Bill Clinton: “and Betty Bumpers Vaccine Research Center in Bethesda, Maryland June 9, 1999 Thank you very much, Senator Harkin, for…”

“and Betty Bumpers Vaccine Research Center in Bethesda, Maryland June 9, 1999 Thank you very much, Senator Harkin, for your friendship, your leadership, and for your successful efforts to get this facility named for Dale and Betty Bumpers. You know, ever since the Republicans won a majority in the House and the Senate in 1994, it's been impossible to get anything named for a Democrat. [Laughter] We named more buildings than ever before in the history of the country, at a breathtaking rate, and I just wanted to come here to make sure this was actually going to happen today. [Laughter] And I really thank you, Tom Harkin, for your persistence. Thank you, Dr. Varmus, Dr. Satcher. Secretary Shalala, thank you for your remarks and what you said. I want to thank all the leaders of the NIH who are here, and others involved in all the various endeavors, especially Sandy Thurman, who leads our efforts on AIDS. I want to say a special word of appreciation to the families of Dale and Betty Bumpers who are here, including two of their three children. I want to express the regrets of the First Lady and the Vice President for not being able to be here today. And in particular, because of our long friendship and common interest, I know that Hillary wanted to come. Forty-four years ago Edward R. Murrow described the day Dr. Salk announced his discovery of a polio vaccine with these words: ``The Sun was warm, the Earth coming alive. There was hope and promise in the air.…”