 of the United States. Thank you very much. Thank you to Newhart, our Senate Majority Leader, Mr. Speaker. It's wonderful to be here today with all of you and with the distinguished Senate Majority Leader and my other good friend and fellow Irishman, Speaker O'Neill. And no matter what, Al Newhart, Mike Connolly, or Ann de Bruy say, Howard, you were not asked here tonight to referee. Of course, I did notice they put you between us. This is an unusual event. It's marked not only by the launching of your great new enterprise by the appearance of so many prominent politicians in the same room with nothing but good things to say about the press. I understand that many of the reporters and editors of USA Today are from out of town and still adjusting to Washington. Now, you might find that that's going to be a little difficult. It reminds me back in World War II, a rookie one day, kind of confused by the way the Army did things, said to an old line regular Army sergeant that he didn't understand. And the sergeant said, son, well, let me tell you something, if you were a new country, just starting in and building your first Army and you finally got your first division created, what would you call it? And the kids said, well, I suppose I'd call it the first division. He said, son, in this country, they called it the second division. And when you understand that, you will understand everything about the Army. Well, of course, civilian Washington also has some examples of that kind too. You're going to find that it's going to take a little getting used to. Good example of that. True is my word. The fellow whose job sitting in one of our big busy agencies here is to have papers arrive at his desk, memorandums and so forth, look at him, figure out where they're supposed to go, initial them, and send them on their way. One day, a paper arrived that was classified, but it had come to his desk, so he read it, he initialed it and sent it on to where he figured it should go. It arrived back at his desk the next day with a memo that said you weren't supposed to read this. Erase your initials and initially erasure. To tell the truth, though I hope you never will completely adjust to Washington. A short time here, say four years or eight years, can be very educational, even inspiring. You can stir your feelings for this great country of ours. It's after that that you have to be careful. Careful that you aren't too willing to accept things as they are instead of as they should be. When I saw the logo on the paper, USA Today, it occurred to me that some of the hard boil types around this town might think it a little too nationalistic or even patriotic. Well, I've been accused of having that problem myself back over the years. The best answer I know is the one attributed to George M. Cohen. He was asked why there was so much flag weaving in his plays. And he gave a pretty good answer. He said, can you think of a better flag to wave? And that came home to me just a little while ago, standing here thinking about the recent crackdown on dissidents in the Soviet Union, repression in Poland, the attack on press freedom in Nicaragua. Yet, here we are, and you are, with all the wizardry of American technology and in the robust tradition of American journalism about to bring something new to the world of communication, a potentially great newspaper. Forgive me, but I can't help but feel that this is a testimony to the kind of dreams free men and women can dream and turn into reality here in America. A few months ago, I set a captive nation ceremony in the Rose Garden. That will take some getting used to, too. There aren't any rose bushes there. But I said that day to those people that the systematic and growing repression of freedom under Marxist, Leninist regimes was the most important news story of our time. And I still think that's true. I also think that USA Today is an exciting and important commercial and journalistic enterprise. But even more than that, it's another distant light. Another glimmer of hope on the horizon of a world where too often the avid pursuit of the truth is discouraged or suppressed. I speak for everyone in the administration. When I say, you have our very best wishes and we'll be rooting for you. Thank you. Mr. President, in our conservative tradition at the Gannett Company, we printed too small a number of newspapers this morning, and so most of the stands around town ran out. But last night, as this came off the presses in Springfield, Virginia, we took the first good issue that has a particularly nice picture of you dancing with Mrs. Marcos and Mrs. Reagan dancing with President Marcos. And we'd like to present to you issue number one of volume number one of USA Today and hope you will enjoy it. Thank you all for being with us. Enjoy the flags and the drinks and the camaraderie.