Bill Clinton: “Thank you very much. Jamie, Dr. Lederberg, I'd like to thank you for your service in this and so many other ways. I…”

“Thank you very much. Jamie, Dr. Lederberg, I'd like to thank you for your service in this and so many other ways. I would like to thank Sandy Berger for many things, including indulging my nagging on this subject for the better part of 6 years now. I was so relieved that Dr. Lederberg, not very long ago--well, last year--brought a distinguished panel of experts together to discuss this bioterrorism threat, because I then had experts to cite for my concern and nobody thought I was just reading too many novels late at night. [Laughter] Madam Attorney General, Secretary Shalala, Secretary Richardson, Director Witt, Deputy Secretary Hamre, Commandant of the Coast Guard and our other military leaders who are here, Mr. Clarke, ladies and gentlemen. I'm delighted to be here to discuss this subject--with some trepidation. Sandy Berger noted that Dr. Lederberg won a Nobel Prize at 33, and I was Governor; you can infer from that that I was not very good at chemistry and biology. [Laughter] But any democracy is imbued with the responsibility of ordinary citizens who do not have extraordinary expertise to meet the challenges of each new age. And that is what we are all trying to do. Our country has always met the challenges of those who would do us harm. At the heart of our national defense, I have always believed, is our attempt to live by our values, democracy, freedom, equal opportunity. We are working hard to fulfill these values at home.…”