Remarks at the
Presentation Ceremony for the Presidential Distinguished Executive Rank Awards
Thank
you. I don't know why, but it seems to sound better. [The President was
referring to lengthy applause.] Thank you. [Laughter] Well, welcome to the
White House. You may not have thought this building was a part of the White
House; that's what they call it. Maybe White House complex would be better, but
that sounds like a neurosis. [Laughter] Well, anyway, it's a pleasure to be
here with you today. As you know, we're here to honor the top guns of the
Federal Establishment, the best of the best in serving the American people.
When
our administration came to Washington 6 years ago, we promised the American
people a government that stopped doing what it shouldn't be doing and did well
whatever was left. Our honorees today are helping to fulfill that promise. They
lead the leaders of the Federal Establishment. They've been chosen the most
outstanding members of the Senior Executive Service. We should always remember
that their work is important, not only in the immediate sense of what they do
but in a broader way as well. Yes, their jobs may be managerial or technical,
but in a broader sense their work is to help ensure the success of the greatest
experiment in self-government in the history of the world -- an experiment
called the
And
just in case you're thinking that when I went over to Ireland a few years back
I sneaked in a side trip and kissed the Blarney Stone, let me tell you about
just a few of our awardees. Among them is Frederick Rall,
who's been called the father of the modern Air Force. Then there's John
Simpson, the Director of the Secret Service, the man who planned protection for
all the Presidential candidates in 1984, for the Los Angeles Olympics, for the
40th anniversary celebrations at the United Nations, and who currently serves
as President of Interpol. And there's one of the world's outstanding researchers
on the workings of the human brain, Dr. Frederick Goodwin. To give you an idea
of the impact of Dr. Goodwin's work, I'm told he's in the top one-tenth of 1
percent of all scientists most frequently cited in scholarly writings.
I
could go on and on, but -- some of you are leaders in the critical work of
getting Federal spending under control. Some of you are leading in rebuilding
So,
let me just say, on behalf of the American people, thank you for all you're
doing for our country. And now I'm going to turn to Connie Horner, who is going
to officiate from here on.
Note:
The President spoke at