Bill Clinton: “Thank you, Jose. I think we should send him around the country to organize other young people, don't you? [Laughter]…”

“Thank you, Jose. I think we should send him around the country to organize other young people, don't you? [Laughter] Thank you, Mr. Carlino; to the members of the administration who are here, and the Senators and Members of the House and all the rest of you. We did not intend to regale you today with the natural splendor and riverfront aura of Room 450--[laughter]--of the Old Executive Office Building. I can't really take responsibility for the weather. I wanted to welcome you to Mount Vernon. The Vice President suggested I blame it on climate change. [Laughter] But we haven't had time to have the requisite number of studies done. [Laughter] So we're here to make the best of it. Before I start and make remarks about this subject, I do want to say that something has occurred in the United States Senate this morning about which I am personally very pleased and for which I am grateful. I have been working, as everyone knows, since the day I became President to allow all our people to participate in the opportunities that this country offers and will offer in the new century. I think clearly the most important way to do that is to guarantee a world-class education to every young person. Just this morning, an overwhelming bipartisan majority in the Senate, 88 Senators, voted to move forward with the plan that I have advocated to establish national standards of learning in reading and mathematics, and to test our children in the fourth and eighth grades by 1999.…”