Q Any final thoughts as you leave, Ari?

MR. FLEISCHER: Thank you. Let me -- with the press's permission, I want to say a couple words. I've had the privilege now of being here for two-and-a-half years. I joined the Presidential campaign trail more than four years ago. I've been with Governor Bush, then President Bush now for just under four years.

Having come to the White House, before I go, there's just a whole city of people who I think everybody in this room recognizes and now this is my chance to at least publicly recognize these people for everything they have done for the President and, therefore, for the country. Often these people are ones that nobody gets to see.

But I want to just take a moment and I want to thank people that I know you all have relied on -- the White House Operators, the Signal operators; Signal, of course, are enlisted men and women in our military; the White House Communications Agency that makes everything possible, that gets broadcast for the press's use and therefore the public's use; the Stenographers, who do such a fantastic job in turning around very quickly all the President's words and the Press Secretary's words; the people at the Mess, Lieutenant Frank Fuller who runs the Mess; Peggy Suntum, of course, runs the Stenographers; and Jim Van Keuren with WHCA.

I wanted to thank the GSA, all the people here who keep our building in operations. I especially want to thank Smokin' Joe, for everything he did for my fireplace. I want to thank Mary Keltner, who you all know from Crawford, who also makes the infrastructure work. There's a whole city of people behind the scenes.

There's a military city who makes the White House work. And I want to just recognize all the personnel on Air Force One, Colonel Tillman; Senior Master Sergeant Tina Stein; and Sam Pleasant, who never let a bag ever get lost, as far as I know. The people on Marine One, Colonel Taylor and now Colonel Page. All the folks in the Situation Room, unbelievably hard-working, dedicated people who come from a variety of different agencies, who work 24/7, 365 days a year to keep the White House as current and as informed as doable. All the military aides, I want to thank them, even the ones who think they know how to play chess. (Laughter.)

You don't know what a wonderful feeling it is to show up for work every day, and the first person you see is a Uniformed Division Officer of the Secret Service who gives you a big wave and a "hello." The canine people who help keep the building and all the facilities safe; the sergeant at the desk who I see as I entered the building. And especially the Presidential Protection Division and the CAT team and everybody else who keeps our President safe and keeps our country safe.

The senior staff at the White House -- anything I've ever been able to do was because of senior staff helping me to do it. There are some fantastic, fantastic minds who enter government service to serve a President and to serve a country who could be doing so much more with so much of an easier time in the private sector, yet they give themselves to our country to serve our President. I'm grateful to Andy Card and everybody in the senior staff for everything that they have done.

I especially want to thank -- and I want everybody to come out here now -- the press office. We've got people in the press office, in addition to the deputies, that you know so well. We have our interns. We have our staff assistants, the press assistants, the people who travel with you all. Come on out. Everybody step up here. I want you all out here. (Applause.) Liz. Lois, come on. Who's hiding back there? Bring them all out. Ashley, Georgia, come on. Have we got everybody? Where's Vicki? I know Vicki's going to hide. There she is.

The press office staff, who I have to rely on, I could never do anything that I do without having such a wonderful and able team behind me. And also Scott McClellan, who has been a fantastic, valuable member of a team, who now has a wonderful job ahead of him, and a very enjoyable job. And I wish you well in it.

And then, finally, there is one person who I want to thank above everybody else -- before I do that, though, I want to thank the press corps. As today shows, the relationship between the press secretary the press corps is designed to be a relationship that has some levels of tension built into it. It is the press's job to ask anything about everything. I always do my best to give you the fullest answers from the President that I possibly can. And I hope that I've endeavored to do that and do it well in the course of our interaction.

But one thing is for sure, as sometimes messy as it can be, in the 225 year history of our country, the fact that there is a free press who can ask whatever it wants and a government that is accountable has kept our nation strong and free. And it will forever more.

The final person I want to thank is, of course, the President, a person who gave me this opportunity to serve my country, a person in whom I believe so deeply, both on policy and as a person, as a leader and as somebody I've come to be very close to.

There's one other thing that the President did, by putting me here, that I will always remember and take with me from the White House, and that is, thanks to the President, I met my wife here, because she worked at the White House, too. Becki is with us today. She is with us today. Becki, I can't wait to see you at regular hours. (Laughter.)

Thank you, everybody, thank you for letting me serve. Thank you. (Applause.)

Q Ari, how do you want to be remembered by the press?

MR. FLEISCHER: Fondly.

Q I want to say, on behalf of the press corps, thank you for all you do for us, thank you for the long hours, the red-eyes we'll miss, and thank you for the times you advocated on behalf of open access behind the scenes. Thank you.

MR. FLEISCHER: Thank you, everybody.

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