[APPLAUSE]
GEORGE HW BUSH: Thank you all, please be seated.
Oh, Happy Days!
[LAUGHTER]
Uh, I wanna thank you all for coming.
Laura and I are thrilled to have so many friends
I mean, a lot of friends.
here to celebrate this special day.
Uh, there was a time in my life
when I wasn't likely to be found at a library,
much less found one.
[LAUGHTER]
Beautiful building has my name above the door,
but it belongs, uh, to you.
It honors the cause we serve and the country we share.
For eight years, you gave me the honor of serving as your president,
and today I'm proud to dedicate this center to the American people.
[APPLAUSE]
I am very grateful to President Obama and Michelle for making this trip.
[APPLAUSE]
Unlike the other presidents here, he's actually got a job.
[LAUGHTER]
President, thank you for your kind words, and for leading the nation we all love.
[APPLAUSE]
I appreciate my fellow members of the former presidents' club.
42, 41, and 39.
I wanna thank you all for your kinds words and the example you have set.
[APPLAUSE]
Alexander Hamilton once worried about ex-presidents wandering among the people like discontented ghosts.
[LAUGHTER]
Actually, I think we seem pretty happy.
[LAUGHTER]
One reason for that, we have wonderful First Ladies at our side.
[APPLAUSE]
Hilary and Rosalynn, thank you for your service and generosity.
Mother and Laura, you know how I feel.
Condi introduced the world leaders with whom I had the privilege to serve.
You're good friends, and I'm honored to have you here in the Promised Land.
[LAUGHTER]
I wanna welcome the members of Congress, Mr. Speaker, appreciate you coming.
And the diplomatic corps, I know you will all be happy
to hear that this speech is a lot shorter than the State of the Union.
[LAUGHTER]
I thank the governors, governor of our home state, other governors, mayors, state and local officials who joined us.
I welcome members of my cabinet
the White House staff and administration, especially Vice President Dick Cheney.
[APPLAUSE]
From the day I asked Dick to run with me, he served with loyalty, principle, and strength.
Proud to call you friend.
[APPLAUSE]
History's gonna show that I served with great people.
A talented, dedicated, intelligent men--a team of men and women who love our nation as much as I do.
I wanna thank the people who made this project a success.
President Gerald Turner runs a fantastic university.
[APPLAUSE]
A university with active trustees, dedicated faculty, and a student body that is
awesome.
[CHEERS]
[LAUGHTER]
I wanna thank David Ferrio, Allen Lowe, and the professionals at the National Archives and Records Administration
who have taken on a major task
and I am confident you all will handle it.
I appreciate the architects, landscapers, and designers, especially Bob Stern, Michal Van Vokenberg and Dan Murphy.
I wanna thank the folks of Manhattan Construction.
As well as all the workers who built a fine facility that will stand the test of time.
I thank the fantastic team of the George W. Bush Center,
headed by Mark Langdale and Jim Glassman.
And my longtime pal, Donny Evans.
Much to delight.
Much to the delight
of the folks who worked on this project
we have raised enough money to pay our bills.
[APPLAUSE]
We have--
We have over three hundred thousand contributors from all fifty states
and Laura and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
[APPLAUSE]
This is the first time in American history that parents have seen their son's presidential library.
Mother, I promise to keep my area clean.
[LAUGHTER]
Ya know, Barbara Bush taught me to live life to the fullest, to laugh a lot, and to speak my mind.
A trait that sometimes got us both into trouble.
[LAUGHTER]
Dad taught me how to be a president, before that, he showed me how to be a man.
And 41, it is awesome that you are here today.
[APPLAUSE, CHEERING]
I welcome, I welcome my dear brothers and sister
as well as in-laws, cousins, nephews, nieces, uncles, all of you for joining us.
Our family has meant more to me than anything, and I thank you for making it so.
Not so long ago, this campus was home to a beautiful West Texan named Laura Welsh.
When she earned her degree in library science
I'm not sure this day's exactly what she had in mind.
[LAUGHTER]
She's been a source of strength and support and inspiration ever since we met
in the O'Neill's backyard in Midland, Texas.
One of the joys of the presidency was watching Laura serve as First Lady.
The American people rightly love her, and so do I.
[APPLAUSE]
Laura's gonna be even better at her next role:
grandmother.
[LAUGHTER]
It was a joy, I can't tell you what a joy it was to hold little Mila.
And I am really happy that Mila's mother and father
Jenna and Henry could make it here today.
Thank you all for coming.
[APPLAUSE]
So, if you don't have anything to do in the morning,
tune into The Today Show.
Jenna's a correspondent, thereby continuing the warm relations the Bush family has with the national press.
[LAUGHTER]
And I'm really proud of Barbara, who's with us, for her incredible work to serve others and to save lives.
[APPLAUSE]
Today marks a major milestone in a journey that began twenty years ago.
When I announced my campaign for governor of Texas.
Some of you were there that day.
I mean, a lot of you were there that day.
I picture you looking a little younger
you probably picture me with a little less gray hair.
In politics, you learn who your real friends are
and our friends have stood with us every step of the way.
And today's a day to give ya a proper thanks.
In democracy, the purpose of public office
is not to fulfill personal ambition.
Elected officials must serve a cause greater than themselves.
The political winds blow left and right
polls rise and fall
supporters come and go
but in the end, leaders are defined by the convictions they hold.
And my deepest conviction
the guiding principle of the administration
is that the United States of America must strive to expand the reach of freedom.
[APPLAUSE]
I believe that freedom is a gift from God
and the hope of every human heart.
Freedom inspired our founders
it perserved our union through civil war
and secured the promise of civil rights.
Freedom sustains dissidents bound by chains, believers huddled in underground churches,
And voters who risk their lives to cast their ballots.
Freedom unleashes creativity, rewards innovation, and replaces poverty with prosperity.
And ultimately, freedom lights the path to peace.
Freedom brings responsibility.
Independence from the state does not mean isolation from each other.
A free society thrives when neighbors help neighbors
and the strong protect the weak
and public policies promote private compassion.
As president, I tried to act on these principles every day.
It wasn't always easy and it certainly wasn't always popular.
One of the benefits of freedom is that people can disagree.
It's fair to say I created plenty of opportunities to exercise that right.
[LAUGHTER]
But when future generations come to this library and study this administration
they're gonna find out
that we stayed true to our convictions.
[APPLAUSE]
that we expanded freedom at home by raising standards in schools and lowering taxes for everybody.
[APPLAUSE AND CHEERS]
That we liberated nations from dictatorship and freed people from AIDS.
And that when our freedom came under attack
we made the tough decisions
required to keep the American people safe.
[APPLAUSE]
The same principles define the mission of the presidential center.
I'm retired from poltics
Happily so, I might add.
But not from public service.
We'll use our influence to help more children start life with a quality education,
to help more Americans find jobs and economic opportunity,
to help more countries overcome poverty and disease,
to help more people in every part of the world live in freedom.
We'll work to empower women around the world to transform their countries.
Stand behind the courageous men and women who have stepped forward to wear the uniform of the United States
to defend our flag and our freedoms here at home.
Ultimately, the success of a nation depends on the character of its citizens.
As president I had the privilege to see that character up close.
I saw it in the first responders, who charged up the stairs into the flames to save people's lives from burning towers.
I saw it in the Virginia Tech professor who barricaded his classroom door with his body until his students escaped to safety.
I saw it in the people in New Orleans who made homemade boats to rescue their neighbors from the floods.
I saw it in the service members who laid down their lives to keep our country safe.
and to make other nations free.
Franklin Roosevelt once described the dedication of a library as an act of faith.
I dedicate this library with an unshakeable faith in the future of our country.
It was the honor of a lifetime to lead a country as brave and as noble as the United States.
Whatever challenges come before us, I will always believe our nation's best days lie ahead.
God bless.
[APPLAUSE]
[CHEERING AND APPLAUSE]