Thank you. Thank you very, verymuch. Thank you. Good morning. Thank you for anextraordinarily warm welcome,Charlottesville. I am really honored to be here.
Senator Tim Kaine, thank youvery, very much for your generous words of introduction.Tim, as he mentioned,has only been on the Foreign Relations Committee, I guess now for atotal of afew weeks, but I can, based on his testimony a moment ago, positively commendhimon his voting record. (Laughter and applause.) He’s really – he’s foundhimself new jobsecurity too, because here in Virginia you have a single-termgovernor for four years, so he hastraded one single four-year term for asix-year term with potential extension. (Laughter.) Sogiven the fact that Itraded the several extensions for a four-year term and then I’m finished,maybehe knows something and I ought to be listening to him. (Laughter.) I could learna thingor two from him.
We didn’t overlap for long, but Iwant to tell everybody here that we know each other prettywell from service asa Lieutenant Governor and when he was Governor of the state. I wasLieutenantGovernor of my state, so we have that in common before being senators.
I’ll tell you a quick story. AndI don’t know what you do in Virginia as Lieutenant Governor,but inMassachusetts, once upon a time Calvin Coolidge was Lieutenant Governor. And hewas ata dinner party, and his dinner partner turned to him and said, “What doyou do?” And he said, “Well, I’m Calvin Coolidge. I’m Lieutenant Governor ofMassachusetts.” And she said, “Oh wow,that must be really interesting. Tell meall about the job.” And he said, “I just did.” (Laughter.)So I trust, becausethey embraced you and me, we made something more out of it.
But I have huge admiration forthe path that Tim Kaine has followed. I know his sense ofwhat America means tothe world was forged in the early days that Congressman Hurt referredto abouthis missionary work, the Catholic missionary working in Honduras, just helpingotherpeople to live healthier lives. And I know, because two weeks after theelection, Tim called meand he asked if he could serve on the Foreign RelationsCommittee. Well, in the Senate, I willtell you, you don’t always get thosecalls. People who step forward and volunteer in that way ona committee thatdoesn’t have the opportunity to bring bacon back home and perhaps deliverit aseasy a reelection. So I know that in Tim Kaine, Virginia has a senator who’sgoing to makehis mark on that committee, and he’s going to make the mark foryour commonwealth and ourcountry, and we’re grateful for your service, Tim.Thank you very, very much. (Applause.)
I also am particularly gratefulfor Congressman Robert Hurt being here today. I have leftpartisan politics andit’s wonderful for me to be able to welcome people in the complete spiritofnonpartisanship, not just bipartisan, but nonpartisanship. And I’m particularlygrateful to himfor his service in the state legislature, in both houses, nowin the House, and I’m confidentfrom the words you expressed and theconversation we had, you’re going to make yourcontribution too. And I thankyou for your presence here today. (Applause.)
President Sullivan, thank you somuch for welcoming me here to this historic, remarkablecampus. I just feastedon the view as I walked across the lawn with President Sullivan, and Ihave tosay you all are very lucky to go to school here. (Laughter.) It is an honor tojoin you hereon Grounds – (laughter and applause) – this very, very beautifulmonument to the potential ofthe human mind. And I have to tell you, to standhere beneath the gaze of the sages of Athens,those thinkers who gave us theidea of democracy, which we obviously still continue to perfect,not only inour own nation but around the world, we are grateful for that.
I will tell you also, I was herea long time ago as an undergraduate. I played lacrosse downon that field overthere against you guys, and my first act of diplomacy is literally to forgetwhowon. I have no idea. I don’t know. (Laughter.)
I want to thank the folks inuniform. I want to thank the ROTC and all those of you who haveserved and willcontinue to serve in some way for our nation. There is no greater declarationofcitizenship than that, and I happen to believe the word “citizen” is one ofthe most important inthe American lexicon.