced the size of and stalkers from getting hand guns. We put the Federal Government to its smallest size 130,000 police on the street. since his brother was President. We got rid On welfare, the Democrats defended the of the deficit and turned surpluses, but we programs that supported the poor, as we more than doubled our investment in edu- should. Many in the other party said, ‘‘Oh, cation in these last 8 years. Thank you, Ted they don’t want to work. We ought to cut Kennedy, for that. them off.’’ I thought that was nuts. I had Just this year—when we took office, only spent enough time in welfare offices to know 3 percent of the classrooms and 35 percent that people did want to work, but you of the schools in this country had an Internet couldn’t expect people to go to work if they connection. Today, 65 percent of the class- were going to have to hurt their kids. So we rooms and 95 percent of the schools are con- said, ‘‘Okay, require able-bodied people to nected to the Internet, and thanks to the Vice work but train them. Give them child care, President’s E-rate program, they can afford give them transportation, and don’t take the to log on and to use it for their students. food and the medicine away from the kids We never gave any money to cities for and the parents if they go to work.’’ And it after-school and summer school programs. worked. Thanks to the leadership of Senator Ken- There were people who said, ‘‘Well, the nedy, this year in the budget we just signed, cities are economic basket cases, and nobody there’s money to keep 1.3 million kids in the wants to put their money there.’’ I thought United States of America in after-school pro- that was not true. And we revitalized the grams so they don’t get in trouble, and they Community Reinvestment Act, a law that ba- do learn their lessons. sically says banks have to put money back President Freeland talked about the col- into their communities. It seems reasonable, lege aid program. The Pell grant this year but it had been on the books since the 1970’s, will be $3,750, a huge increase. Thirteen mil- and hardly any money had been put back lion families are taking advantage of the into poor communities. In the 8 years we’ve HOPE scholarship tax credit and the lifetime been in—now, this law’s been on the books learning tax credit. The direct loan program for over 22 years—95 percent of all the has saved students $9 billion in college loan money, $15 billion or more have been put costs. If your school is in it anywhere in back into communities under the Commu- America, the average $10,000 loan is $1,300 nity Reinvestment Act. cheaper for an American student to pay off We created this empowerment zone pro- than it was when we took office. We are mov- gram that the Vice President ran. We created ing this country toward a more educated soci- community development banks solely to loan ety and a more united one. 92 Jan. 11 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001

The air is cleaner. The water is cleaner. they were wrong about that. You have to bal- The drinking water is safer. The food is safer. ance work and family. We’ve cleaned up twice as many toxic waste The most important thing I worked on is dumps in 8 years as the previous two admin- embodied by the kids in AmeriCorps, our na- istrations did in 12. And we’ve set aside more tional service program. Senator Kennedy and land in perpetuity than any administration I were together when we signed the bill on since Theodore Roosevelt 100 years ago. And the South Lawn, and I signed it with the all the way, people said, ‘‘This is bad for the same pen John Kennedy used to sign the bill economy.’’ It turned out not to be so. creating the Peace Corps. In the last 61⁄2 We also have tried to help people balance years we’ve had over 150,000 young people work and family, raising the minimum wage, working in community service and earning raising the earned-income tax credit for some money to go to college. lower wage workers. One of the things I’m It’s not all we did. We also fought for proudest of about this economic recovery is stronger civil rights enforcement. We sought that, yes, we made more billionaires and mil- to reduce discrimination against gays in the lionaires, and that’s good, but we also had Federal workplace and throughout the coun- everybody doing better. And in the last 3 try. And I hope, by the way, Senator, now years, working families in the lowest 20 per- that we’ve got a little bit better Congress, cent of the income group had the highest I hope we will pass the hate crimes bill and percentage increase in income. This program the employment nondiscrimination bill and is raising all of them. the equal pay laws in this session of Congress. But in just the last year of my service, at I remember when Senator Kennedy and a time when most people say we couldn’t get Senator Dodd and some others were pushing anything done because it was my last year, the family medical leave law. It had already and besides, they were having a Presidential been vetoed once before I became President race and the congressional races, and every- because everybody said, ‘‘This is bad for busi- thing seemed so divided in Congress, thanks ness. You know, it’s a nice idea, letting some- to the support of the people on this platform body off for work when a baby’s born or a and people like them throughout the coun- baby’s sick or the parent’s sick or the wheels try, we’ve passed the biggest and best edu- have totally run off in the family, but it just cation budget ever, the biggest increase in is something we can’t possibly afford.’’ I head start ever. thought that was crazy, because I can tell We set aside for the first time, in the lands you, once you become a parent—everything legacy program, a permanent fund to buy else in life can be going right for you, and precious lands and green spaces in cities if your kid’s having trouble, nothing works. from now on, all over America, to protect Nothing else matters. Nothing in the world land—never happened before. We got the matters if something’s wrong with your fam- first money ever from the Federal Govern- ily, all the success in the world, all the wealth ment since World War II to help repair in the world—nothing matters. schools that are in trouble, because we’ve got And I don’t know anybody my age or so many kids in schools that are so old, younger that hasn’t had some conflict be- they’re falling down or so overcrowded, half tween work and patenting, even upper in- the kids are in trailers. We passed legislation come people. This is a big challenge for all designed to get new investment in the cities, of you, by the way, in the future. So the first the new markets initiative, a completely bi- law I signed was the family and medical leave partisan initiative. law. And I heard all that going on about how We did what I said. With Congressman terrible it was going to be. Well, let me tell McGovern’s plan, we’re going to provide you something. We’ve had the law on the over the next several years—if we keep work- books now for 71⁄2 years. You know what’s ing at it, we’ll be able to offer every poor happened? Thirty-five million people have child in every poor country in the world a taken advantage of it, and 221⁄2 million new good, nutritious meal if they come to school. jobs have been created. We were right, and Sixty percent of the kids in this world who Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 / Jan. 11 93 are not in school are girls. This is a huge Interview With Steve Holland and problem all over the world, and just by feed- Debbie Charles of Reuters ing them we’ll be able to get them to school. That will change the whole future of the January 11, 2001 world the young people will be able to live in. No Gun Ri And that’s just part of what we did. What’s Q. We understand you made a foreign pol- the point of all this? Here’s the point I want icy-related call shortly—— to make for you, for you young people here. The President. Yes, I just talked to Presi- Eight and a half days from now, when I walk dent Kim about the No Gun Ri incident and out of the White House at high noon on Jan- personally expressed my regret to him. And uary 20th, I want you to know something: I thanked him for the work that we had done I will leave more optimistic than I entered. together in developing our mutual statement. I will be more idealistic than I was the day We also set up this scholarship fund and did I first took the oath of office as President. some other things that we hope will be a gen- This country can do whatever we have to uine gesture of our regret. It was a very— do. We can meet any challenge. We can seize you know, I had a good talk with him. any opportunity. But we have to remember Q. Any particular reason why you used the basic things. We really do have to put people word ‘‘regret’’ instead of ‘‘apology’’ in your first, and you really do have to believe that statement? we all are part of one community. Politics The President. I think the findings is about addition and multiplication, not sub- were—I think he knows that ‘‘regret’’ and traction and division. It’s about teamwork. ‘‘apology’’ both mean the same thing, in It’s about working together. And there are terms of being profoundly sorry for what so many things out there for you. The best happened. But I believe that the people who days in this country are still out there, but looked into it could not conclude that there there are some big challenges out there. And was a deliberate act, decided at a high I hope you will never forget these 8 years. enough level in the military hierarchy, to ac- I hope you will always be proud of the sup- knowledge that, in effect, the Government port you gave to me and to Al Gore and what had participated in something that was ter- we did. rible. But believe me, the greatest gift you could So I don’t think there’s any difference in ever give me is to never lose the fervor I the two words, on a human level, because sense in this room tonight. Never lose your we are profoundly sorry that it happened and belief in your country. Never lose your belief sorry that any Americans were involved in in your capacity to change it for the better. it. But I think that in terms of the kind of And never get tired when you don’t win every responsibility the institution of the military election. Bear down. Look forward. The best that the facts were sufficiently unclear after is still out there. I will always love Massachu- all this time that the people who were review- setts. ing it thought it was the appropriate lan- Thank you, and God bless you. guage. And we worked it out with the Kore- ans and obviously shared whatever we could find with them. NOTE: The President spoke at 8:10 p.m. in Mat- thews Arena. In his remarks, he referred to Rich- These people have been our friends for ard M. Freeland, president, Northeastern Univer- 50 years. We didn’t have—I told our guys sity; Mayor Thomas M. Menino of Boston; and to play it straight, that we didn’t have an in- Vicki Kennedy, wife of Senator Edward M. Ken- terest in trying to cover anything up or sugar- nedy. A tape was not available for verification of coat anything; we needed to try to get to the the content of these remarks. bottom of this. I think that we’ve done about 94 Jan. 11 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 the best we can do. And I hope that the peo- 2000 Presidential Election ple of Korea will accept our statement as gen- Q. Let me turn you to the election very uine, and I hope it will bring some solace quickly. You seemed to surprise everybody to the family members and the few people when you said that the Republicans only— that still survived who were involved in it, that when they stopped the counting, that’s who will never get over it. the only way that George W. won. What point were you trying to make there? California Electricity Shortages The President. I was actually just having fun with Bill Daley in Chicago. We were Q. Let me ask you another topical ques- home and his brother—he had introduced tion. California is on the verge of blackouts. his brother. I think Bill did a very fine job Is there anything you can do in your remain- running the Vice President’s campaign. I was ing time in office? just having a good time, trying to put them The President. Well, I’m working at it. all in a good humor. I wasn’t trying to be We have done some things. Secretary Rich- sarcastic or hateful or even make any kind ardson has worked very hard to make sure of deliberate point. I was basically having fun that the wholesalers kept selling the power with what I think are the undisputed facts. to the utilities. But essentially, what hap- I don’t think there’s much dispute about the pened was before—without any involvement facts. They didn’t finish the vote count. from the Federal Government and before There’s really no—everybody knows that. the previous administration in California, the Q. Do you have any hard feelings about deregulation was done in a way that made the election outcome and the way the Court, them vulnerable not to—in essence, to very the conservative majority stepped in to stop high prices, maybe prices that aren’t justified the counting? by market conditions on occasion. The President. Well, I don’t have much They need to get all they can get from to add to what I said. I think the Vice Presi- dent said it all for us. We accept the principle out-of-State generators and in-State genera- of judicial review. It’s a very important one. tors, because they’ve grown so much. And It has been since John Marshall wrote the they still have a regulation of prices to the opinion in Marbury v. Madison in the early ultimate consumer. So we’ve got a situation 19th century. And it has helped us to have here which it seems to me might have been some finality in our law. predictable at the time the deregulation leg- But yes, I disagree with the decision, and islation was done. But I, frankly, until this I think most constitutional scholars do. I saw happened, I didn’t know what the nature of a quote in the paper the other from a man the California deregulation law was. I didn’t who was a law professor in the Middle even know when it had been done, until this West—I’m sorry, I don’t remember his whole thing arose. name—but he identified himself as a con- So we’re dealing with the situation the best servative, pro-life Republican. But he said, we can. But I also think we need to talk to ‘‘I am a constitutional law professor, and I some of the producers, see whether more disagree with this decision.’’ power can be brought on line at economical But the country has had, periodically— rates more quickly. I actually talked to one thankfully, not often, but periodically— of them myself just in the last 2 or 3 days. there’s a handful of Supreme Court decisions So I’m trying to get all of our options out that I think were unfortunate. But we nearly there, and if there’s anything else I can do, always straighten it out with time. And in the I will. I saw Governor Davis about a week meanwhile, the election was very close. It ago, and I told him that. was fought nearly to a draw, and the political But I do believe that the Governor and forces in Florida, the legislature might have the people of California know that, through done the same thing, and it might have been the Energy Department, we’ve done every- upheld. I just hated to see the Court involved in this way when there was, you know, 6 days thing we can so far. less to count the votes. Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 / Jan. 11 95

But I didn’t mean to make any big point. the Wye River agreement. It worked very I didn’t say anything that I and the Vice well for a couple of years, but there had to President and other Democrats had said tons be some continued movement. of times. I was just having fun, trying to say Because what happens is, when you reach something nice, to make people laugh about a stall, then the people that really don’t want Bill Daley. It’s pretty tough on him, you this to happen, particularly rejectionist ele- know, because he really did do a good job. ments within the Palestinian community, I think they were about 10 points behind or they can have incidents; then they provoke something, and Bill took over, and he really reactions; then the borders get closed; then did, I think, a very good job. the incomes of the Palestinians drop again, Q. Can I switch to the Middle East? Ev- and you get in a downward spiral. So I was erything that’s going on right now. Today trying to head off just what we’ve been they had some talks—— through these last 3 months. The President. Let me just say one So I think that they will have to reach some other—you shouldn’t read anything about— that has nothing to do with—we have tried sort of accommodation, unless they really to be very supportive of the President-elect want the thing to spin out of control. And and his team and the transition. I haven’t I really don’t believe either side wants that, tried to politicize this. I was strictly having so we’ll just have to see. But you know, what- fun with my friends in Chicago and bucking ever happens will be the responsibility of the up Bill Daley. That’s all. next administration and the winner of the Anyway, go ahead. Israeli election, whoever that may be. Q. Do you think it’s important for you to Middle East Peace Process set out a list of, maybe, points that have been Q. The Middle East, there were some talks agreed to so far, so that they don’t start from in the Gaza today between Israelis and Pal- scratch again, that you don’t lose what you’ve estinians. But Sharon has already said the already gotten? Oslo deal is dead, basically. What are your The President. Well, I think it was quite thoughts about the next 8 days? Is there any significant, actually, even though it came 6 hope for anything to happen or will you—— days later than I wanted it to, that the Pal- The President. I think there is. It depends estinians have now agreed in principle with on what the agreement is and then how the the parameters. So at least that Israeli Gov- Israeli electorate responds to it. General ernment and the Palestinian Authority have Sharon has, I think, never liked the Oslo agreed—this Israeli government, excuse agreement and has been very honest about me—and the Palestinian Authority have it. But he did come to Wye River; he partici- agreed to the parameters. Both sides have pated fully. Then Prime Minister Netanyahu some concerns and some questions which had been very critical of Oslo. But they nego- are, frankly, quite well known to either side. tiated that agreement at Wye River, and pre- So I think we have narrowed the debate and viously to that, I think he was in when they moved it forward. finalized the Hebron agreement. So you have to hope that this process keeps Now obviously, unless there is an agree- going. The reason we went—let me just back ment, the United States Government is not up and say, the reason we went to Camp bound by the position I took. Any incoming David in the first place is that it was obvious Israeli government would not be bound. For to everybody that just as the Hebron and example, when I felt that I had to continue then especially the Wye River agreement was a number of President Bush’s policies—I absolutely essential to keep the peace process didn’t particularly disagree with them, either, alive, because the previous understandings by the way, in Somalia and one or two other had come to the end of their rope and they places—but I didn’t really believe it was an had to stay on the process, it was obvious option to reverse them, because our Govern- to me that we had come to the end of our ment was committed. And I think it’s very capacity to stay in the peace process with just 96 Jan. 11 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 important that we—except in the most ex- about the Palestinian problem on its own treme circumstances—maintain some con- merits, and said, ‘‘Well, our real interests are tinuity in foreign policy and in our commit- in the geopolitics of the oil-producing states ments to other countries. and the problems created by the lack of an But President-elect Bush is in no way, agreement with Syria.’’ shape, or form bound by the positions I’ve And by the way, I’m fairly optimistic that taken on this Middle East agreement, unless there will be an agreement between Israel there is some agreement. and Syria sometime in the not-too-distant fu- Q. Do you think that’ll happen? ture, and I don’t think there would be much The President. I just don’t know. You difference in the policy positions taken by know, it’s a very difficult-to-predict situation. Likud or a Labor government on Syria, or All the odds say no, but there are reasons by my administration or the incoming admin- why they are both working to get this done. istration. We worked this hard, I mean, for In all my 8 years of service as President, I’ve years. And I think if the late President Asad never seen a situation quite like this, where hadn’t kind of felt he was not in the best the circumstances, including my short time of health and was not—that they wanted to in office, seemed unfavorable, but the deter- freeze things in place, and if he can secure mination of the main players seems strong, his son’s accession, we might well have been in fact, maybe even intensified. So we’ll just able to do a peace agreement when I met have to see what happens. with him in Switzerland shortly before his I’m trying to keep myself free of expecta- death. So I expect that I don’t think there tion one way or the other, and to do whatever will be much difference there. I can to try to help end the violence—and So even if it’s not a priority for you because we had a good day today—and just create it looks like a morass that can’t be solved the conditions in which, if they’re willing, in a small place with people that don’t have they can do as much as they can do. And a state, don’t have nuclear arms, don’t have we’ll just have to see what happens. I don’t an air force, don’t have an army, inevitably think we can predict it. what we always get back to is that the ab- Q. Do you think the incoming Bush peo- sence of an agreement with the Palestinians ple will be as interested in pursuing this as and the absence of a stable situation between you have been? Israel and the Palestinians infects the other The President. Well, I think they will be countries and their capacity to relate to us very interested in stability and peace in the over the long run. Middle East. Their orientation has been a And particularly as these other countries little more toward, you know, the Gulf, the have more and more young people who are oil-producing states, honoring our historic more and more drawn to the sympathetic— commitments to Israel to maintain their drawn with a sympathetic ear to the claims qualitative military capacity. of the Palestinians, and they have more dem- But to be fair, the previous Bush adminis- onstrations in these other countries and more tration took a pretty strong line on expanded unrest in these other countries, I think that settlements after the Madrid talks started in our concern for stability in our relations with the hope that they could help to create the the Saudis, with the Kuwaitis, with not letting conditions in which the Palestinians and the Saddam Hussein develop weapons of mass Israelis could move toward peace. destruction again, the whole range of con- So I think that there may be differences cerns that any American administration in approach and priorities that the President would have to have leads you back down to and the Vice President and Secretary Powell the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and trying to will have to work through. But my guess is get to the end of the road there. I mean, that their general direction will be the same, I just think you do. because in the end, what happens is—let’s I think that that’s why I made the speech assume—and I’m not saying this, because I I did to the Israeli Policy Forum the other don’t believe this—but listen, even if you had night. I waited until the very end, and until, an administration that didn’t really care essentially, I had put these parameters out Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 / Jan. 11 97 before saying that, because I don’t believe many different groups that can paralyze the an American President should try to impose process with acts of terror or violence that or create a peace between these two parties. close the borders, that stop everything, that The questions go too much to the heart of wreck the economy, and that kind of burn their respective sense of national identities, the bridges of trust that get built up when their cultural identity, their whole set of reli- things are going okay for a year or so. I think gious convictions. it’s more like an abscessed tooth. So that’s So all I said in these parameters and all why I decided to make the speech I gave I meant to say in the Israel Policy Forum at the Israel Policy Forum. speech is, ‘‘Look, I’ve been listening to these But they don’t have to do that. They could people for 8 years, and I’ve studied these reach another accommodation. They could issues as closely, I believe, as any American say, ‘‘Okay, we can’t do this whole thing, but President ever has, down to the maps, the we can’t just rest on Oslo plus Wye River, settlement locations, the maps of the city of so we have to do this,’’ whatever this is. And Jerusalem, the whole thing. My best judg- they could do that. ment is if there ever is going to be a com- But I think any Israeli leader would have prehensive agreement, it will have to look to see that, and I think in the end, any Amer- something like this.’’ And you know, that’s ican Government will come back to a con- not the only option. In other words, they cern for it, if for no other reason than a desire could do what they did at Wye River. They to have stability in the region. could say, ‘‘Okay, here’s the next chapter, and this is what we’re going to do.’’ Tax Cut/National Economy But the real problem with the sort of se- quencing of interim steps is that, at least so Q. Let me turn you quickly to the econ- far, because of all the other very complex omy. The Republicans are talking about a forces going on there, these steps have not retroactive tax cut. You’ve got an economic brought sufficient stability to the relationship statement tomorrow. Are the factors there, and to the climate within the Palestinian is the evidence there strong enough that areas or within Israel that there can be a there’s a downturn going on and we need long-term sort of set of nonpolitical measures this retroactive tax cut? that lead to progress—which is exactly the The President. Well, first of all, the blue reverse of the Irish situation. chip forecast, I think, is for 2.6 percent And you may have heard me say this be- growth, which is enough growth to keep the fore, but the difference is, in Ireland—I may unemployment rate at about 4 percent. And have said this in the Israel Policy Forum that really doesn’t surprise me. When I saw speech, I can’t remember—but my physical the initial estimates, which were about 3.4 analogy is, some unsolved problems are like percent, I thought they were a tad high be- scabs on a wound. If you leave them alone, cause we’ve been growing for a couple of they’ll heal. Some are like an abscessed tooth. years at nearly 5 percent, which is, for an If you leave it alone, it will get lots worse. advanced economy of our size, it’s just vir- In Ireland, because the underlying eco- tually unprecedented. You simply couldn’t nomic circumstances are dramatically im- sustain it at that rate. So I think that the ex- proved and because there has been a dra- pansion can be continued. matic increase in interpersonal contact which On the other hand, there’s been a fairly is positive, and because while there is a small sharp drop in stock values, and that takes a terrorist group that is still trying to upset the lot of wealth out of the economy, and eventu- Irish thing, it’s much more contained, the ab- ally, that backs down into lower consumption sence of final resolution of the thorny polit- and orders and things like that. So you see, ical issues is unlikely to crater the situation. for example, real problems in the steel indus- In the Middle East, the per capita income try today at a time when steel imports are of most Palestinians is the same or lower than also dropping. So it’s not like the ’97 crisis it was when we signed the agreement on the where—the crisis in Asia and Russia led peo- White House Lawn, because there are so ple to try to flood the market in America with 98 Jan. 11 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 bargain basement prices. Here, you’ve got an and less of the other. But the real—what I overall problem. would be thinking about if I were in that So I think I’ve always believed that a tax position is, what is the aggregate amount cut should be part of the next budget. I we’re going to commit here, particularly on thought it should have been part of the last the tax cut side, because it’s not like—you budget. It can be a little bigger than the one don’t have to repeat spending in years 2, 3, that I proposed, because the surplus has and 4. You can cut spending if times are been written up some—the estimated sur- tough. We’ve proved that. But once the tax plus. Although I think it’s very important that money—once you cut the taxes, that’s nor- they go back and subtract from the estimated mally gone. It’s hard to raise taxes when surplus the 10-year costs of the budget we times are tough. just adopted, because it’s the best education So what I hope is, I think they ought to budget, for example, that we’ve had in my have a tax cut of some magnitude, but I think 8 years. There’s about a 15 percent increase they ought to save back enough to keep on in education. But you have to prorate that the track of paying down the debt, which also out, and President-elect Bush has said he’s gives you the protection down the road. very interested in continuing to support edu- Someday, surely, the expansion will come to cation, even though he wants to kind of rear- an end, but I don’t think it has to come any range the deck chairs on how we allocated time soon. And when it does, the more we it—which is, you know, that’s up to him and pay the debt down, the more free we will the Congress. They’ll have to work that out. be then to have a substantial tax cut to help So I think the question is not so much the country in a recession—when that hap- whether one is warranted but what kind of pens sometime in the future—without having tax cut should it be, and how big should it an adverse impact on interest rates. be? My concern—what I have believed in— So I don’t think there’s any question that I said this back during the campaign period they can have a tax cut. It could be fairly so I can reiterate it—my view is that it should sizable. I think it’s appropriate. But I just not be so large as to preclude our continued think you don’t want it so big that it takes ability to pay down the debt and to stay more you off the path of getting us out of debt, or less on the track we’re on to get the debt because the mental knowledge that that’s the down over the next 10 years, because if the path we’re on keeps interest rates low. markets perceive that we’re going back into The average American family now is saving deficits, that would lead to an increase in in- $2,000 a year on a home mortgage, as com- terest rates, which would wipe out the impact pared to where we were back in ’93. Long- of a tax cut for most Americans—even term interest rates are 2 percent lower than wealthy Americans, because it could have a when I took office, even though we’ve had depressing impact on the market, and it cer- an 8-year expansion, which is unheard of. tainly would increase the cost of business You normally wouldn’t have that. And paying borrowing and tend to slow down the growth down the debt has a huge impact on that, of the economy. because it frees up more and more money So the trick is—that also, by the way, every year to borrow in the private sector, would foreclose—this is what happened to and interest rates are lower than they would me when I got in. I didn’t have the option be if the Government were competing. to do what Americans would normally—the And let me also say there’s something else Government would normally do in a reces- that we should keep in mind. The more you sion, which is to have a substantial tax cut pay down the debt, the lower your interest and pump the thing back up, because the bill is. I think this year we’ve got interest deficit was so big, it would just have caused payments on the debt down under 12 cents interest rates to skyrocket. on the dollar. But they were at 13 or some- So the trick for the incoming administra- thing, headed north, when I took office. tion—they have lots of options here. They Let’s say we went—I’m making this up, can spend money; they can cut taxes; they of course—let’s say we went 4 or 5 more can do more of one or less of the other— years on the same tack, and we got interest Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 / Jan. 11 99 on the debt down to 6 cents on the dollar. can’t possibly know who might have missiles That’s a huge amount of money that is freed in the future. So I think we’re almost morally up every year for either investment in our obligated to continue to try to develop this future or for tax cuts. And you have more kind of system. However, if we deploy the and more and more flexibility. system in a way that leads to more prolifera- Anyway, that’s kind of a long-winded an- tion and more insecurity, that’s very prob- swer, but it’s a very, very important subject, lematic. And it’s one of the things that I had and I’ve thought about it a lot. to consider, that if we just set it up, even Q. Can I just—another foreign policy if we were worried about North Korea and question—one more question. the Middle East, if the Chinese interpreted The President. Go ahead. it as a move to try to contain them, even though there’s no way we could—even if they National Missile Defense have just 50 missiles, that’s more than—or Q. On NMD, which has become topical two dozen, whatever they’ve got—two dozen now with the Bush administration and Rums- I guess, more or less—they might decide that feld’s hearings today, do you regret at all now they need 300. making it a commitment of the United If they did that, the Indians would decide States, since some diplomacy efforts, like that they needed more, under the present with Korea, are working out? And is it just state of play between the two countries. If going to create more problems with China, they did that, the Pakistanis would certainly Russia in the future? build more. And circumstances that exist on The President. Well, I think I made the the Indian Subcontinent are not as stable as right decision not to deploy. And I think that those which existed between the United I made the right decision to continue the re- States and the Soviet Union during the cold search program. And I hope that’s what they war, or that exists today between the United will do. States and Russia. And by the way, I expect It’s not clear to me exactly how they’re that there will be a further reduction in nu- going to operationalize their commitment. clear warheads by both countries. That’s one That is, because in the campaign, the Presi- thing I think the Bush administration will be dent-elect said that he would do this if it in a position to do, because of the develop- could be developed, whether anybody else ment of our relationships, I’ll be—I expect liked it or not, which bothered some people. that President Putin and then-President But he also—the ‘‘it’’ that he was trying to Bush will be successful in continuing to re- develop was a system that was, in effect, duce the nuclear arsenals. But you don’t want more comprehensive than the more limited to have all this sort of uncontrolled instability one that could have been deployed in the in some other part of the world. timeframes we were talking about during my But there’s a way to continue to work the tenure. So it may be that what he will decide missile defense issue, and then there would to do is to intensify research. be a way to put it at the service of all coun- Look, if we actually knew we had the tech- tries, the technology, which is what President nology to take missiles out of the sky, even Reagan used to talk about when he was talk- assuming that we get this agreement with ing about the Star Wars in the sky and all North Korea—which I think we will get, on of that. Philosophically, he had an idea of freezing the missile production, not selling making it available to all countries so that missiles. I think that will come. That’s teed no one would be any more at risk, including up, and I believe the Bush administration will from us. see it as a great opportunity. And I think it But that technology is not out there now. will be one seized within the first few months We’re talking about technology to stop the of the incoming administration. I think it will accidental launch or a terrorist or a country be one of their first achievements, because with two or three missiles that could lob it’s set, and I think it will happen. them at you. Two or three missiles could do But even if that happens, with the pro- a world of damage on the United States or liferation of technology around the world, we someone else. 100 Jan. 11 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001

So I just think—I think that I left it with person not to have that kind of support for a maximum number of options for the next too many years in life. So I’m kind of looking administration. I’ve tried to leave the econ- forward to it. omy with maximum number of options in good shape, and I think this program gives Socks them the maximum number of options. Q. What about Socks? What’s going to And I think—again, you know, we all say happen to Socks? things in campaigns, and then you get to be The President. Well, I don’t know. You President and it looks a little different. Presi- know, I made more progress in the Middle dents pretty much do what they promise to East than I did between Socks and Buddy. do in campaigns, but sometimes when you [Laughter] And I don’t know that I’ve got turn an idea into an operation, when you enough space and enough help when I’m operationalize your views, the world looks gone to keep them both away from one an- different when you’re sitting behind the desk other and keep them both happy. in the Oval Office than it did when you were But I still haven’t quite resolved what to running for the job. It just does. And that’s do. I love that old cat. You know, we picked no criticism of him. They’re the same things him up as sort of a half stray in Arkansas, that looked different to me when I got there. and I hate to give him up. But Betty loves And so I just—it’s a big issue, but it will him. Half the White House loves the cat, and be closely covered and widely debated, and the other half loves the dog. I hope it will be resolved in an appropriate Q. You can’t break them up into that many way. But I do think that the research should pieces. continue. The President. No, no. I’m sure going to take—I know I’ll take Buddy, because I slept President’s Future Plans with him for 16 months all during the Senate Q. How are you going to feel on January campaign. He was with me all the time. 21st? You wake up Sunday morning, you [Laughter] I can’t live without him. won’t be President. But I really—I’ve even talked to some of Q. In Chappaqua. the guys, a couple of the guys at the White The President. I’m not sure. But I’ll say House are quite good at training pets, and this, right now, I just feel very at peace and we’ve all kind of tried to work at this. None of us have been able to figure out how to very grateful. And I’m going to start thinking actually get them in peaceful coexistence. about the rest of my life. Every stage of my I feel of all the skills I learned as President life has been rewarding and good. And I’ve in bringing these people together, I didn’t been so fortunate, and it’s a real challenge. do very well with that. [Laughter] I’m just going to try to imagine how I can Q. It’s been a pleasure, Mr. President. make the most of it. I’m kind of looking for- Q. Thank you. ward to it. I don’t expect that I’ll have sort The President. Thanks, Steve. of prolonged periods of semi-depression be- Q. Thank you very much, sir. cause I’m not President anymore. The President. You guys have been great. Q. Withdrawal pains? The President. Yes. I was only halfway NOTE: The interview began at 11:37 p.m. aboard kidding when I told the church the other day Air Force One en route to Andrews Air Force that I expected to be disoriented when I go Base, MD. In his remarks, the President referred into big rooms and nobody plays a song any- to President Kim Dae-jung of South Korea; Gov- more. [Laughter] I mean, I’m sure there will ernor Gray Davis of California; Gore 2000 cam- be somehow some kind of things that will paign director William M. Daley and his brother, be tough, and I’ll have to learn how to be Mayor Richard M. Daley of Chicago; former Min- ister of Foreign Affairs Ariel Sharon and former a real citizen all over again, but that’s good. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu of Israel; The Presidency is what was so well taken President-elect George W. Bush; Vice President- care of, and a lot of the cares of normal daily elect Dick Cheney; Secretary of State-designate life that I never had to think about when Colin L. Powell; President Bashar al-Asad of Syria, I was in office. It’s probably healthy for a son of the late President Hafiz al-Asad; President Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 / Jan. 12 101

Saddam Hussein of Iraq; President Vladimir Putin the present. And we’re on track that was un- of Russia; and Betty Currie, the President’s per- imaginable 8 years ago when I first came sonal secretary. A tape was not available for here, to get America out of debt at the end verification of the content of this interview. of this decade. The evidence in this report shows that Remarks on the 2001 Economic maintaining the path of fiscal discipline is Report and an Exchange With critical to keeping America on the path of economic progress. Fiscal discipline has al- Reporters lowed the energy and entrepreneurship of January 12, 2001 the American people to increase investment, productivity, and living standards. Fiscal re- The President. Good morning. Today I’m sponsibility has given us lower interest rates, sending my eighth and final economic report which by the end of the year will be—excuse prepared by the Council of Economic Advis- me—has given us not only lower interest ers. I want to thank Dr. Martin Baily, rates; it’s given us surpluses that by the end Katheryn Shaw, Robert Lawrence, and the of the year will have permitted us to pay CEA staff for their fine work in analyzing down about $560 billion off the national America’s new economy. debt. And I think all of us are very proud I also want to thank Secretary Summers, that we can leave that legacy to the incoming Gene Sperling, Jack Lew, Sylvia Mathews, administration and to the children of this my entire economic team for all they have country. done these last 8 years to turn our country More important in an economic sense, around and move us forward together. perhaps, is that it has lowered interest rates. Over the last 8 years, these annual eco- By having the Government pay back debt in- nomic reports have helped to tell America’s stead of borrow more money, you have lower story—a story of prosperity and progress, of interest rates for business loans, college the hard work of our people, and the results loans, home loans, car loans. It amounts, on of policies rooted in common values and the average, to $2,000 in mortgage payment common sense. The message of this final re- savings a year for the average family, $200 port is clear: The economy remains strong, in car payments, $200 in college loan pay- on a sound foundation, with a bright future. ments. It has also given us higher growth. Eight years ago it was a very different Now, over the last couple of years, the story, with 10 million of our fellow citizens economy was growing at a blistering pace. out of work, high interest rates, low con- Everyone knew that the rate of growth would fidence, a deficit that was $290 billion and ease off. But that is not to say that the evi- rising, a debt that had quadrupled in the pre- dence suggests anything other than that the vious 12 years. The new course we charted expansion will and should continue. to eliminate the deficit, invest in education So that’s the context in which we have and the American people’s future, and open tried to work for 8 years and the options that overseas markets for America’s products has we leave to our successors. And there are worked. Year-in and year-out, we have re- many options. I have repeatedly said America sisted politically attractive but economically can afford a tax cut. But I do not believe unwise temptations to veer from the path of that the tax cut plus whatever spending plans fiscal discipline. there will be should be so large as to take We have in the course of this effort turned us off the path of fiscal discipline, for a sim- the record deficits into record surpluses and ple reason—paying down the debt keeps in- produced the longest economic expansion in terest rates lower. That means stronger busi- history. We have not only had 221⁄2 million nesses, higher incomes, more jobs, a stronger new jobs and the lowest unemployment in market. Keeping those long-term rates down 30 years; we’ve been able to add to the life is profoundly important. of both Medicare and Social Security to help So what I would hope for the future when ease the burden on future generations, and the Congress deliberates this and the Presi- make the long-term solutions less difficult in dent makes his proposal—the details are up 102 Jan. 12 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 to them; I’m moving out of the policy busi- because the evidence was not clear that there ness in just a few days here—but I would was responsibility for wrongdoing high hope that the combined total of the tax cut enough in the chain of command in the Army and the spending plans would not be so large to say that, in effect, the Government was as to call our commitment to fiscal discipline responsible. I think that was the real issue. into question in a way that would run the But I don’t think—from a purely human risk of returning to on-budget deficits, higher point of view, I don’t think there’s any dif- interest rates, and in the process, would drain ference in the fact that we know things hap- away the savings that will be needed to deal pened which should not have happened. with the Social Security and Medicare chal- Things were done which should not have lenges the retirement of the baby boomers been done. Innocent people died, and others will present. were wounded. Their families were wounded Eight years of responsible budgets and fis- and remain wounded to the present day, and cal responsibility have put our country in a we are profoundly sorry about that. position to take advantage of our long-term So I don’t think in terms of the human opportunities and to meet our long-term impact and the acknowledgement that things challenges. It’s a path that I hope we’ll be that happened that shouldn’t have happened able to stay on. I would like it very much that were wrong, I don’t think there is any if our country were debt-free by the end of difference. this decade, for the first time since 1835. And I certainly told the investigators I Even more, I would like it if we were able didn’t want the investigation whitewashed. to free up 11 cents on the dollar of the Fed- We did our best to find out what happened eral budget to deal with Social Security, and to determine the facts as best we could. Medicare, invest in education, and provide And we issued a joint statement and sort of further tax cuts in the future. path of proceeding with the Korean Govern- So I think we’re in good shape. I think ment—I talked to President Kim last night I’m leaving with all options open. And the about it—and we’ve done our best to do the only cautionary point I want to make is, I right thing. think that the combined impact of spending and tax cuts, I would hope, would not be President-Elect Bush’s Comments on the such as to prevent us from continuing to pay Economy down this debt, so we can keep interest rates Q. Do you believe that President-elect low and the economy strong over the long Bush’s comments about the economy, slow- run. ing economy, and the Vice President’s com- Thank you. ments about that the economy is possibly heading towards recession is actually a self- No Gun Ri fulfilling prophecy and perhaps potentially Q. Mr. President, survivors of the No Gun dangerous talk? Ri killing say that the U.S. report is a white- The President. Well, I don’t want to get wash and that your statement of regret does into characterizing that. I think it’s not wise not offer a sincere apology. How do you re- for me to do that, and not appropriate. I can spond to that criticism? And did you intend only tell you what I’ve tried to do for 8 years. your statement of regret to be an apology? What I’ve tried to do for 8 years is to level The President. Well, I think on a personal with the American people based on the evi- basis, as I said yesterday, I don’t think there dence and to be conservative in my estimates is any difference in the two words. They both when it came to the tax cuts I advocated and mean that we are profoundly sorry for what the spending I advocated. happened and that things happened which The evidence is, the blue chip consensus were wrong. is for growth of about 2.6 percent next year, I think the word which was agreed on, slightly slower in the first half of the year working with the Koreans, pursuing the in- and more robust in the second half. And they vestigations, was thought to be appropriate have written that down from a previous pro- in a, if you will, a legal and a political sense, jection of something over 3 percent. Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 / Jan. 12 103

If we grow at 2.6 percent, then the unem- Lt. Comdr. Michael S. Speicher ployment rate should stay around where it Q. Mr. President, how is the United States is now and we will continue to create new going to get Iraq to give up information about jobs. So that’s what the evidence is today. Lt. Commander Speicher? And if the evidence changes, then everyone The President. Well, we’re working on should look at what the facts are and act in that. Let me just say to all of you, I agreed an appropriate way. But the experts who with the decision to take his name off the make a living doing this believe the economy killed in action list and put it on the missing will grow at 2.6 percent next year, slightly in action list. I think it was the right decision. slower in the first 6 months, slightly more But I do not want to raise false hopes here. robust in the second 6 months. We do not have hard evidence that he is alive. We have some evidence that what had Middle East Peace Process been assumed to be the evidence that he was Q. On the Middle East, can you say, hav- lost in action is not so. And we’re going to ing heard from what the Israelis and Palestin- do our best to find out if he is alive, and ians discussed at Erez, that it’s now—there’s if he is, to get him out—because as a uni- no hope of an agreement on your watch be- formed service person, he should have been tween the two? Have you given up hope on released by now if he is alive. that? 2000 Presidential Election The President. No, but I’ve not tried to raise hopes, either. They are—they have a Q. Mr. President, were you trying to call surprising amount of agreement and a few into question the legitimacy of the Bush intense points of controversy. And I think Presidency with your remarks the other that there are all kinds of reasons why an night? agreement on the big issues has always been The President. In Chicago? No, I was try- ing to have a little fun with Bill Daley. I kind of against the odds. But they have con- mean, we were there in Chicago, he had just tinued to try, and they’re trying now in a cli- introduced his brother, a bunch of his family mate which is much less negative than just members were there, all of his friends were a few days ago and the preceding weeks. there, he’d been out of Chicago for some- So this is really up to them. I’m working time, and I was trying to say what a good hard on it, and I’m spending time on it every job he had done running the campaign. And day. But they have to decide. And I think we were all just having a good time. It was the United States will be very supportive of all in good fun, and everybody laughed about them if they do decide to do it. And I’ll do it, and most everybody agreed with what I whatever I can to help. said who was there, because it was all a bunch of Democrats, as you would expect. James Riady But there was no—I intended to have no impact on that. Let me go back—I have Q. Sir, can you tell us what your relation- nothing to add on that question to what I ship was with James Riady, and are you con- said after the Vice President made his state- cerned at all by his decision to plead guilty ment. We accept the decision of the Su- to a campaign finance offense and pay a large preme Court. It is the way our system works. fine? And it’s not the first time or probably the The President. Well, I knew him when last time the Supreme Court will make a de- he was in Arkansas and when he owned— cision with which I do not agree, but I did his family owned part of a bank there, and not call into question his legitimacy. I was I’ve kept up with him since. And I have— having a good, old-fashioned little bit of fun no, I’m not at all concerned about it. I think with Bill Daley and his brother and his that—I think people should know what our friends and my friends in Chicago. We were campaign finance laws are and should obey just having a good time, and I was trying to them. say that I thought he did a fine job running 104 Jan. 12 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 the Vice President’s campaign, and I do think tor William M. Daley; and Mayor Richard M. that. And I think he did a fine job. Daley of Chicago.

President’s Future Plans Q. Mr. President, after the inauguration, you’re going to Chappaqua, is that correct? Digest of Other The President. Absolutely. White House Announcements Q. Are you coming back to Washington or going to Arkansas or staying in New York? The President. I’m going to live in New The following list includes the President’s public York. But I will come—and Hillary and I will schedule and other items of general interest an- spend weekends in New York, and every now nounced by the Office of the Press Secretary and and then I hope I can come down here and not included elsewhere in this issue. see her in the week. But if I get in the news- papers, I probably won’t come anymore. I’d like to keep an appropriate low profile for January 6 some time. I think it’s important. And I want In the morning, the President and Chelsea to take a couple of months to rest. I’ve been Clinton visited the National Zoo, where they working for 27 years now, pretty hard, and viewed the zoo’s new pair of giant panda I want to rest a little while and really think bears. about the rest of my life and how I can serve best. And that’s what I want to do. January 7 So I’ll be mostly in New York. I’ll be going In the afternoon, the President and Hillary to Arkansas to get my library project up and Clinton traveled to New York City, and in going and trying to think through exactly how the evening, they traveled to Chappaqua, I’m going to do my foundation work, my serv- NY. ice work. And we’ll have a transition office here for 6 months, as all former Presidents January 8 do, and then I’ll have an office in New York In the morning, the President returned to City after that and maybe before 6 months Washington, DC. is up. The President announced his intention to Thank you very much. reappoint Birch Bayh as a member of the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Socks Board. Q. Are you really giving Socks away? The President announced his intention to The President. Oh, I don’t know. I did reappoint Barbaralee Diamonstein- better with the Arabs—the Palestinians and Spielvogel as a member of the Commission the Israelis than I’ve done with Socks and of Fine Arts. Buddy. [Laughter] And I won’t have as much The President announced his intention to space or as much help in managing them, reappoint Nina J. Stewart as a member of so I’m trying to figure out whether I can do the Security Policy Advisory Board. it. Because I’ve had that cat a long time. You The President announced his intention to know, we took him in as a stray back in Ar- appoint Dean R. O’Hare as a member of the kansas, and I hate to give him up, although Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Betty and a lot of other people here in the Negotiations. White House really love him. It’s just another The President announced his intention to one of those places where I haven’t yet made appoint Esteban E. Torres as a member of peace. But I’ve got 8 days. [Laughter] the Fannie Mae Board of Directors. Thank you. The President declared a major disaster in Texas and ordered Federal aid to supplement NOTE: The President spoke at 11:10 a.m. on the State and local recovery efforts in the area South Grounds at the White House. In his re- struck by a severe winter ice storm beginning marks, he referred to Gore 2000 campaign direc- on December 12, 2000, and continuing. Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 105

January 9 Nominations In the morning, the President traveled to Submitted to the Senate East Lansing, MI, and in the afternoon, he traveled to Chicago, IL. In the evening, the President returned to The following list does not include promotions of Washington, DC. members of the Uniformed Services, nominations to the Service Academies, or nominations of For- eign Service officers. January 10 The President declared a disaster in Michigan and ordered Federal aid to supple- Submitted January 3 * ment State and local recovery areas in the Bonnie J. Campbell, areas struck by record/near record snow on of Iowa, to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the December 11–31, 2000. Eighth Circuit, vice George G. Fagg, retired. The White House announced that the President will travel to Little Rock, AR, on James E. Duffy, Jr., January 17 to address a joint session of the of Hawaii, to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Arkansas General Assembly. Ninth Circuit, vice Cynthia Holcomb Hall, The White House announced that the retired. President and Hillary Clinton will travel to Chappaqua, NY, on January 20, following the Barry P. Goode, Inauguration. of California, to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit, vice Charles E. Wiggins, retired. January 11 In the morning, the President traveled to Roger L. Gregory, Dover, NH, and in the afternoon, he traveled of Virginia, to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the to Manchester, NH. Later, the President Fourth Circuit, a new position to which posi- traveled to Boston, MA. tion he was appointed during the last recess In the evening, the President returned to of the Senate. Washington, DC. Kathleen McCree Lewis, of Michigan, to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the January 12 Sixth Circuit, vice Cornelia G. Kennedy, re- In the morning, the President traveled to tired. Bethesda, MD, for his annual physical exam- ination at the Bethesda Naval Hospital. Enrique Moreno, In the afternoon, the President returned of Texas, to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the to Washington, DC, and later, he and Hillary Fifth Circuit, vice William L. Garwood, re- Clinton went to Camp David, MD. tired. In the evening, the President and Hillary Clinton returned to Washington, DC. Helene N. White, The President announced his intention to of Michigan, to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the appoint Arthur Chapa as a member of the Sixth Circuit, vice Damon J. Keith, retired. U.S. Military Academy Board of Visitors. Sarah L. Wilson, The President announced his intention to of Maryland, to be a Judge of the U.S. Court appoint Raymond Gilmartin, Jessica Mat- of Federal Claims for a term of 15 years, thews, and Stephen Brobeck as members to vice Loren A. Smith, term expired. the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations. James A. Wynn, Jr., The President declared a major disaster in of North Carolina, to be U.S. Circuit Judge Louisiana and ordered Federal aid to supple- for the Fourth Circuit, vice James Dickson ment State and local recovery efforts in the Phillips, Jr., retired. area struck by a severe winter ice storm be- ginning on December 11, 2000, and con- * These nominations were not received in time tinuing through January 3, 2001. for inclusion in the appropriate issue. 106 Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001

Submitted January 4 * May 19, 2004, vice Duane H. King, term ex- pired, to which position he was appointed H. Alston Johnson III, during the last recess of the Senate. of Louisiana, to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Fifth Circuit, vice John M. Duhe, Jr., Ron Chew, retired. of Washington, to be a member of the Na- tional Council on the Humanities for a term Submitted January 5 * expiring January 26, 2006, vice Robert I. Rotberg, term expired, to which position he James V. Aidala, was appointed during the last recess of the of Virginia, to be Assistant Administrator for Senate. Toxic Substances of the Environmental Pro- tection Agency, vice Lynn R. Goldman, to Edward Correia, which position he was appointed during the of Maryland, to be a member of the National last recess of the Senate. Council on Disability for a term expiring September 17, 2002, vice Michael B. Nina M. Archabal, Unhjem, term expired, to which position he of Minnesota, to be a member of the Na- was appointed during the last recess of the tional Council on the Humanities for a term Senate. expiring January 26, 2006, vice Nicholas Kanellos, term expired, to which position she George Darden, was appointed to during the last recess of of Georgia, to be a member of the Board the Senate. of Directors of the Overseas Private Invest- ment Corporation the term expiring Decem- James H. Atkins, ber 17, 2003, vice Zell Miller, to which posi- of Arkansas, to be a member of the Federal tion he was appointed during the last recess Retirement Thrift Investment Board for a of the Senate. term expiring September 25, 2004, to which position he was appointed during the last re- Dennis M. Devaney, cess of the Senate. of Michigan, to be a member of the U.S. International Trade Commission for a term Geoff Bacino, expiring December 16, 2009, vice Thelma J. of Illinois, to be a member of the National Askey, term expired, to which position he was Credit Union Administration Board for the appointed during the last recess of the Sen- term of 6 years expiring August 2, 2005, vice ate. Norman E. D’Amours, term expired, to which position he was appointed during the James F. Dobbins, last recess of the Senate. of New York, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Minister-Counselor, Betty G. Bengtson, to be an Assistant Secretary of State (Euro- of Washington, to be a member of the Na- pean Affairs), vice Marc Grossman, resigned, tional Council on the Humanities for a term to which position he was appointed during expiring January 26, 2006, vice Ramon A. the last recess of the Senate. Gutierrez, term expired, to which position she was appointed during the last recess of James A. Dorskind, the Senate. of California, to be General Counsel of the Department of Commerce, vice Andrew J. Allen E. Carrier, Pincus, resigned, to which position he was of the District of Columbia, to be a member appointed during the last recess of the Sen- of the Board of Trustees of the Institute of ate. American Indian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development for a term expiring Bill Duke, of the District of Columbia, to be a member * These nominations were not received in time of the National Council on the Humanities for inclusion in the appropriate issue. for a term expiring January 26, 2006, vice Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 107

Charles Patrick Henry, term expired, to Donald L. Fixico, which position he was appointed during the of Kansas, to be a member of the National last recess of the Senate. Council on the Humanities for a term expir- ing January 26, 2004, vice Alan Charles Kors, Michael V. Dunn, term expired, to which position he was ap- of Iowa, to be a member of the Farm Credit pointed during the last recess of the Senate. Administration Board, Farm Credit Adminis- Gregory M. Frazier, tration, for a term expiring October 13, 2006, of Kansas, to be Chief Agricultural Nego- vice Marsha P. Martin, to which position he tiator, Office of the United States Trade Rep- was appointed during the last recess of the resentative, with the rank of Ambassador, to Senate. which position he was appointed during the last recess of the Senate. Fred P. DuVal, of Arizona, to be a member of the Board Hsin-Ming Fung, of Directors of the Inter-American Founda- of California, to be a member of the National tion for a term expiring October 6, 2002, vice Council on the Arts for a term expiring Sep- Ann Brownell Sloane, term expired, to which tember 3, 2006, vice Speight Jenkins, term position he was appointed during the last re- expired, to which position she was appointed cess of the Senate. during the last recess of the Senate.

Ross Edward Eisenbrey, Henry Glassie, of the District of Columbia, to be member of Indiana, to be a member of the National of the Occupational Safety and Health Re- Council on the Humanities for a term expir- view Commission for a term expiring April ing January 26, 2006, vice Martha Congleton 27, 2005, vice Stuart E. Weisberg, term ex- Howell, term expired, to which position he pired, to which position he was appointed was appointed during the last recess of the during the last recess of the Senate. Senate. James John Hoecker, Jayne G. Fawcett, of Virginia, to be a member of the Federal of Connecticut, to be a member of the Board Energy Regulatory Commission for the term of Trustees of the Institute of American In- expiring June 30, 2005, to which position he dian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts De- was appointed during the last recess of the velopment for a term expiring May 19, 2006, Senate. vice Alfred H. Qoyawayma, term expired, to which position she was appointed during the Paulette H. Holahan, last recess of the Senate. of Louisiana, to be a member of the National Commission on Libraries and Information Toni G. Fay, Science for a term expiring July 19, 2004, of New Jersey, to be a member of the Board vice Mary S. Furlong, term expired, to which of Directors of the Corporation for National position she was appointed during the last and Community Service for a term expiring recess of the Senate. October 6, 2001, vice John Rother, term ex- Elwood Holstein, Jr., pired, to which position she was appointed of New Jersey, to be Assistant Secretary of during the last recess of the Senate. Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, vice Terry D. Garcia, resigned, to which position Anita Perez Ferguson, he was appointed during the last session of of California, to be a member of the Board the Senate. of Directors of the Inter-American Founda- tion for a term expiring September 20, 2006, Mary D. Hubbard, vice Maria Otero, term expired, to which po- of Alabama, to be a member of the National sition she was appointed during the last re- Council on the Humanities for a term expir- cess of the Senate. ing January 26, 2004, vice Theodore S. 108 Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001

Hamerow, term expired, to which position Marilyn Gell Mason, he was appointed during the last recess of of Florida, to be a member of the National the Senate. Commission on Libraries and Information Science for a term expiring July 19, 2003, Timothy Earl Jones, Sr., vice Joel David Valdez, term expired, to of Georgia, to be a Commissioner of the U.S. which position she was appointed during the Parole Commission for a term of 6 years, vice last recess of the Senate. Marie F. Ragghianti, to which position he was appointed during the last recess of the Laramie Faith McNamara, Senate. of Virginia, to be a member of the Foreign Arthenia L. Joyner, Claims Settlement Commission of the of Florida, to be a member of the Federal United States for a term expiring September Aviation Management Advisory Council for 30, 2001, vice John R. Lacey, term expired, a term of one year (new position), to which to which position she was appointed during position she was appointed during the last the last recess of the Senate. recess of the Senate. Allan I. Mendelowitz, John R. Lacey, of Connecticut, to be a Director of the Fed- of Connecticut, to be Chairman of the For- eral Housing Finance Board for a term expir- eign Claims Settlement Commission of the ing February 27, 2007, vice Bruce A. Morri- United States for a term expiring September son, term expired, to which position he was 30, 2003, vice Delissa A. Ridgway, term ex- appointed during the last recess of the Sen- pired, to which position he was appointed ate. during the last recess of the Senate. Miguel D. Lausell, Susan Ness, of Puerto Rico, to be a member of the Board of Maryland, to be a member of the Federal of Directors of the Overseas Private Invest- Communications Commission for a term of ment Corporation for a term expiring De- 5 years from July 1, 1999, to which position cember 17, 2003, vice John Crystal, to which she was appointed during the last recess of position he was appointed during the last re- the Senate. cess of the Senate. Naomi Shihab Nye, Edwin A. Levine, of Texas, to be a member of the National of Florida, to be an Assistant Administrator Council on the Humanities for a term expir- of the Environmental Protection Agency, ing January 26, 2006, vice Bev Lindsey, term vice David Gardiner, resigned, to which posi- expired, to which position she was appointed tion he was appointed during the last recess during the last recess of the Senate. of the Senate. Robert Mays Lyford, David Z. Plavin, of Arkansas, to be a member of the Board of New York, to be a member of the Federal of Directors of the Overseas Private Invest- Aviation Management Advisory Council for ment Corporation for a term expiring De- a term of one year (new position), to which cember 17, 2002, vice Harvey Sigelbaum, position he was appointed during the last re- term expired, to which position he was ap- cess of the Senate. pointed during the last recess of the Senate. Donald L. Robinson, Sheryl R. Marshall, of the District of Columbia, to be a member of Massachusetts, to be a member of the of the National Commission on Libraries and Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board Information Science for a term expiring July for a term expiring October 11, 2002, to 19, 2002, vice Gary N. Sudduth, to which which position she was appointed during the position he was appointed during the last re- last recess of the Senate. cess of the Senate. Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001 109

Peter F. Romero, Released January 6* of Florida, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Minister-Counselor, Transcript of a telephone press briefing by to be an Assistant Secretary of State (Inter- Senior Health Care Policy Adviser Chris Jen- American Affairs), vice Jeffrey Davidow, to nings and a Senior Administration official on which position he was appointed during the the President’s radio address. last recess of the Senate. Released January 10 Vicki L. Ruiz, Transcript of a press briefing by Press Sec- of Arizona, to be a member of the National retary Jake Siewert Council on the Humanities for a term expir- ing January 26, 2006, vice Harold K. Transcript of a telephone press briefing by Skramstad, term expired, to which position National Economic Council Director Gene she was appointed during the last recess of Sperling and Assistant to the President for the Senate. Domestic Policy Bruce Reed on the Presi- dent’s remarks in New Hampshire Barbara J. Sapin, Transcript of a telephone press briefing by of Maryland, to be a member of the Merit Chief of Staff John Podesta, Under Secretary Systems Protection Board for the term of 7 of Commerce Bill Reinsch, and Deputy De- years expiring March 1, 2007, vice Benjamin fense Secretary Rudy de Leon on export con- Leader Erdreich, resigned, to which position trols on high-performance computers she was appointed during the last recess of the Senate. Fact sheet: Export Controls on High Per- formance Computers Gerald S. Segal, Statement by the Press Secretary on Energy of Pennsylvania, to be a member of the Na- Secretary Bill Richardson’s diplomatic efforts tional Council on Disability for a term expir- to increase world oil stocks, reduce market ing September 17, 2003, vice Shirley W. volatility, and improve the market situation Ryan, term expired, to which position he was appointed during the last recess of the Sen- Released January 11 ate. Advance text of remarks by National Security Adviser Samuel Berger on U.S. foreign policy Islam A. Siddiqui, at the Council on Foreign Relations of California, to be Under Secretary of Agri- culture for Marketing and Regulatory Pro- grams, vice Michael V. Dunn, to which posi- Released January 12 tion he was appointed during the last recess of the Senate. Transcript of a press briefing by Dr. Connie Mariano on the President’s annual medical check-up Statement by the Press Secretary on the President’s physical examination at Bethesda Checklist Naval Hospital of White House Press Releases Statement by Martin N. Baily, Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers on the The following list contains releases of the Office 2001 Economic Report of the President of the Press Secretary that are neither printed as items nor covered by entries in the Digest of * This item was made available by the Office Other White House Announcements. of the Press Secretary on January 5 but was em- bargoed for release until 10:06 a.m., January 6. 110 Administration of William J. Clinton, 2001

NOTE: No acts approved by the President were Acts Approved received by the Office of the Federal Register by the President during the period covered by this issue.