President thanks Lott, Dodd, Frist and rest of Joint Congressional Inaugural Committee at Luncheon



President thanks Lott, Dodd, Frist and rest of Joint Congressional Inaugural Committee at Luncheon

President Thanks Joint Congressional Inaugural Committee at Luncheon

Statuary Hall United States Capitol

2:19 P.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT: Mr. Speaker, thank you, sir. Senator Trent Lott, thanks for being such a great organizer. This part of this day has gone incredibly well and I appreciate your hard work. Senator Dodd, Senator Frist, other distinguished members of the Congress, and some who aren't quite so distinguished -- (laughter) -- it's an honor to be here.

I really want to thank you for your hospitality. Laura and I are grateful for your gifts and grateful for your wonderful hospitality. What a day, and what a special lunch. We really appreciate you having us.

I appreciate the Justices of the Supreme Court being here. I want you to know how touched I was that Chief Justice came to administer the oath. That was an incredibly moving part of -- (applause.)

I want to thank the members of my Cabinet who are here. I appreciate General Myers, who is here, and I want to thank all my friends from Texas who have come. I'm surprised that some were able to penetrate the security. (Laughter.) But I appreciate you coming.

I'm really proud of Dick Cheney, my Vice President. He is a fabulous man, a man of sound judgment and great character, and I'm honored to serve with you, Dick. (Applause.)

I want to thank President Carter and Mrs. Carter for coming, and President Clinton and Senator Clinton for joining us today. It means a lot that both former Presidents were here. I thank you very much for the -- for your presence. (Applause.)

I'm also really happy that another former President is with us -- that would be my Dad. Thanks for coming. (Applause.) And Mother. (Laughter and applause.) I appreciate Barbara and Jenna. I love them dearly. I thank them for joining the campaign trail. It was the -- like the camping trip I promised to take them on and never did. (Laughter.)

I want to thank my brothers and sisters. They have meant a lot to me. Their unconditional love is an important part of keeping perspective here in the Nation's Capital.

I am impressed by this inaugural ceremony. It is a magnificent event. I think any President who has ever been through one is able to step back and say, what an impressive moment, not in my life, but in the life of the country. It reminds us that we serve a cause larger than ourself. We have one country, one Constitution, and one future that binds us.

As leaders, we have a common duty to achieve results for the people, regardless of our political parties. There's important work to be done, and I look forward to working with members of both houses and both parties to achieve that job.

We have a solemn duty to protect our people and to win the war on terror, and we will. We've other vital duties, and we will strive to achieve results on behalf of the people. I'm eager for the work. I'm looking forward to it, and I hope you are, as well. I'm looking forward to putting my heart and soul into this job for four more years. Together, we can make this great nation of ours a safer place, and a freer place, and a better place for all our fellow citizens.

May God bless you all, and may God continue to bless our great land. (Applause.)

END 2:24 P.M. EST

When this story was posted in January 2005, this was on the front page of PCOL:

Ask Not As our country prepares for the inauguration of a President, we remember one of the greatest speeches of the 20th century and how his words inspired us. "And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man."

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January 15, 2005: This Week's Top Stories Bellamy finishing term - Veneman to head Unicef 15 Jan 230 RPCVs volunteer for Crisis Corps 14 Jan Peace Corps Fund needs silent auction items 12 Jan Matt Gould in one-man Peace Corps show in Hollywood 12 Jan Taylor Hackford's "Ray" Nominated for Golden Globe 12 Jan Ambassador Johnson shares memories of Thailand 11 Jan Senator Dodd suggests PC return to Venezuela 11 Jan Ambassador Hull wants PC to return to Sierra Leone 11 Jan Poiriers unhappy with PC investigation of missing son 10 Jan Emile Hons reflects on the Deborah Gardner murder case 10 Jan Judge Paul A. Bastine criticized for stalling Divorce 6 Jan Volunteer Patricia D. Scatoloni dies in Macedonia 4 Jan more top stories...

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Coleman: Peace Corps mission and expansion Senator Norm Coleman, Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee that oversees the Peace Corps, says in an op-ed, A chance to show the world America at its best: "Even as that worthy agency mobilizes a "Crisis Corps" of former Peace Corps volunteers to assist with tsunami relief, I believe an opportunity exists to rededicate ourselves to the mission of the Peace Corps and its expansion to touch more and more lives."

RPCVs active in new session of Congress In the new session of Congress that begins this week, RPCV Congressman Tom Petri has a proposal to bolster Social Security, Sam Farr supported the objection to the Electoral College count, James Walsh has asked for a waiver to continue heading a powerful Appropriations subcommittee, Chris Shays will no longer be vice chairman of the Budget Committee, and Mike Honda spoke on the floor honoring late Congressman Robert Matsui.

Latest: RPCVs and Peace Corps provide aid Peace Corps made an appeal last week to all Thailand RPCV's to consider serving again through the Crisis Corps and more than 30 RPCVs have responded so far. RPCVs: Read what an RPCV-led NGO is doing about the crisis an how one RPCV is headed for Sri Lanka to help a nation he grew to love. Question: Is Crisis Corps going to send RPCVs to India, Indonesia and nine other countries that need help?

The World's Broken Promise to our Children Former Director Carol Bellamy, now head of Unicef, says that the appalling conditions endured today by half the world's children speak to a broken promise. Too many governments are doing worse than neglecting children -- they are making deliberate, informed choices that hurt children. Read her op-ed and Unicef's report on the State of the World's Children 2005.

Changing of the Guard With Lloyd Pierson's departure, Marie Wheat has been named acting Chief of Staff and Chief of Operations responsible for the day-to-day management of the Peace Corps. Although Wheat is not an RPCV and has limited overseas experience, in her two years at the agency she has come to be respected as someone with good political skills who listens and delegates authority and we wish her the best in her new position.

Our debt to Bill Moyers Former Peace Corps Deputy Director Bill Moyers leaves PBS next week to begin writing his memoir of Lyndon Baines Johnson. Read what Moyers says about journalism under fire, the value of a free press, and the yearning for democracy. "We have got to nurture the spirit of independent journalism in this country," he warns, "or we'll not save capitalism from its own excesses, and we'll not save democracy from its own inertia."

RPCV safe after Terrorist Attack RPCV Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley, the U.S. consul general in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia survived Monday's attack on the consulate without injury. Five consular employees and four others were killed. Abercrombie-Winstanley, the first woman to hold the position, has been an outspoken advocate of rights for Arab women and has met with Saudi reformers despite efforts by Saudi leaders to block the discussions.

Is Gaddi Leaving? Rumors are swirling that Peace Corps Director Vasquez may be leaving the administration. We think Director Vasquez has been doing a good job and if he decides to stay to the end of the administration, he could possibly have the same sort of impact as a Loret Ruppe Miller. If Vasquez has decided to leave, then Bob Taft, Peter McPherson, Chris Shays, or Jody Olsen would be good candidates to run the agency. Latest: For the record, Peace Corps has no comment on the rumors.

The Birth of the Peace Corps UMBC's Shriver Center and the Maryland Returned Volunteers hosted Scott Stossel, biographer of Sargent Shriver, who spoke on the Birth of the Peace Corps. This is the second annual Peace Corps History series - last year's speaker was Peace Corps Director Jack Vaughn.

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