President Barack Obama joined former President George H.W. Bush on Friday in issuing a renewed call to public service, saying government alone cannot solve all America's problems. Obama, a Democrat, spoke during a visit organised by Bush's presidential library at Texas A&M University for an event the Republican ex-president had said was not about politics but about promoting volunteerism.
"There's a lot that government can't and shouldn't do and that's where active, engaged citizens come in," Obama, who has led a massive expansion of the government's role in the economy in tackling the biggest financial crisis in decades, said in a speech at Texas A&M. "That's the purpose of service in this nation."
Obama was greeted on campus by several dozen protesters from conservative groups that consider his agenda socialist. Dozens of other people lined the streets cheering for him. In his speech, Obama paid tribute to the elder Bush for his life of public service. The forum marked the 20th anniversary of the former president's "thousand points of light" volunteer movement dating back to his time in office.
"Service isn't secondary to our national priorities. It's integral to achieving our national priorities," Obama said in comments that echoed his inauguration address in January. Since taking office, Obama has signed the Serve America Act, which reauthorized and expanded national service programs launched by previous presidents.
Mindful of angry opposition over the summer against some of Obama's policies, Bush had appealed for decorum during the president's visit. Obama's push for a sweeping healthcare overhaul in particular has riled conservatives who see it as an attempted government take-over, something the president denies.
"This is not about politics," Bush wrote this week in a letter to the university's community, known for a staunchly conservative tradition. "This is about the importance of service to our communities and our country." After his speech, Obama, accompanied by Bush and Defence Secretary Robert Gates, a former Texas A&M president, went to the campus dining hall, where Obama was greeted by more than 200 cheering uniformed cadets from the school's military college.
Obama has insisted he wants to bridge the partisan divide in Washington, but has also shown his readiness to wield his Democratic majority in Congress to push through measures in the face of Republican opposition. Bush's son and Obama's predecessor, former President George W. Bush, who has mostly kept a low profile since finishing his eight-year tenure, did not attend the forum at Texas A&M. Since taking office, Obama has reversed many of his unpopular predecessor's policies at home and abroad.
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