Bill Clinton: “Thank you very much, Ken. And thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for that warm welcome and for the work you do. It's a…”

“Thank you very much, Ken. And thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for that warm welcome and for the work you do. It's a real honor for me to be here tonight among so many friends and colleagues who have worked so hard to promote democracy throughout the world. The work of NDI is well- known and highly prized, from Russia and the Baltics to Mexico, Paraguay to the African Continent and many other places where you are working to breathe life into the idea of democracy. I salute you for that work. I think the knowledge that so many Americans have of your work and the credibility it has gained in the Congress is one reason that I was able to secure, with the help of some of the people here present, a substantial increase in funding for the National Endowment for Democracy at a time when we were cutting more than half the items in the domestic and the foreign budget. I would also like to thank you for Brian Atwood and for the fine job he's done at AID. I am delighted that tonight you're honoring two extraordinary leaders, Korean President Kim Yong-sam and Senator George Mitchell. Their lives have given meaning to the ideals which have inspired so many millions of people around the world who struggle for democracy. President Kim's valiant efforts since his service as a young assemblyman to bring democracy to Korea are a model to aspiring democrats everywhere. He has certainly paid a price for his devotion to freedom and democracy.…”