1704 Sept. 7 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 1999

Remarks Honoring the 1999 ketball this year?’’ And he said, ‘‘Well, of National Association course.’’ [Laughter] Champion And I don’t think there’s much more you can say. This is a team with enormous talent, September 7, 1999 enormous dedication, a steel will, and a great heart. And they won because they deserved Thank you very much. Please be seated, to win. And I think all of us who love this everyone. sport, not just people from San Antonio or Welcome to the White House. I want to from Texas, were elated by their success, be- say a special word of welcome to , cause they deserved it, and they earned it. to , obviously, to the San An- And I’m glad to welcome them all to the tonio Spurs. We’re also joined today by four White House today. Members of the House of Representatives Thank you very much. from the great State of Texas: Congressmen Gonzalez, Rodriguez, Bonilla, and Edwards. [At this , Peter Holt, chairman, Gregg And we thank them for being here. Popovich, coach and general manager, and I want to acknowledge the team captains, team member Avery Johnson made brief re- Avery Johnson and , who is marks.] the only graduate of the Naval Academy play- You know, there’s a thousand things I’d ing in the NBA. That’s important, because like to say. [Laughter] I identify with a lot I have to stick up for the service academies of people on the scene. You know, when the here. It’s part of my job, you know. [Laugh- commentators kept saying, every time Avery ter] I’d also like to offer a special word of was not guarded, he scored. Did you notice welcome to . He’s had a tough that? And they kept referring to one person few months; we’re glad to see him here. who made the mistake of saying he really Thank you very much. Thank you. didn’t belong in the NBA and could never Everybody who works around here at the lead a team to a championship. You know, White House and who knows me knows that when I was Governor of Arkansas, that’s what I am a basketball fanatic. You know, I live they said about me when I was running for for the NCAA finals and the NBA finals, and President. I identify with that. [Laughter] I follow basketball very closely. And I’ve And then every time things were slightly been fortunate enough to be good friends in doubt, the television camera would do this with two or three reasonably successful bas- close-up on ’s eyes—[laugh- ketball coaches, who have taught me a little ter]—and I knew they were going to win. about the game. I’m trying to develop that killer look. [Laugh- And it’s really—it’s a lot like politics. You ter] We’re about to enter all these tough get ahead, and then you get behind. [Laugh- budget negotiations, and I’m trying to vis- ter] Then you try to get ahead again. And ualize what Duncan looked like when it got normally, you don’t know whether you’re really close, you know. [Laughter] But if any going to win until right before the end of of you guys want to stay around and help the game. me through the next month, you’re welcome And I like this team. They started 6 and to do it. [Laughter] Government scale’s a lit- 8, and finished 46 and 7. And when we were tle low for you, but it’s rewarding work— watching the NBA, the semifinals and the it’s rewarding work. [Laughter] finals—and I always have people come over Let me just say one thing, seriously. I don’t and watch the games with us—and one night want to talk about the contents of it. But one Hillary and I were watching with a bunch of the most interesting telephone conversa- of our friends, one of whom was from one tions I ever had in my life—with someone of the other towns you were playing, Coach. I had never met, especially—was with Coach [Laughter] And he kept cheering and cheer- Popovich, when I called to congratulate him. ing and cheering. And finally, Hillary looked And I realized that he was a man with a keen at him and said, ‘‘Now, tell the truth. Don’t understanding of human nature, and the you think the Spurs are the best team in bas- human spirit, and what it really takes to make

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good things happen. And I want to thank you the world, including places where Internet publicly for that conversation and for your access has been limited, so that a farmer in remembering what we talked about as we Africa can find out more about fighting walked in today. I’d say you’ve got a good drought; a woman hoping to start a business chance to repeat. in Bangladesh can find investors from other Thank you very much. countries; a school in Indiana can raise money for a school in Indonesia. NOTE: The President spoke at 6:08 p.m. in the I commend all the sponsors of NetAid for East Room at the White House. In his remarks, their generosity and vision. And like millions he referred to team members Sean Elliott and Tim Duncan. of people, I’m looking forward to the simulta- neous concerts on October 9th. Some people say the rise of the Internet Satellite Remarks Launching will inevitably bring the world together; some the NetAid Website say it will inevitably widen the gap between September 8, 1999 rich and poor nations. But nothing is inevi- table. We have a choice about the future we Thank you, Mr. Secretary-General. I am will build. NetAid sends a powerful signal delighted to share this historic moment with that we intend to make the Internet an in- you, with President Mandela, with Prime strument for bettering all our lives, not just Minister Blair, and all our friends supporting those wealthy enough to afford a computer. NetAid. The millennium should be a time for joining The launching of this website represents and common purpose. Today we do just that. a truly important new front in the struggle NetAid will make our global village more re- against poverty. Information technology has sponsible and a lot more global. been vital to the prosperity achieved by many Now, it is my honor to be the first person nations this decade, including ours. The peo- from North America to log on to the site. ple of the world have never communicated And thank you very much. better or more easily, and that has spurned Back to you, Mr. Secretary-General. countless new ideas and opportunities. But it’s also a fact that this prosperity has NOTE: The President spoke by satellite at 12:20 been very uneven within and among coun- p.m. from Room 459 in the Old Executive Office tries. The democratic promise of the Inter- Building. In his remarks, he referred to U.N. Sec- net, therefore, is not yet fulfilled, because retary-General Kofi Annan; former President Nelson Mandela of South Africa; Prime Minister vast populations around the world still have Tony Blair of the United Kingdom; and John T. no access to computers at all. Through Chambers, president and chief executive officer, USAID, the United States Government has Cisco Systems, Inc. A tape was not available for pledged millions of dollars to build Internet verification of the content of these remarks. access in other countries, especially in Africa. But the gulf between the haves and the have- nots is growing much too quickly. Remarks on Health Care Legislative Today we build a bridge across that gulf. Priorities NetAid is the creation of a remarkable part- September 8, 1999 nership combining the international reach of the United Nations development program Thank you very much. Dr. Copeland; Mrs. and the powerful resources of the private Copeland; Secretary Shalala, thank you for sector. your outstanding leadership; Surgeon Gen- I want to thank Cisco Systems’ John eral Satcher; OPM Director Lachance; to all Chambers as well as the other technology the advocates here for seniors, for children, companies. Thanks to them, one of the larg- for people with disabilities; representatives est websites ever built has been created to of the various health care organizations. spread information about extreme poverty I am of the opinion that there’s really not and to help concerned citizens do something much left for me to say. [Laughter] You about it. The site will be available around know, since I’ve been in this office and this

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