SPEAKER: GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
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BUSH: Thank you for coming. Bienvenidos a la Casa Blanca.
(LAUGHTER)
Thanks for coming. Laura and I are thrilled to have you here. We welcome you to the -- to observe Hispanic Heritage Month. What a performance. Thank you all very much. It was spectacular.
(APPLAUSE)
This is the month we celebrate great contributions of Latinos to our country. It's a special month. It really echoes our diversity and the strength of our great democracy. I spend a lot of time talking about the transformational power of liberty, reminding people that liberty has got an incredible way of taking diverse people and uniting them into one common purpose -- pais, a great land. That's why we believe democracy has a place in our own neighborhood. We believe that liberty is important in countries throughout our hemisphere. We believe in human dignity and human rights, the non- negotiable demands of human dignity. And that's achieved through liberty.
That's why we're working to advance liberty in the greater Middle East. We believe all people desire to be free. We believe that inherently in the soul of men and women is this desire to live in free societies. It's worked here in America; it can work everywhere. Think about our country. We're such a diverse land, with different cultures all bound together in this great country because of freedom.
You know, recently I talked to President Putin of Russia. I told him this country mourns the loss of life as a result of the terrorist attacks, the terrorist attack on the school. I told him we stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them in fighting terror, that we abhor men who kill innocent children to try to achieve a dark vision. I'm also concerned about the decisions that are being made in Russia that could undermine democracy in Russia; that great countries, great democracies have a balance of power between central government and local governments, a balance of power within central governments between the executive branch and the legislative branch and the judicial branch. As governments fight the enemies of democracy, they must uphold the principles of democracy.
I also want to say something as we gather about Hurricane Ivan. I talked to the governors of Mississippi and Alabama and Louisiana, tambien mi hermano, el gobernador de Florida. I told him the people of this country -- I told all four governors the people of this country are praying for their safety. We pray that the storm passes as quickly as possible, without any loss of life or loss of property, and that, I told them, that the government is ready to help.
I appreciate Hector. I want to thank you for your service. I appreciate Secretary Evans and Secretary Chao, members of my Cabinet who have joined us today. I'm proud of your work. Have we got ambassadors here? This is an important month, by the way, and we're tracking a lot of big shots.
(LAUGHTER)
Hans Hertell is with us. Hans, thanks for coming. He's the ambassador to the Dominican Republic, mi amigo. Gaddi Vasquez, the Director of the Peace Corps; Roger Noriega Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs. Eduardo Aguirre is the Director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Al Gonzales is my lawyer.
(LAUGHTER)
