For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
August 16, 2002

Remarks by the President at the Volunteer Barbecue Lunch
Crawford Community Center
Crawford, Texas

11:15 A.M. CDT

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, Mary. In case you don't know it, Mary is the maintenance supervisor at the Crawford Independent School District. (Applause.) That's right. (Applause.) And when we arrive here in Crawford, she's got a lot to maintain. (Laughter.) Because as you can see, we travel with a lot of people.

And Laura and I are here to thank you for helping make our stay and dealing with these large entourages go well. We appreciate it. We love to come to Crawford, we view it as our home. As you know, I bring my office with me, and you all help make the transition from Washington to the Crawford White House work well. And we understand that. We see many of you in the vans waiting for us when we come pulling out or meeting us at the airport there in Waco. We see a lot of you at the press avails. We see you when you're helping with our guests, our foreign dignitaries who come to visit.

And all of you are doing a great job. So today what we'd like to do is to thank you, feed you -- (laughter) -- and photograph you. (Laughter.)

I get a lot of work done here in Crawford. You know, it's hard for some to maybe understand, but a decision-making process never ends when you're the President -- you're constantly being briefed and brought up to date on this, that, or the other. And I still make decisions here, I just find that I can -- it's a different perspective when I come here, out of Washington, D.C., to a place like Crawford, Texas. I'm reminded of the great values of our beloved Texas and the values of faith and family and friendship that you find in places like Crawford.

So I never quit being the President, I just have got a different perspective about things. I might come to the same conclusion on decisions that I have to make, but I make them in a different environment. And this is a fabulous environment in which to make decisions and to meet with people.

We love it here. There's nothing better than to get up early in the morning, and to go jogging across our ranch, see a couple of deer, talk to the turkeys. (Laughter.) Watch Barney chase them. (Laughter.)

But we want to thank you for being good neighbors. We want to thank you all very much from the bottom of our heart for helping make our transitions to -- back to home as smoothly as they have gone. We want you to know that one of these days, we'll be joining you in the Coffee Shop on a regular basis or eating lunch.

In the meantime, we've got a job to do, and coming here really helps us do the job that you expect us to do. So Laura and I thank you from the bottom of our heart. It's great to see you. We look forward to shaking every hand here, and personally thanking you for all your hard work.

May God continue to bless America, and may God bless you and your families. (Applause.)

END 11:17 A.M. CDT