Every One Can Become A President
演讲人：George Walker Bush 乔治·沃克·布什
President Levin，thank you ver y much.Dean Brodhead，fellows of the Yale Corporation，fellow Yale parents，families，and graduates：It"s a special privilege to receive this honorant degree.I was proud 33years ago to receive my first Yale degree.I"m even prouder that in your eyes I"ve earned this one.
I congratulate my fellow honorees.I"m pleased to share this honor with such a distinguished group.
I congratulate all the parents who are here.It"s a glorious day when your child graduates from college.It"s a great day for you；it"s a great day for your wallet.
Most important，congratulations to the class of 2001.To those of you who received honors，awards，and distinctions.I say，well done.And to the C students I say，you，too，can be President ofthe United States.A Yale degree is worth a lot，as I often remind Dick Cheney who studied here.but left a little early.So now we know-ifyou graduate from Yale，you become President.If you drop out，you get to be Vice President.
I appreciate so very much the chance to say a few words on this occasion.I know Yale has a tradition of having no commencement speaker.I also know that you"ve carved out a single exception.Most people think that to speak at Yale"s commencement，you have to be President.But over the years，the specificationf have become far more demanding.Now you have to be a Yale graduate，you have to be President，and you have had to have lost the Yale vote to Ralph Nader.
This is my first time back here in quite a while.I"m sure that each of you will make your own journey back at least a few times in your life.If you"re like me，you won"t remember everything you did here.That can be a good thing.But there will be some people，and some moments，you will never forget.
Take，for example，my old classmate，Dick Brodhead，the accomplished dean of this great university.I remember him as a young scholar，a bright lad，a hard worker.We both put a lot of time in at the Sterling Library，in the reading room，where they have those big leather couches.We had a mutual understanding-Dick wouldn"t read aloud，and 1wouldn"t snore.
Our course selections were different，as we followed our own path toacademic discovery.Dick was an English major，and loved the classics.I loved history，and pursued a diversified course of study.Ilike to think of it as the academic road less traveled.
For example，I took a，class that studied Japanese Haiku.Haiku，for the uninitiated，is a 15th century form of poetry，each poem having 17syllables.Haiku is fully understood only"by the Zen masters.As I recall，oneof my academic advisers was worried about my selection of such a specialized course.He said I should focus on English：I still hear that quite often.But my critics don"t realize I don"t make verbal gaffes.I"m speaking in the perfect forms and rhythms of ancient Haiku.
I did take English here，and I took a class called"The History andPractice of American Oratory"，taught by Rollin G.Osterweis.And，President Levin，I want to give credit where credit is due.I want the entire world to know this-everything I know about the spoken word，I learned right here at Yale.
As a student，I tried to keep a low profile.It worked.Last year the New York Times interviewed John Morton Blum because the record showed I had taken one of his courses.Casting his mind"s eye over the parade of young faces down through the years，Professor Blum said，and I quote，"I don"t have the foggiest recollection of him."But I remember Professor Blum.And I still recall his dedication and high standards of learning.In my time there were many great professors at Yale.And there still are.They"re the ones who keep Yale going after the commencements，after we have all gone our separate ways.I"m not sure I remembered to thank them the last time I was here，but now that I have a second chance，I thank the professors of Yale University.
That"s how I"ve come to feel about the Yale experience-grateful.I studied hard，I played hard，and I made a lot of lifelongfriends.What stays with you from college is the part ofyour education you hardly ever notice at the time.It"s the expectations and examples around you，the ideals you believe in，and the friends you make.
In my time，they spoke of the"Yale mail".I was really never sure what that was.
