At State Dept., Bush Declares Goals Abroad

WASHINGTON — President Bush made a rousing promise Thursday to stay engaged abroad with “purpose and humility” because the United States’ “commitments and responsibilities span the world.”

As he prepared to visit Mexico today, his first foreign trip as president, Bush told diplomats and analysts at the State Department that the goal of his administration is to convert the clout of the United States into “generations of democratic peace” worldwide.

The president also pledged that he will take the lead in establishing U.S. priorities to prevent them from being set either by adversaries or “the crisis of the moment.” The tendency for events on the ground to overtake diplomacy has been seen as the biggest vulnerability of U.S. foreign policy.

Bush, who has devoted the week to national security issues, also outlined the basic principles of his foreign policy. The highest priority will be working closely with allies in Asia and Europe, he said. In addition, Washington will engage with China and Russia with “patience and principle and consistency,” he said.

In Africa, the two priorities will be building trade and providing assistance to countries struggling to make the transition to democracy, Bush said. His remarks were broadcast to the United States’ 250 diplomatic posts around the world.

At home, the president pledged to build “a century of the Americas” by cementing a broad alliance with neighbors and building a Western Hemisphere “bound together by shared ideals and free trade, from the Arctic to the Andes to Cape Horn.”

Bush called particularly for a closer relationship with Mexico, although he noted that greater cooperation isn’t inevitable and will require hard work to “get it right.”

Speaking in front of one of the two plaques listing the names of 186 diplomats who have been killed abroad, Bush also made clear that he won’t bend to isolationists, most of whom are in his own party.

“It’s sometimes said that State is the one federal department that has no domestic constituency. Well, whoever said that is wrong,” he said, to loud applause. As long as he is president, Bush said, “you do have a constituency.”

He saluted America’s diplomats for their “quiet excellence,” specifically for resolving crises before a shot is fired and solving problems before they become headlines. “When tragedy or disaster strikes,” he said, “you are often the first person on the scene.”

During his speech and as he worked the crowd afterward, Bush received repeated ovations from a packed audience in the lobby of the State Department, where morale has plummeted in recent years because of budget cutbacks and lack of support from both Congress and the White House.

“He was great,” said Adam Sawan, a human resources specialist. “I can’t remember the last time that a president visited the State Department during his first month in office. I wish presidents came here more often so that we’d feel more connected.”

Arms control specialist Tom Yehl said Bush gave a “very impressive performance.” He added, “I’m particularly impressed that he’s going to Mexico first.”

In a strong signal that the State Department will be taking the lead in foreign policy over the National Security Council, Bush then went for a briefing on Mexico in preparation for the trip. Traditionally, the NSC has been primary in keeping the president briefed.

Later, the president spoke at a swearing-in ceremony for 38 new graduates of the Foreign Service Institute, the 100th class to graduate since the program began.