Ambassador's Remarks for Independence Day Celebration
July 3, 2008
Thank you all for coming. It is wonderful and touching to see so many good friends from so many different nations represented here tonight.
On behalf of my lovely wife Marina and all the men and women of the U.S. Embassy in Bahrain, may I offer an especially warm welcome to our good friends and respected colleagues, His Excellency the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed al Khalifa and His Excellency the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Nizar al Baharna. We are also exceptionally pleased to have with us tonight His Excellency Shaikh Ibrahim bin Khalifa al Khalifa, the Minister of Housing. Thank you all for coming.
I would also like to recognize two other very special guests. Vice Admiral Kevin Cosgriff, Commander of the Fifth Fleet and Commander of Naval Forces Central Command and his wife Barbara are here. Admiral Cosgriff will be leaving us soon, after almost two years of dedicated and selfless service to his country and our friends in the region. Thank you, Kevin, for your leadership, you friendship, and your service. Vice Admiral Cosgriff is joined tonight by Vice Admiral William Gortney, who will be taking over this Saturday as NAVCENT Commander. Admiral Gortney, we are pleased to have you return to Manama as a member of what I am sure you will find a very close-knit Bahraini-American family.
Tonight is a special occasion for us at the American Embassy, one that we are blessed to be able to share with all of you. We celebrate tonight the 232nd anniversary of our founding as a nation. It is a time for reflection and re-dedication: reflection on what we have accomplished and re-dedication to the principles that have guided us for over 200 years.
As I thought about what to say tonight, for some reason the words of one of our greatest Presidents, Abraham Lincoln, came to me. In 1864, he was re-elected to a second term as President. In his speech upon taking the oath of office in March 1865, he spoke to a nation that had just been through five years of brutal civil war and would soon begin the process of healing and coming together.
He said to them, "With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive to finish the work we are in ...to do all which may achieve, and cherish a just and lasting peace, among ourselves and with all nations."
These words seem to me to capture much of the spirit that is America.
- With malice toward none: we bear no one ill will; we do not seek to conquer or subjugate.
- With charity for all: it is our intent to give a better life for our people and for others.
- With firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right: we believe in the power of an Almighty who will judge us and our actions.
- Cherish a just and lasting peace, among ourselves and all nations: we shall work for a world where free men and women can live in peace and dignity.
These principles, ladies and gentlemen, are what we celebrate tonight and what guide our work here in Bahrain.
Relations between the United States and Bahrain are at their strongest point in the history of our two countries, and this is no accident. It is no accident that President Bush came to Bahrain this January to pay his respects to His Majesty King Hamad and welcomed His Majesty to the White House in March. It is no accident that the value of bilateral trade between Bahrain and the United States increased 55 percent since 2005 to more than US$ 1.2 billion. It is no accident that the Commander of Bahrain's Navy, Brigadier General Abdulla Al-Mansoori was this year the first Gulf military officer to command a multi-national naval task force in the Arabian Gulf. It is no accident that over 400 young Bahraini mean and women are currently studying at universities in the United States.
We have achieved this level of friendship and alliance because the leaders of our two countries -- President Bush and His Majesty King Hamad -- share a vision and a bond that reflect the values of the citizens they represent. This is the strength and the future of a great relationship, one that will continue to grow and prosper because it is based on shared principles, values, and beliefs. Tonight, let us reflect on that friendship and re-dedicate ourselves to this partnership that makes each of our nations so much the richer.
And now, before concluding my remarks, please allow me a personal comment. As most of you know, I have been away for the past month, serving in America's Embassy in Baghdad, and I will return there soon. I have come back for this occasion and I expect to return as often as possible.
There is an expression in English: "Absence makes the heart grow fonder." In Arabic, I am told you say: "baeed min al uyoon, qareeb min al qalb." I think you all know how much my wife and I love Bahrain and all our wonderful friends here. There are very few countries that are so warm and welcoming. Having been away from Bahrain has only made us appreciate all the more how special this country really is. I can tell you that there is no better country to serve in as Ambassador. There is no better friend of America and, as Judy Garland says in the Wizard of Oz, there's no place like home. Thank you and have a wonderful evening.