President-elect Bush Delivers Martin Luther King Day Address at Houston Elementary School
FRANK SESNO, CNN ANCVHOR: In this country, it is a day to remember slain civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. And part of that is George W. Bush, the president-elect. He is speaking now at Kelso Elementary School in Houston.</s>PRESIDENT-ELECT GEORGE W. BUSH: I was told this is an annual event of Rod Paige's, to travel this vast city and this huge school district and remind people, particularly the students, about what he just said. And so I'm so thankful that you would have me, Ron. And Principal Hayes, thank you very much for going to work and putting up with all the crowd. I want to thank the teachers who are here. I want to thank you for teaching. Yours is a noble calling, an incredibly important profession, and Rod and I will always remember that in those august halls in Washington, D.C. I want to thank the parents who are here. I want to thank my friends who are here. And I want to thank the students for your welcome. Before I begin, there are two members of the state senate who have taken time out of their busy schedules to come and say goodbye. I can't tell if they're here to say goodbye with relish or with sadness.</s>SESNO: President-elect George W. Bush there at Kelso Elementary School in Houston. You saw him make reference to and then shake the hands of Rod Paige, that is his man -- his nominee to be education secretary. President-elect Bush noting that Martin Luther King was a strong and clear voice for freedom, and making the connection to education, something that George W. Bush plans to make a centerpiece of his administration, stressing that today the challenge in civil rights is different than it was when Martin Luther King was engaged in his struggle. On the subject of education, he says, access is equal today, but too many schools are not fulfilling their commitments to provide quality education, leaving too many kids behind, and he pledged to make that the highest priority of his administration.