Thank you very much ░░░░░░░░ and um thank you ░░░░░░░░ the the Kennedy family ░░░░░░░░ thank you to the ░░░░░░░░ board of the library ░░░░░░░░ thank you to the ░░░░░░░░ committee and the award ░░░░░░░░ for this profile and ░░░░░░░░ um I just want ░░░░░░░░ say a moment first ░░░░░░░░ rusty bowers and his ░░░░░░░░ and his story and ░░░░░░░░ the grace and the ░░░░░░░░ and the courage that ░░░░░░░░ they have shown um ░░░░░░░░ unmatched and the lesson ░░░░░░░░ he gave us tonight ░░░░░░░░ that he has given ░░░░░░░░ throughout is one that ░░░░░░░░ Americans we all benefit ░░░░░░░░ are blessed by so ░░░░░░░░ you very much Music ░░░░░░░░ am so honored to ░░░░░░░░ here tonight um and ░░░░░░░░ honored because of a ░░░░░░░░ in particular that that ░░░░░░░░ people don t know ░░░░░░░░ that is that on ░░░░░░░░ 25th 1963 president John ░░░░░░░░ Kennedy came to laramie ░░░░░░░░ and he was speaking ░░░░░░░░ thousands of students at ░░░░░░░░ that day in the ░░░░░░░░ house and in that ░░░░░░░░ which you can hear ░░░░░░░░ and you can hear ░░░░░░░░ the archives of the ░░░░░░░░ library he told the ░░░░░░░░ quote I hope that ░░░░░░░░ of you who are ░░░░░░░░ here will recognize the ░░░░░░░░ opportunity that lies before ░░░░░░░░ in this decade and ░░░░░░░░ the decades to come ░░░░░░░░ be of service to ░░░░░░░░ country and he went ░░░░░░░░ to explain that the ░░░░░░░░ greeks defined happiness as ░░░░░░░░ full use of your ░░░░░░░░ along lines of excellence ░░░░░░░░ he told the students ░░░░░░░░ were there that day ░░░░░░░░ there s no more ░░░░░░░░ pursuit than service to ░░░░░░░░ country one of the ░░░░░░░░ who was there who ░░░░░░░░ sitting high up in ░░░░░░░░ rafters in the packed ░░░░░░░░ house was my dad ░░░░░░░░ year old Dick Cheney ░░░░░░░░ later he told me ░░░░░░░░ he remembered rushing out ░░░░░░░░ back of the field ░░░░░░░░ to watch President Kennedy ░░░░░░░░ motorcade pull away he ░░░░░░░░ me how moving and ░░░░░░░░ it was for him ░░░░░░░░ see President Kennedy and ░░░░░░░░ hear his call to ░░░░░░░░ a few months ago ░░░░░░░░ had the opportunity I ░░░░░░░░ talking with majority leader ░░░░░░░░ Hoyer and I told ░░░░░░░░ this story and steny ░░░░░░░░ at me and he ░░░░░░░░ Liz the same thing ░░░░░░░░ to me when I ░░░░░░░░ a young student at ░░░░░░░░ university of Maryland and ░░░░░░░░ you think about the ░░░░░░░░ of young people President ░░░░░░░░ inspired across our nation ░░░░░░░░ across party lines to ░░░░░░░░ people from Dick Cheney ░░░░░░░░ Steny Hoyer and I ░░░░░░░░ tempted to stop here ░░░░░░░░ say the moral of ░░░░░░░░ story is if you ░░░░░░░░ t like Dick Cheney ░░░░░░░░ policies you should blame ░░░░░░░░ Kennedy Laughter Applause but ░░░░░░░░ in all honesty just ░░░░░░░░ about that expanse millions ░░░░░░░░ young people that present ░░░░░░░░ Kennedy inspired and think ░░░░░░░░ his love of history ░░░░░░░░ was a student of ░░░░░░░░ history especially he talked ░░░░░░░░ in his speeches the ░░░░░░░░ immigration of puritans who ░░░░░░░░ came to the United ░░░░░░░░ before it was the ░░░░░░░░ States trying to escape ░░░░░░░░ persecution in England and ░░░░░░░░ those were my family ░░░░░░░░ very first cheneys who ░░░░░░░░ here are actually buried ░░░░░░░░ many miles from here ░░░░░░░░ Elliott burying ground in ░░░░░░░░ they came before 1640 ░░░░░░░░ they came to establish ░░░░░░░░ community that could be ░░░░░░░░ city on a hill ░░░░░░░░ model for the world ░░░░░░░░ generations later in 1829 ░░░░░░░░ great great grandfather was ░░░░░░░░ in New Hampshire Samuel ░░░░░░░░ Cheney headed west he ░░░░░░░░ in Ohio and he ░░░░░░░░ there in the union ░░░░░░░░ he fought in all ░░░░░░░░ years of the Civil ░░░░░░░░ he was on sherman ░░░░░░░░ March to the sea ░░░░░░░░ he was in the ░░░░░░░░ review of troops that ░░░░░░░░ up constitution avenue in ░░░░░░░░ D C that marched ░░░░░░░░ a reviewing stand where ░░░░░░░░ Johnson and general grant ░░░░░░░░ seated Samuel Fletcher Cheney ░░░░░░░░ all those who have ░░░░░░░░ for so many generations ░░░░░░░░ known the price of ░░░░░░░░ and they knew that ░░░░░░░░ had to defend it ░░░░░░░░ think it is perhaps ░░░░░░░░ greatest blessing of our ░░░░░░░░ that citizens in every ░░░░░░░░ have answered the call ░░░░░░░░ defend our freedom I ░░░░░░░░ found myself especially since ░░░░░░░░ 6th thinking often of ░░░░░░░░ great great grandfather and ░░░░░░░░ the union he fought ░░░░░░░░ defend and this was ░░░░░░░░ more true than on ░░░░░░░░ night of January 6th ░░░░░░░░ night the house returned ░░░░░░░░ the chamber around nine ░░░░░░░░ clock furniture that had ░░░░░░░░ used as a barricade ░░░░░░░░ still stacked against the ░░░░░░░░ the glass in the ░░░░░░░░ doors was shattered containers ░░░░░░░░ had held gas masks ░░░░░░░░ strewn around a short ░░░░░░░░ before Congress went back ░░░░░░░░ session I left the ░░░░░░░░ floor that night and ░░░░░░░░ walked to statuary hall ░░░░░░░░ hall as you know ░░░░░░░░ where the House of ░░░░░░░░ met from 1807 to ░░░░░░░░ in that historic space ░░░░░░░░ are brass markers on ░░░░░░░░ floor that mark where ░░░░░░░░ desk of Abraham Lincoln ░░░░░░░░ where the desk of ░░░░░░░░ quincy Adams sat and ░░░░░░░░ are statues of great ░░░░░░░░ that line the walls ░░░░░░░░ night law enforcement officers ░░░░░░░░ black tactical gear were ░░░░░░░░ on the floor leaning ░░░░░░░░ against the statues exhausted ░░░░░░░░ the brutal hand to ░░░░░░░░ combat in which they ░░░░░░░░ been engaged for hours ░░░░░░░░ bottles with water that ░░░░░░░░ d been drinking and ░░░░░░░░ to Wash away the ░░░░░░░░ spray deployed by the ░░░░░░░░ littered the floor these ░░░░░░░░ and women had spent ░░░░░░░░ battling a violent mob ░░░░░░░░ mob of our fellow ░░░░░░░░ attempting to stop the ░░░░░░░░ of presidential power for ░░░░░░░░ and courage we need ░░░░░░░░ no farther than those ░░░░░░░░ and women Music Applause ░░░░░░░░ is it is no ░░░░░░░░ to say that their ░░░░░░░░ likely saved our lives ░░░░░░░░ our democracy I tried ░░░░░░░░ thank them but my ░░░░░░░░ that night seemed inadequate ░░░░░░░░ I walked out of ░░░░░░░░ hall I looked above ░░░░░░░░ door standing above the ░░░░░░░░ to statuary hall is ░░░░░░░░ oldest statue in our ░░░░░░░░ it is a statue ░░░░░░░░ cleo the muse of ░░░░░░░░ cleo rides in the ░░░░░░░░ of time and she ░░░░░░░░ a book in her ░░░░░░░░ in which she takes ░░░░░░░░ reminding all of us ░░░░░░░░ our deeds are inscribed ░░░░░░░░ the pages of history ░░░░░░░░ walked from statuary hall ░░░░░░░░ the capital rotunda the ░░░░░░░░ sacred space in our ░░░░░░░░ this is a space ░░░░░░░░ presidents including President Lincoln ░░░░░░░░ Kennedy have lain in ░░░░░░░░ this is a space ░░░░░░░░ is watched over by ░░░░░░░░ of Washington and Jefferson ░░░░░░░░ Lincoln and grant and ░░░░░░░░ and ford and Reagan ░░░░░░░░ night almost every wall ░░░░░░░░ almost every wall encircling ░░░░░░░░ room were swat teams ░░░░░░░░ men and women in ░░░░░░░░ gear helmets carrying long ░░░░░░░░ some resting from battle ░░░░░░░░ standing watch atf FBI ░░░░░░░░ agents deployed inside the ░░░░░░░░ States Capitol Building there ░░░░░░░░ the rotunda these brave ░░░░░░░░ and women were resting ░░░░░░░░ eight paintings that depict ░░░░░░░░ earliest scenes of our ░░░░░░░░ these include four by ░░░░░░░░ trumbull scenes from the ░░░░░░░░ revolution one of these ░░░░░░░░ painted in 1824 and ░░░░░░░░ depicts George Washington resigning ░░░░░░░░ commission at this moment ░░░░░░░░ 1783 depicted in the ░░░░░░░░ Washington voluntarily relinquished power ░░░░░░░░ handed control of the ░░░░░░░░ army back to Congress ░░░░░░░░ trumbull the painter called ░░░░░░░░ one of the highest ░░░░░░░░ lessons ever given to ░░░░░░░░ world with this noble ░░░░░░░░ George Washington set the ░░░░░░░░ example of the peaceful ░░░░░░░░ of power in our ░░░░░░░░ this is what President ░░░░░░░░ called quote nothing short ░░░░░░░░ a miracle this is ░░░░░░░░ President Kennedy in his ░░░░░░░░ address called a celebration ░░░░░░░░ freedom and this sacred ░░░░░░░░ to defend the peaceful ░░░░░░░░ of power has been ░░░░░░░░ by every American president ░░░░░░░░ one standing on the ░░░░░░░░ front of the United ░░░░░░░░ capital on a snowy ░░░░░░░░ in 1961 President Kennedy ░░░░░░░░ in the long history ░░░░░░░░ freedom only a few ░░░░░░░░ have been granted the ░░░░░░░░ of defending freedom in ░░░░░░░░ hour of maximum danger ░░░░░░░░ that role is ours ░░░░░░░░ we face a threat ░░░░░░░░ have never faced before ░░░░░░░░ former president attempting to ░░░░░░░░ our constitutional republic at ░░░░░░░░ moment we must all ░░░░░░░░ the courage to stand ░░░░░░░░ that the question for ░░░░░░░░ one of us is ░░░░░░░░ this time of testing ░░░░░░░░ we do our duty ░░░░░░░░ we defend our constitution ░░░░░░░░ we stand for truth ░░░░░░░░ we put duty to ░░░░░░░░ oath above partisan politics ░░░░░░░░ will we look away ░░░░░░░░ danger ignore the threat ░░░░░░░░ the lies and enable ░░░░░░░░ liar as we leave ░░░░░░░░ tonight I ask all ░░░░░░░░ you to remember this ░░░░░░░░ duty that has passed ░░░░░░░░ us to remember that ░░░░░░░░ our republic some things ░░░░░░░░ to matter the defense ░░░░░░░░ our republic the defense ░░░░░░░░ the constitutional foundations of ░░░░░░░░ nation have to matter ░░░░░░░░ a republic there are ░░░░░░░░ bystanders there are no ░░░░░░░░ as citizens every one ░░░░░░░░ us has a duty ░░░░░░░░ set aside partisan battles ░░░░░░░░ stand together to perpetuate ░░░░░░░░ preserve our great republic ░░░░░░░░ and gentlemen we are ░░░░░░░░ in a battle we ░░░░░░░░ win and with courage ░░░░░░░░ clarity and grit it ░░░░░░░░ a battle we will ░░░░░░░░ thank you all God ░░░░░░░░ you and God bless ░░░░░░░░ United States of America