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Remarks at a Swearing-In Ceremony in the . And drugs are imperil- for Barry McCaffrey as Director of ing our Nation’s most precious resource, our the Office of National Drug Control children. Policy As I said in the State of the Union, if we ever expect to reduce crime and violence in March 6, 1996 our country to the low level that would make Thank you, Justice Ginsburg. I want to say it the exception rather than the rule, we have a special word of welcome to Mrs. Jill to reduce the drug problem. We know it is McCaffrey, and to all of McCaffrey’s a difficult battle. We know that overall drug family who are here, to Attorney General use and crime are down in every segment Reno and Secretary Shalala, and our FBI Di- of our society except one, our young people. rector, Louis Freeh, to Senator Biden and And that makes the battle more difficult and Congressman Zeliff, and to all the distin- more important. guished members of the Government and The glamorization of drugs and violence the military who are here. is a big reason for this. That’s why I worked I would like to begin with a simple and so hard for the V-chip and for the television heartfelt thank you to General McCaffrey for rating system. That’s why we need to stop accepting this call to lead our Nation’s battle the glorification of drugs in our popular cul- against drugs. Service to our country runs in ture. And for those who say we should throw his family. In fact, we have three generations in the towel and just make drugs legal,1 I of McCaffrey service in attendance here say, not on my watch. I don’t believe in that. today, as you saw standing with me. That would be a mistake. The general’s father, Bill McCaffrey, who Over the last two decades we have made is here with his wife, Mary, is a retired lieu- significant progress in this effort. Just in tenant general who saw combat in World 1979, more than 22 million Americans used War II, Korea, and Vietnam. Two of his three illegal drugs; 5 million used cocaine. Today children are pursuing careers in the military. less than 12 million Americans are regular His son, who is also here, drove all night from drug users, and the number of cocaine users Fort Bragg, which is a testimony to the fact, has dropped 30 percent in the past 3 years. General, that the physical training is still ade- But the problem is still too great, and I say quate to the task. [Laughter] He is an Army again, it is perplexing and troubling as it af- captain stationed at Fort Polk in Louisiana. fects our juvenile population. Drug use His daughter, Tara, is an Army National among people 18 to 34 is down. Casual drug Guard nurse. His other daughter, Amy, is a use among people under 18 is up. That may graduate student at Central Washington Col- be why the crime rate is down overall in our lege. country, but random violence among people The McCaffrey family is a shining example under 18—our children and our future—is of what is right with America. We are fortu- still up. nate to have their service and their presence Tomorrow General McCaffrey and I will here today. have the opportunity to address this, along General McCaffrey has faced down many with others in the administration, at our Na- threats to America’s security, from guerrilla tional Conference on Youth and Violence. warfare in the jungles of Vietnam to the un- And this is a good way to kick it off, with precedented ground war in the sands of his service. Desert Storm. Now he faces a more insidious In the last 3 years we have tried to take but no less formidable enemy in illegal drugs. many concrete steps to protect our children Drugs are as much a threat to our security and their future. We’re working to get hard- as any outside enemy is today. They are a core drug users off the street, to make sure leading cause of crime and violence. They they can’t commit crimes, and to get them add literally billions of dollars to health care into treatment. We’re bringing drug preven- costs every year. There is a new CDC report tion to our schools by teaching our children that says that drugs are the cause of at least half—one-half of all the new HIV infections 1 White House correction.

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that drugs are wrong, illegal, and dangerous. a larger force than he has ever commanded We’ve put more police on the street, and that before, indeed, a larger force than he and is a major cause of the decline in the crime his colleagues who have come from the Pen- rate. tagon to join him today have ever com- Two months ago I signed a directive re- manded before. He’s going to need every quiring drug testing of Federal arrestees. We American doing his or her part if we are are doing all we can to stop drugs at their going to succeed. It means that we have to source, before they get to our borders. Just begin with parents talking firmly and clearly yesterday our U.S. Customs officials began with their children, with our communities, seizing all imports of the sedative Rohypnol, our houses of worship, our schools, our em- which has been associated of late with date ployers, our national and community groups. rape. The fight against drugs must in the end be But General McCaffrey and all of us know a citizens campaign because every citizen has that we have to do more. We have to do a direct stake in the outcome. much more. There’s no one more capable General, I want you to have the tools you to lead this effort than Barry McCaffrey. He need. For the last 3 years I have challenged is America’s most highly decorated combat Congress to do its part. In each of those years veteran. He earned two Distinguished Serv- Congress has appropriated less than I asked ice Cross Awards for extraordinary valor in for counternarcotics efforts in the Depart- Vietnam. He also earned two Silver Stars for ment of Defense and other agencies. Amer- heroism and three Purple Hearts. He served ica must never send its troops into battle two tours in Vietnam, where he was severely without adequate resources to get the job wounded by enemy gunfire. He led the now done. famous left hook maneuver that crushed the That’s why, today, I am directing General Iraqi army in Desert Storm. And for the last McCaffrey to take the first step to make sure 2 years he’s been on the frontlines of our that we are adequately armed to fight this efforts to stop drugs at their source in his battle. As your first act of duty I direct you role as Commander in Chief of the United to prepare a plan to amend the 1996 fiscal States Southern Command based in . year budget through reallocating $250 mil- As part of our counternarcotics team, he lion from the Department of Defense budget displayed decisive leadership in strengthen- so that it can be added to our counter- ing the efforts in Latin America, including narcotics efforts. I will submit the plan to forming one of the most successful inter- Congress this month. I’m also directing you national coalitions against drugs that has ever to examine the fiscal year ’97 budget to deter- existed in that region. In addition to his hero- mine if a similar reallocation is needed. ism on the battlefield, General McCaffrey We have to get after this. We have to get has distinguished himself as a man of ideas, General McCaffrey off to a good start. I be- a brilliant man of ideas, especially the one lieve that he will get our country off to a that Justice Ginsburg thought so much of good start. Our national security, the well- that she mentioned a few moments ago. being of our children are at stake. We can He has always taken a comprehensive view create a safer, more drug-free society. We towards problem solving, and he knows that can do this if we work together. our efforts in the struggle against drugs will As I have said many times in different con- require a combination of treatment, preven- texts, when we are divided as a country, we tion, education, enforcement, and interdic- defeat ourselves, but when America is united, tion. Teamwork and coalition building are we never lose. I believe Barry McCaffrey will not just words to him; he has done it. Team- help to unite America, and I believe he will work and coalition building literally saved his help us to win this great and enduring strug- life and the lives of his soldiers. There is no gle for our character, our soul, and the future doubt that he has the talent, the courage, of our children. and the vision to take up this fight. Thank you again, General McCaffrey, for But he cannot do it alone. As I said in laying down your four stars to reach for the the State of the Union, he’s going to need stars. We appreciate you. Your country is

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grateful. And I ask you now to come and say So I am very familiar with the Baldrige what’s on your mind. Award, with the memory of Secretary Baldrige and all those in both parties who NOTE: The President spoke at 10:45 a.m. in the have supported this award since its inception. Roosevelt Room at the White House. And I just want to say a few words about what the significance of this is. There’s a lot of discussion today about Remarks on Presenting the Malcolm whether things are good or bad in the Amer- Baldrige National Quality Awards ican economy. The truth is, there’s a lot of March 6, 1996 good, and there’s some bad, because, as all of you know who are working in this arena, Thank you. Let me say how delighted I we are going through a period of breath- am to be here today to be a part of this again. taking change, the most dramatic change in I want to begin by thanking a few people. a hundred years, since we became an indus- First I’d like to thank Secretary Brown and trial society from an agricultural one. And all the others who are here from the Com- that is forming great changes in the nature merce Department for, I think, giving this of work—there’s more mind and less muscle country the best Commerce Department it in it—great changes in the nature of the has had in many, many decades. And I thank workplace—there’s not a person to waste, them for that. there has to be very high levels of productiv- Mr. Houghton and Mr. Bradshaw, I thank ity—great changes in the market—all the you and all your team for coming here today. markets for money products and services are And we want to especially welcome Mr. global now, either directly or indirectly. And Houghton’s brother, Congress’ most promi- that has put great new challenges on our soci- nent musician—[laughter]—Congressman ety. Amo Houghton from . We should not underestimate, first of all, I thank the Baldrige Foundation. Its Chair, the importance of a commitment to produc- Bob Allen is here. Thank you, sir, for your tivity and to quality. It is the revolution which work. I want to thank the people in the White has occurred in American manufacturing, I House who are my eyes and ears in outreach am convinced, that has led the way to giving to the American business community, Mack us the kind of economy, with declining defi- McLarty and . cits and lower interest rates, which has per- Let me say, I have some remarks here I mitted the United States to create 7.7 million decided not to give because I want to just new jobs in the last 3 years, when the other tell you a little bit from the heart what this six big economies in the G–7, together, have means to me. When I became President I netted out at zero. It is not easy to create had worked for 12 years as a Governor, start- new jobs in the beginning of this techno- ing in a State with an unemployment rate logical revolution. So I cannot tell you how that was 3 percent above the national aver- important that is. age, and that never got down to the national The second thing I want to say is that that average but one month until 1992, the last has been a model for me for what we should year I served. We decided that we had to do in Government. Our State, when I was build a partnership with business. We de- a Governor, had the first quality management cided that America would not do well unless program of any State government. And the manufacturing came back, and we decided Vice President’s reinventing Government op- to put a special emphasis on the whole qual- eration here has, obviously, had a significant ity management approach, to make people impact on not only reducing the size of Gov- who were committed to that feel welcome ernment to its lowest in 30 years, getting rid in our State. In the 1980’s when there was of 16,000 pages of regulation but, more im- a dramatic drop in manufacturing employ- portant, raising the performance level in ment nationwide, it went up in our State. many, many agencies. And we were proud of it, and we worked The third thing I want to say is that one on it. of the ways we have to manage this transition

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