Transcript: President Bush's Speech to the Detroit Economic Club

The following is President Bush's speech to the Detroit Economic Club.

BUSH: Thank you all. Please be seated.

I've seen head tables before.

(LAUGHTER)

I've never seen one quite so long.

(LAUGHTER)

Thanks for having me.

It's great to be back in Detroit.

You know, we're only a few weeks into the new year, but at the White House we've already had a lot of excitement.

There was an inauguration, then we had Iraqi elections, and then a visit from a group of very tall men...

(LAUGHTER)

(APPLAUSE)

... the mighty Pistons of Detroit.

(APPLAUSE)

I appreciate you having me. I appreciate you giving me a chance to come and share some thoughts with you.

Dieter (ph), thank you very much for that fine introduction. Never mind about the English language thing.

(LAUGHTER)

Beth (ph), thank you very much for organizing this event.

It's good to be here with Rick Wagner and Bill Ford (ph), part of the mighty big three in the Detroit area.

I want to thank Joe Nolenberg (ph) and Sandy, the congressman from the great state of Michigan.

Cardinal Mida (ph), it's great to see such a strong leader and one of the great faith leaders of not only this state, but the country.

I appreciate the mayor being here.

Mr. Mayor, it's good to see you. I may see your mother this afternoon, and I'll tell her you're looking just fine.

(LAUGHTER)

Glad to be with the secretary of state of Michigan, Terri Lynn Land, the attorney general, Mike Cox.

I appreciate all the state and local officials who have come out.

I want to thank all the college students -- middle school, high school and college students who are here as part of the Detroit Economic Club's student program.

It was my honor to have shaken a lot of hands. I hope my advice was good, which was to aim high, make right choices and listen to your mother.

(LAUGHTER)

(APPLAUSE)

I'm still listening to mine.

(LAUGHTER)

Today when I landed at the airport, at the base of Air Force One was a fellow named Jim Comber (ph). He is an active volunteer in the VIP mentoring program.

The reason I like to bring up people like Jim is to remind people that the greatest strength of the country is the hearts and souls of the citizens of our country. That's our true might.

And every chance I get I like to herald those individuals who are taking time out of their lives to make a difference in somebody else's life.

And what Jim Comber (ph) does is he mentors children who have got a parent who is incarcerated.

I can't think of a greater gift, a more noble cause, than to surround a child who may hurt with love.

BUSH: And so, Jim, I want to thank you for being here.

For those of you who may wonder how best to serve our country, find somebody who hurts and help them with your compassion and your decency.

(APPLAUSE)

Thank you, sir. I'm glad they gave you a good table. Thanks for doing it.

This is my second trip to the Detroit Economic Club. I was here as a presidential candidate back in 2000 right before the Michigan primary.

You can't win them all.

(LAUGHTER)

That day I said no generation could afford to take its prosperity for granted and that the job of the president is to not think about the Dow Jones today but to look down the road. That's exactly what I told the folks that were here.

Little did I realize what that road would mean. We've been down a challenging road together since the last time I came to address the Detroit Economic Club.

I mean, after all, we had a stock market decline and recession. We've had corporate scandals. We had an attack on our homeland. And we've got the demands of an ongoing war.

But this nation confronted these challenges head on. And as a result, we have rebuilt our economy and we're improving the security of our nation.

What I said in 2000 remains true today. No president should ever take America's economic growth for granted. We have an obligation to do what Americans have always done and that is to build a better tomorrow for our children and our grandchildren.

And that's what I'm here to talk about today.

We're moving forward with an ambitious agenda to ensure that our economy remains the freest, the most flexible and the most prosperous in the world.

Our strategy has three pillars.

We will insist on a budget that limits and tames the spending appetite of the federal government. We will work with Congress to pass legislation that promotes economic growth and makes sure the entrepreneurial spirit is strong all throughout America. And we will reform the institutions fundamental to American society.