Verbatim transcript from tape:

REP. GREGORY MEEKS (D-NY): Good morning. I'm Congressman Gregory Meeks from the sixth congressional district here in New York and I want to welcome you all to the great city of New York.

And before we begin this morning's activities, I would like to call an individual who's a good friend of mine to do the invocation, and that is the Reverend Dr. Fred Lucas who is the founder and president and chief executive officer of the Faith Center for Community Development Incorporated, a national non-profit organization providing training and technical assistance and funding for church-based community development. It's headquartered at 120 Wall Street in the heart of Manhattan's financial district. The Faith Center also assists financial institutions and socially concerned investors in assessing businesses and investment opportunities in under-served neighborhoods through collaborations with community-focused religious institutions. I like Dr. Lucas because Dr. Lucas is a teacher of preachers, an individual that understands the 21st century and the new economy.

Let me bring forward my friend, the Reverend Dr. Fred Lucas.

(Applause.)

REV. DR. FRED LUCAS: Let's bow our heads and let's pray. Oh taste and see that the Lord is good for the Lord is my light and my salvation. Of whom shall I fear? The Lord is the very strength of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid? Gracious and heavenly Father, we assemble together this day and we begin the conversation, the deliberations by invoking your holy presence. We come this morning to thank you, as the old folks used to say, for waking us up this morning, clothed in our right minds. Thank for overshadowing us with the mantle of your mercy and your grace. Thank you in advance for being present in every conversation, every panel, every moment of deliberation, every decision to be made.

We pray a special prayer this day for our nation, for the leadership of our nation. We pray that truly you might grant us security: security in your grace and your mercy. That you might grant us opportunity: opportunities to grow in grace and wisdom and insight and understanding, sensitivity and compassion. We pray that truly you might bring us together as a nation and unite us as one people. We pray that you might look upon every hamlet and town and village and city and assembly district and senatorial district and congressional district represented here today. We pray that you might bless the people: bless the people, oh God, that you might bless the people as a result of our coming. And we pray that when we shall have left this place that we might look back upon Sunday, Monday and Tuesday and say it was a good meeting and truly the Lord blessed us.

Now bless also our families. Bless us as individuals trying to do the very best that we can. Bless us in body, in mind and in spirit. This we ask and pray that we might become one nation, one people under God, undivided, indivisible and strong and dedicated this day to liberty and justice for all. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good for his mercy endureth forever, for the Lord is my light and my salvation. The Lord is the strength of my life. Of whom shall I fear? For the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. This we ask and pray and together we say Amen.

REP. MEEKS: It's now my pleasure to ask you all to rise as I bring in Mr. Daniel Rodriguez who's popularly known as the singing cop and he sings the national anthem prior to orchestral performances at New York's Carnegie Hall on October 3rd. The policeman has become an overnight sensation thanks to a little help from friends like opera star Placido Domingo. Over the past year, life has moved faster than Gilbert and Sullivan libretto for the Brooklyn born and raised Mr. Rodriguez. The tenor has sung the Star Spangled Banner to open the World Series, performed for millions during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and hit the high notes for NBC when the network lit the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center. Almost everyone, from David Letterman to Larry King wants to hear him croon. On top of all that, he's still trying to do his job as a community affairs officer in Midtown South. Please welcome Mr. Daniel Rodriguez.

(Applause.)

(National Anthem sung by Mr. Daniel Rodriguez.)

(Applause.)

REP. MEEKS: I might add that every time that Mr. Rodriguez sung before a Yankee game the Yankees won, 7-0.

(Laughter.)

And you know I'm from Queen's County and I so I have the New York Mets. I'm supposed to put in a request -- they want you to do some work at Shea Stadium this year.

Again, welcome to the city that's so great they had to name it twice, New York, New York, and some may be wondering why I am standing before you today. No, I'm not a candidate for the president of the United States of America, but I understand that many who are possible candidates will be here. So I want to tell Joe and John and John and Tom that I may be available for vice president of the United States.

(Laughter, applause.)

I want to thank you for helping our city's recovery efforts by your presence at this most important conference and for spending your money in New York. During your stay I hope you take advantage of all this great city has to offer. However, as you visit various sites throughout the city, please take the time, if you've not already done so, to go downtown to where the World Trade Center once stood. Once you are there, you will instantly be reminded of the many difficult challenges that await us as we respond to those who attacked America.

Also walk a few blocks until you reach Wall Street. There you will feel the anxiety that is running across America with stock market freefalling, and it continues as we speak. You'll see the lack of confidence in the Bush administration's economic policies. In the last 16 months alone, $7.6 trillion in wealth has been lost. In two years under George Bush we've gone from $5 trillion in surpluses to deficits as far as the eye can see. And the Standard & Poor's 500 has declined 37 percent: greater than under President Herbert Hoover.

Now more than ever we need leadership because it is in our national interests. Unfortunately, American government in the era of George W. Bush is suffering from an idea gap, a vision gap, and ultimately a leadership gap. As members and friends of the Democratic Leadership Council, it's our responsibility to begin once again, as we did with the first Bush administration, to fill that leadership gap. We believe New Democrats should take the lead in advancing a national leadership agenda that includes security, opportunity and responsibility.

The theme of this year's event is Leadership in the National Interest: advancing an agenda that emphasizes security, opportunity and responsibility. Security: New Democrats are championing security agenda that includes an aggressive pursuit of the wider war against terrorism, including multilateral efforts to promote democracy, tolerance and economic growth in the Islamic world. Opportunity: New Democrats are championing an economic growth agenda based on the successful strategies of the 1990s ?? fiscal discipline, open trade, support for innovation and new technologies, and investment in better education and skills.

That agenda should also focus on continuing and intensifying the great social accomplishments of the 1990s -- reduction in welfare dependency, teen pregnancy, and crime, and increases in real income, wealth, employment, home ownership and business ownership. Three, responsibility: New Democrats should champion a responsibility and reform agenda that restores confidences in the public and private sectors alike, from insisting that the corporate world play by the rules to make sure Washington lives within its means and sets a good example.

So, my friends, enjoy. Enjoy the conference and your stay in this great city. And, more importantly, let us work to put our New Democratic ideas to work on all levels of government. If we are successful, then you will see Democrats in control in 2003 of the House of Representatives and expand our majority in the U.S. Senate and retake the White House in just two years. Elect Democratic governors throughout the country and we'll start right here in New York this year and win local races nationwide that will build our party and strengthen and make America all that it can be in the 21st century. Thank you so very much.