WASHINGTON -- President Bush welcomed the New England Patriots to the White House on Wednesday, a ceremony that has become a tradition now that the team has won the Super Bowl during three
of Bush's four years in office.
"You know, the commentators would say, 'Well, they're not the
flashiest bunch, they're not the fanciest bunch,' " the president
said during a ceremony in the Rose Garden, the team's three Super
Bowl trophies glittering in the sunlight on a table. "They just
happen to be the best team. They're the team that showed that when
you play together, when you serve something greater than yourself,
you win."
About 30 players attended, including quarterback Tom Brady and
linebacker Tedy Bruschi, who is recovering from a stroke suffered
just after he played in the Pro Bowl in February. Bush saluted
Bruschi, saying, "I congratulate you on showing such incredible
courage on the field and off the field. There's a lot of people
that were praying for you, I know."
The president credited the team with inspiring the Boston Red
Sox, who won their first world championship last fall in 86 years.
He also thanked a group of seven players who flew down early and
visited with wounded soldiers at the National Naval Medical Center
in Bethesda, Md., and Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
"I think you saw firsthand the definition of courage when you
saw those young soldiers who had been wounded that are working hard
to overcome their injuries. I can assure you that your visit helped
lift their spirits," Bush said.
Brady told reporters later, "To go there and see those troops,
... it makes what we do seem so unimportant."
The Patriots presented the president with a ball from the 24-21
win over Philadelphia in February's Super Bowl.
Coach Bill Belichick, teased by the president for wearing a
business suit, also presented Bush with one of his trademark gray
hooded sweat shirts, triggering laughter from an audience that
included Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., Sen. John Kerry, the
Massachusetts Democrat who was Bush's opponent in last fall's
presidential election, and Rep. Martin T. Meehan, D-Mass., a
Patriots season ticket-holder.
Recalling last year's team visit to the White House, Bush told
the team: "I think I said last time there's a chance you'll be
back. I wasn't sure about me." As the audience laughed and Bush
winked at Kerry, the president added: "I'm confident I'll be back
next year. And the way you've been playing, there's a good chance
you will be, too."