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Remarks by the President at National Medal of Arts and Humanities Dinner

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                              THE WHITE HOUSE
                       Office of the Press Secretary

                                                                  For
Immediate Release                December 20, 2000


                         REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
              AT NATIONAL MEDAL OF ARTS AND HUMANITIES DINNER

                                 Pavilion

9:18 P.M. EST

     THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.  I will be brief.  I
said what I had to say this afternoon.  I loved it.  I hope all of you did.
I can hardly believe this is the eighth and last event like this that I
will have a chance to preside over.  But I want all of you to know, it has
been a great honor.

     And one of the things that I have prized most about being President is
the opportunity to highlight the good that others do -- many times famous
and powerful people, many times people who would otherwise have been
completely unknown.  But I have a special feeling about the arts and
humanities because in politics, we are always concerned with the moment,
and trying to win the moment for the American people.  But in the end,
those things that are timeless matter more.  And that is what all of you
have given us.

     I want to thank those who sponsored these events today and made them
possible.  I want to thank the National Endowment for the Arts and the
National Endowment for the Humanities, Bill Ferris and Bill Ivey and all
those who work with them.  Since we're celebrating the arts tonight, I want
to thank the magnificent musicians of the United States Marine Corps, who
have made my life so wonderful these last eight years.  (Applause.)  And
Maestro Slatkin and our hometown symphony here, who will be playing later.
And my friend Thomas Hampson, thank you all very much.
     I would like to ask all of you just to begin this evening by joining
me in a toast to our honorees.  They are an amazing assemblage of creative
people, each unique, sharing the common fact that they have given us more
than we ever could have imagined.  Please join me in a toast to the 2000
honorees to the National Medal of the Arts and the National Medal of the
Humanities.

     (A toast was offered.)

     Enjoy the evening, thank you.  (Applause.)

                        END           9:21 P.M. EST


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