226 Jan 26 Administration of George W Bush 2001 I’m honored you all are here Congratulations on your elections We look forward to working with you and God bless NOTE The President spoke at 12 09 p m in the State Dining Room at the White House A tape was not available for verification of the content of these remarks Remarks at the Swearing-In Ceremony for Donald H Rumsfeld as Secretary of Defense January 26 2001 It’s a great honor to welcome Secretary Rumsfeld and his wife and family here to the Oval Office Thank you all for coming In swearing in Don Rumsfeld we have just sworn in a leader of exceptional strength and ability and vision And I’m grateful that he has returned to service to our country Don and I have set three clear goals to guide American defense policy First we will strengthen the bond of trust between the American people and those who wear our Nation’s uniform We’ll give them the tools they need and the respect they deserve Second we will work to defend our people and our allies against growing threats the threats of missiles information warfare the threats of biological chemical and nuclear weapons We will confront the new threats of a new century Third we will begin creating the military of the future one that takes full advantage of revolutionary new technologies We will promote the peace by redefining the way wars will be fought These are great and exciting objectives and our new Secretary of Defense is uniquely qualified to accomplish them As a former Navy pilot Don Rumsfeld understands that if we ever send our forces into harm’s way we must send them fully prepared and equipped for the dangers they face As a highly successful businessman he understands that we must modernize and transform the business of defense getting the value for our taxpayers’ money He is willing to challenge the status quo inside the Pentagon As the head of the National Commission on Ballistic Missile Threats he is the among VerDate 11-MAY-2000 06 09 Jan 31 2001 Jkt 010199 PO 00000 Frm 00018 the country’s most informed experts on this vital issue As a former Congressman he understands the need to work closely with the Congress As a former White House Chief of Staff as a former Secretary of Defense he understands what it takes to be a leader This is an exceptional history of service and Don Rumsfeld is an exceptional man with integrity and honesty as a cornerstone of his foundation Mr Secretary congratulations NOTE The President spoke at 1 23 p m in the Oval Office at the White House In his remarks he referred to Joyce Rumsfeld wife of Secretary Rumsfeld The transcript released by the Office of the Press Secretary also included the remarks of Secretary Rumsfeld Remarks Following a Meeting With Governors and an Exchange With Reporters January 26 2001 Legislative Agenda on Education The President Let me—first of all I want to thank my Governor friends for coming From all around the country people came— from Idaho from the South The head of the National Governors is here and of course the soon-to-be-head of the National Governors I’m honored you all came It’s good to see you in a new setting—for me at least And we had a long discussion about education These Governors made education their number one priority in their State and obviously they’re keenly aware of the role of Federal Government And we’ve had a really good discussion about how to make their jobs easier And their job is to make sure every child gets educated which is the noblest of all calling in America So I appreciate your coming It’s always good to be talking to people who know what they’re talking about And when it comes to public education Governors really understand the subject So I’m grateful you’re here I’ll be glad to answer a few questions Vandalism Q Mr President are you offended sir by the reports of vandal—acts of vandalism Fmt 1244 Sfmt 1244 W DISC PD29JA01 000 ATX006 PsN ATX006