Bill Clinton: “Thank you so much. First of all, welcome to the White House. Welcome to the lawn. Welcome to summertime. I want to thank…”

“Thank you so much. First of all, welcome to the White House. Welcome to the lawn. Welcome to summertime. I want to thank Al Mead and Andy Fleming for being here today, and Randy Snow and all the members of the 1996 U.S. Paralympic Team. We are so delighted to have you here, so excited that this is the beginning of the torch relay. We know that the torch that we launch here today will ignite the world's second largest sporting event and the first Paralympic Games ever to be held here in the United States. I want to echo what has just been said. It is very fitting that the torch was lit yesterday by the eternal flame at the tomb of Dr. Martin Luther King. His life has come to symbolize the struggle and the promise, the opportunity and the responsibility of our Nation. This is the first time his flame has been shared for any other purpose. And I'd like to thank Coretta Scott King and Dexter King, the entire King family, for sharing it with these games. It is a remarkable statement and an altogether fitting one. [Applause] Thank you. I know that our American team, many of whom are gathered here today, and the other teams around the world will thrill people all around the world with their courage and their achievements. And we will be reminded everywhere, but especially here in the United States, how much more we can accomplish when all people everywhere are given the chance to participate fully in our national life.…”