Remarks to a Joint Session of the Arkansas State Legislature in Little Rock, Arkansas

Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, Jan 22, 2001

January 17, 2001

Thank you very, very much, and good afternoon. This is the first time in over 20 years I've been here when I don't have to get asked for a racing pass. [Laughter] And I heard somebody utter that hated phrase, and I understand that, for a variety of reasons, you've all gotten rid of that burden. So progress continues. [Laughter]

Governor Huckabee, Lieutenant Governor Rockefeller, Senator Beebe, Speaker Broadway, General Pryor, Secretary Priest, Jimmie Lou, Charlie, Gus, my friends. I'm delighted to be joined by Senator Pryor, about whom I would like to say more in a moment; Congressman Snyder, Congressman Ross, and a large number of people who came here with me from Washington.

I want to say that I am honored that the last trip of my Presidency is to come home to Arkansas and home to the legislature where I spent so many happy days. [Applause] Thank you.

There are a lot of people in this body who got their start in politics, working with me, a few who got their start in politics working against me--[laughter]--and some who got their start doing both--[laughter]--depending on the issue and the time.

I brought with me a large number of people from Arkansas today. And I would like to mention them and a few others because I would like to begin by telling you that in these last 8 years, over 460 people from our home State worked in this administration and helped to make America a stronger country, and I am very grateful to all of them.

Mack McLarty, my first Chief of Staff, my first Envoy to the Americas, is here today. When he led the White House, we made four of the most important decisions we made during the entire 8 years: The historic balanced budget agreement where Senator Pryor cast the tie-breaking vote--so did everybody else; it passed by one vote in both Houses--the NAFTA agreement, which joined us with Mexico and Canada; the family and medical leave bill, the Brady law, and many others. He did a superb job.

I want to thank the three Arkansans who have served in my Cabinet: Rodney Slater, who is here today, our Secretary of Transportation; Hershel Gober, who is Secretary of Veterans Affairs and started out helping me with veterans in Arkansas and in New Hampshire and has been absolutely superb; and James Lee Witt, who could not be here today because disasters don't only occur in Arkansas, there are other places as well, although I know you've been through a doozy lately. I want to thank Buddy Young, who worked with him as our regional official in Texas, who is here today.

Two other former legislators, in addition to Mack, have been part of this administration: Gloria Cabe, who served with many if not most of you here; her daughter also works in the White House, in the White House Counsel's Office, and she's here today; and Carl Whillock, who, after he was a legislator, became the president of Arkansas State University, head of the Co-ops. But he's most important to me because the first trip I took out of Fayetteville, in the first race I ever made in 1974, was across the hills of north Arkansas with Carl Whillock when only my mother thought I had any business in that race. And I thank them for being here.

I'd also like to just acknowledge a few people. As I said, some of them are here and some of them aren't. Bob Nash, who's been with me for 21 years, and his wonderful wife, Janis Kearney, my diarist, who's here. Nancy Hernreich, who's not here, who's been with me since I first ran for attorney general and has worked for me for 15 years, just got married to the brother of Montine McNulty, from Pine Bluff, and is about to move with him to Hong Kong; Stephanie Streett, my wonderful scheduler, who's going to be working with me here in Arkansas; Craig Smith, who did a great job in handling appointments here and was my political director, came home to actually work this trip, to go out at the grassroots where he began. I want to thank Mike Gaines, who ran the Parole Commission, still is; Ken Smith; Mike Gauldin; Jana Prewitt; Jim Bob Baker, who's done a great job in the Agriculture Department; Maria Haley; Robyn Dickey; young Debra Wood, who's been with me the whole 8 years, just working like a beaver in the White House; Mel French, our protocol chief and, for many years, her deputy, David Pryor, Jr.; and Marsha Scott, who has kept in touch with so many of you for me over these last 8 years.

I want to thank Wilbur Peer and Harold Gist. I want to thank Caroll Willis, who's been at the Democratic Committee this whole time, who's been wonderful beyond my words to say; and Lottie Shackelford, thank you. Debbie Willhite and Ada Hollingsworth came home, and they helped us in a lot of ways, even though they weren't strictly on the payroll.

There are also tons of young people who have come to Washington and worked, just out of college or just out of law school. And I used to see them around and be so grateful that they could have an opportunity to have this experience, and I thank all of them, for their work.

Three of my high school classmates are here today, who live in the Washington area and flew home with me: Dr. Jim French, who is a surgeon in Washington; Carolyn Staley, who runs the Adult Literacy Foundation; and my good friend Phil Jamison, who was the president of our class in high school, who retired from the Navy and stayed on to work in the Pentagon on nuclear weapons issues and did a lot of the pivotal work we have done with Russia over the last 8 years, which gave me an enormous amount of pride to know that a guy from my home town knew all about that and made me look like I knew what I was talking about from time to time.