"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so
are we," Bush said. "They never stop thinking about
new ways to harm our country and our people, and
neither do we."
More:
"And I am an optimistic person. I guess if you want to
try to find something to be pessimistic about, you can
find it, no matter how hard you look, you
know?"-Washington, D.C., June 15, 2004
"[A] free Iraq is essential to our respective
securities."-Washington, D.C., June 1, 2004
"I want to thank my friend, Sen. Bill Frist, for
joining us today. . He married a Texas girl, I want
you to know. (Laughter.) Karyn is with us. A West
Texas girl, just like me."-Nashville, Tenn., May 27,
2004
"I'm honored to shake the hand of a brave Iraqi
citizen who had his hand cut off by Saddam
Hussein."-Washington, D.C., May 25, 2004
"This has been tough weeks in that
country."-Washington, D.C., April 13, 2004
"y the way, we rank 10th amongst the industrialized
world in broadband technology and its availability.
That's not good enough for America. Tenth is 10 spots
too low as far as I'm concerned."-Minneapolis, Minn.,
April 26, 2004
"My job is to, like, think beyond the
immediate."-Washington, D.C., April 21, 2004
"This is historic times."-New York, N.Y., April 20,
2004
"Obviously, I pray every day there's less
casualty."-Fort Hood, Texas, April 11, 2004
"Recession means that people's incomes, at the
employer level, are going down, basically, relative to
costs, people are getting laid off."-Washington, D.C.,
Feb. 19, 2004
"God loves you, and I love you. And you can count on
both of us as a powerful message that people who
wonder about their future can hear."-Los Angeles,
Calif., March 3, 2004
"The march to war affected the people's confidence.
It's hard to make investment. See, if you're a small
business owner or a large business owner and you're
thinking about investing, you've got to be optimistic
when you invest. Except when you're marching to war,
it's not a very optimistic thought, is it? In other
words, it's the opposite of optimistic when you're
thinking you're going to war." -Springfield, Mo., Feb.
9, 2004
"See, one of the interesting things in the Oval
Office-I love to bring people into the Oval
Office-right around the corner from here-and say, this
is where I office, but I want you to know the office
is always bigger than the person."-Washington, D.C.,
Jan. 29, 2004
"More Muslims have died at the hands of killers than-I
say more Muslims-a lot of Muslims have died-I don't
know the exact count-at Istanbul. Look at these
different places around the world where there's been
tremendous death and destruction because killers
kill."-Washington, D.C., Jan. 29, 2004
"In an economic recession, I'd rather that in order to
get out of this recession, that the people be spending
their money, not the government trying to figure out
how to spend the people's money."-Tampa, Fla., Feb.
16, 2004
"King Abdullah of Jordan, the King of Morocco, I mean,
there's a series of places-Qatar, Oman-I mean, places
that are developing-Bahrain-they're all developing the
habits of free societies."-Washington, D.C., Jan. 29,
2004
"But the true strength of America is found in the
hearts and souls of people like Travis, people who are
willing to love their neighbor, just like they would
like to love themselves."-Springfield, Mo., Feb. 9,
2004
"My views are one that speaks to freedom."-Washington,
D.C., Jan. 29, 2004
"In my judgment, when the United States says there
will be serious consequences, and if there isn't
serious consequences, it creates adverse
consequences."
"There is no such thing necessarily in a dictatorial
regime of iron-clad absolutely solid evidence. The
evidence I had was the best possible evidence that he
had a weapon."
"The recession started upon my arrival. t could have
been-some say February, some say March, some speculate
maybe earlier it started-but nevertheless, it happened
as we showed up here. The attacks on our country
affected our economy. Corporate scandals affected the
confidence of people and therefore affected the
economy. My decision on Iraq, this kind of march to
war, affected the economy."-Meet the Press, Feb. 8,
2004
"I was a prisoner too, but for bad reasons."-To
Argentine President Nestor Kirchner, on being told
that all but one of the Argentine delegates to a
summit meeting were imprisoned during the military
dictatorship, Monterrey, Mexico, Jan. 13, 2004
"[T]he illiteracy level of our children are
appalling."-Washington, D.C., Jan. 23, 2004
"Just remember it's the birds that's supposed to
suffer, not the hunter."-Advising quail hunter and New
Mexico Sen. Pete Domenici, Roswell, N.M., Jan. 22,
2004
"One of the most meaningful things that's happened to
me since I've been the governor-the
president-governor-president. Oops. Ex-governor. I
went to Bethesda Naval Hospital to give a fellow a
Purple Heart, and at the same moment I watched him-get
a Purple Heart for action in Iraq-and at that
same-right after I gave him the Purple Heart, he was
sworn in as a citizen of the United States-a Mexican
citizen, now a United States citizen."-Washington,
D.C., Jan. 9, 2004
"I want to thank the astronauts who are with us, the
courageous spacial entrepreneurs who set such a
wonderful example for the young of our
country."-Washington, D.C., Jan. 14, 2004
"And if you're interested in the quality of education
and you're paying attention to what you hear at
Laclede, why don't you volunteer? Why don't you mentor
a child how to read?"-St. Louis, Mo., Jan. 5, 2004
"So thank you for reminding me about the importance of
being a good mom and a great volunteer as well."-St.
Louis, Jan. 5, 2004
"I want to remind you all that in order to fight and
win the war, it requires an expenditure of money that
is commiserate with keeping a promise to our troops to
make sure that they're well-paid, well-trained,
well-equipped."
"See, without the tax relief package, there would have
been a deficit, but there wouldn't have been the
commiserate-not 'commiserate'-the kick to our economy
that occurred as a result of the tax relief."
"[T]he best way to find these terrorists who hide in
holes is to get people coming forth to describe the
location of the hole, is to give clues and data."
"Justice was being delivered to a man who defied that
gift from the Almighty to the people of
Iraq."-Washington, D.C., Dec. 15, 2003
"[A]s you know, these are open forums, you're able to
come and listen to what I have to say."-Washington,
D.C., Oct. 28, 2003
"The ambassador and the general were briefing me on
the-the vast majority of Iraqis want to live in a
peaceful, free world. And we will find these people
and we will bring them to justice."-Washington, D.C.,
Oct. 27, 2003
"[W]hether they be Christian, Jew, or Muslim, or
Hindu, people have heard the universal call to love a
neighbor just like they'd like to be called
themselves."-Washington, Oct. 8, 2003
"See, free nations are peaceful nations. Free nations
don't attack each other. Free nations don't develop
weapons of mass destruction."-Milwaukee, Wis., Oct. 3,
2003
"[W]e've had leaks out of the administrative branch,
had leaks out of the legislative branch, and out of
the executive branch and the legislative branch, and
I've spoken out consistently against them, and I want
to know who the leakers are."-Chicago, Sept. 30, 2003
"Washington is a town where there's all kinds of
allegations. You've heard much of the allegations. And
if people have got solid information, please come
forward with it. And that would be people inside the
information who are the so-called anonymous sources,
or people outside the information-outside the
administration."-Chicago, Sept. 30, 2003
"[T]hat's just the nature of democracy. Sometimes pure
politics enters into the rhetoric."-Crawford, Texas,
Aug. 8, 2003
"I glance at the headlines just to kind of get a
flavor for what's moving. I rarely read the stories,
and get briefed by people who are probably read the
news themselves."-Washington, D.C., Sept. 21, 2003
"I'm so pleased to be able to say hello to Bill
Scranton. He's one of the great Pennsylvania
political families."-Drexel Hill, Penn., Sept. 15,
2003
"We had a good Cabinet meeting, talked about a lot of
issues. Secretary of State and Defense brought us up
to date about our desires to spread freedom and peace
around the world."-Washington, D.C., Aug. 1, 2003
"Security is the essential roadblock to achieving the
road map to peace."-Washington, D.C., July 25, 2003
"Our country puts $1 billion a year up to help feed
the hungry. And we're by far the most generous nation
in the world when it comes to that, and I'm proud to
report that. This isn't a contest of who's the most
generous. I'm just telling you as an aside. We're
generous. We shouldn't be bragging about it. But we
are. We're very generous."-Washington, D.C., July 16,
2003
"It's very interesting when you think about it, the
slaves who left here to go to America, because of
their steadfast and their religion and their belief in
freedom, helped change America."-Dakar, Senegal, July
8, 2003
"My answer is bring them on."-On Iraqi militants
attacking U.S. forces, Washington, D.C., July 3, 2003
"You've also got to measure in order to begin to
effect change that's just more-when there's more than
talk, there's just actual-a paradigm
shift."-Washington, D.C., July 1, 2003
"I urge the leaders in Europe and around the world to
take swift, decisive action against terror groups such
as Hamas, to cut off their funding, and to support-cut
funding and support, as the United States has
done."-Washington, D.C., June 25, 2003
"Iran would be dangerous if they have a nuclear
weapon."-Washington, D.C., June 18, 2003
"Now, there are some who would like to rewrite
history-revisionist historians is what I like to call
them."-Elizabeth, N.J., June 16, 2003
"I am determined to keep the process on the road to
peace."-Washington, D.C., June 10, 2003
"The true strength of America happens when a neighbor
loves a neighbor just like they'd like to be loved
themselves."-Elizabeth, N.J., June 16, 2003
"We are making steadfast progress."-Washington, D.C.,
June 9, 2003
"I'm the master of low expectations."-Aboard Air Force
One, June 4, 2003
"I'm also not very analytical. You know I don't spend
a lot of time thinking about myself, about why I do
things."-Aboard Air Force One, June 4, 2003
"I recently met with the finance minister of the
Palestinian Authority, was very impressed by his grasp
of finances."-Washington, D.C., May 29, 2003
"Oftentimes, we live in a processed world-you know,
people focus on the process and not
results."-Washington, D.C., May 29, 2003
"I've got very good relations with President Mubarak
and Crown Prince Abdallah and the King of Jordan, Gulf
Coast countries."-Washington, D.C., May 29, 2003
"All up and down the different aspects of our society,
we had meaningful discussions. Not only in the Cabinet
Room, but prior to this and after this day, our
secretaries, respective secretaries, will continue to
interact to create the conditions necessary for
prosperity to reign."-Washington, D.C., May 19, 2003
"First, let me make it very clear, poor people aren't
necessarily killers. Just because you happen to be not
rich doesn't mean you're willing to kill."-Washington,
D.C., May 19, 2003
"We ended the rule of one of history's worst tyrants,
and in so doing, we not only freed the American
people, we made our own people more secure."-Crawford,
Texas, May 3, 2003
"We've had a great weekend here in the Land of the
Enchanted."-Albuquerque, N.M., May 12, 2003 (New
Mexico's state nickname is "Land of Enchantment.")
"We've got hundreds of sites to exploit, looking for
the chemical and biological weapons that we know
Saddam Hussein had prior to our entrance into
Iraq."-Santa Clara, Calif., May 2, 2003
"I think war is a dangerous place."-Washington, D.C.,
May 7, 2003
"I don't bring God into my life to-to, you know, kind
of be a political person."-Interview with Tom Brokaw
aboard Air Force One, April 24, 2003
"You're free. And freedom is beautiful. And, you know,
it'll take time to restore chaos and order-order out
of chaos. But we will."-Washington, D.C., April 13,
2003
"Perhaps one way will be, if we use military force, in
the post-Saddam Iraq the U.N. will definitely need to
have a role. And that way it can begin to get its
legs, legs of responsibility back."-the Azores,
Portugal, March 16, 2003
"I know there's a lot of young ladies who are growing
up wondering whether or not they can be champs. And
they see the championship teams from USC and
University of Portland here, girls who worked hard to
get to where they are, and they're wondering about the
example they're setting. What is life choices
about?"-Washington, D.C., Feb. 24, 2003
"Now, we talked to Joan Hanover. She and her husband,
George, were visiting with us. They are near
retirement-retiring-in the process of retiring,
meaning they're very smart, active, capable people who
are retirement age and are retiring."-Alexandria, Va.,
Feb. 12, 2003
"Columbia carried in its payroll classroom experiments
from some of our students in America."-Bethesda, Md.,
Feb. 3, 2003
"And, most importantly, Alma Powell, secretary of
Colin Powell, is with us."-Washington, D.C., Jan. 30,
2003
"The war on terror involves Saddam Hussein because of
the nature of Saddam Hussein, the history of Saddam
Hussein, and his willingness to terrorize
himself."-Grand Rapids, Mich., Jan. 29, 2003
"When Iraq is liberated, you will be treated, tried,
and persecuted as a war criminal."-Washington, D.C.,
Jan. 22, 2003
"Many of the punditry-of course, not you
(laughter)-but other punditry were quick to say, no
one is going to follow the United States of
America."-Washington, D.C., Jan. 21, 2003
"One year ago today, the time for excuse-making has
come to an end."-Washington, D.C., Jan. 8, 2003
"I think the American people-I hope the American-I
don't think, let me-I hope the American people trust
me."-Washington, D.C., Dec. 18, 2002
"The goals for this country are peace in the world.
And the goals for this country are a compassionate
American for every single citizen. That compassion is
found in the hearts and souls of the American
citizens."-Washington, D.C., Dec. 19, 2002
"There's only one person who hugs the mothers and the
widows, the wives and the kids upon the death of their
loved one. Others hug but having committed the troops,
I've got an additional responsibility to hug and
that's me and I know what it's like."-Washington,
D.C., Dec. 11, 2002
"In other words, I don't think people ought to be
compelled to make the decision which they think is
best for their family."-Washington, D.C., Dec. 11,
2002
"Sometimes, Washington is one of these towns where the
person-people who think they've got the sharp elbow is
the most effective person." -New Orleans, Dec. 3, 2002
"The law I sign today directs new funds and new focus
to the task of collecting vital intelligence on
terrorist threats and on weapons of mass
production."-Washington, D.C., Nov. 27, 2002
"These people don't have tanks. They don't have ships.
They hide in caves. They send suiciders out."-Speaking
about terrorists, Portsmouth, N.H., Nov. 1, 2002
"I know something about being a government. And you've
got a good one."-Stumping for Gov. Mike Huckabee,
Bentonville, Ark., Nov. 4, 2002
"I need to be able to move the right people to the
right place at the right time to protect you, and I'm
not going to accept a lousy bill out of the United
Nations Senate."-South Bend, Ind., Oct. 31, 2002
"John Thune has got a common-sense vision for good
forest policy. I look forward to working with him in
the United Nations Senate to preserve these national
heritages."
"Any time we've got any kind of inkling that somebody
is thinking about doing something to an American and
something to our homeland, you've just got to know
we're moving on it, to protect the United Nations
Constitution, and at the same time, we're protecting
you."-Aberdeen, S.D., same day
"Let me tell you my thoughts about tax relief. When
your economy is kind of ooching along, it's important
to let people have more of their own money."-Boston,
Oct. 4, 2002
"I was proud the other day when both Republicans and
Democrats stood with me in the Rose Garden to announce
their support for a clear statement of purpose: you
disarm, or we will."-Speaking about Saddam Hussein,
Manchester, N.H., Oct. 5, 2002
"You see, the Senate wants to take away some of the
powers of the administrative branch."-Washington,
D.C., Sept. 19, 2002
"We need an energy bill that encourages
consumption."-Trenton, N.J., Sept. 23, 2002
"People say, how can I help on this war against
terror? How can I fight evil? You can do so by
mentoring a child; by going into a shut-in's house and
say I love you."-Washington, D.C., Sept. 19, 2002
"I'm plowed of the leadership of Chuck Grassley and
Greg Ganske and Jim Leach."-Davenport, Iowa, Sept. 16,
2002
"There's an old saying in Tennessee-I know it's in
Texas, probably in Tennessee-that says, fool me once,
shame on-shame on you. Fool me-you can't get fooled
again."-Nashville, Tenn., Sept. 17, 2002
"There's no doubt in my mind that we should allow the
world worst leaders to hold America hostage, to
threaten our peace, to threaten our friends and allies
with the world's worst weapons."-South Bend, Ind.,
Sept. 5, 2002
"If you don't have any ambitions, the minimum-wage job
isn't going to get you to where you want to get, for
example. In other words, what is your ambitions? And
oh, by the way, if that is your ambition, here's what
it's going to take to achieve it."-Speech to students
in Little Rock, Ark., Aug. 29, 2002
"See, we love-we love freedom. That's what they didn't
understand. They hate things; we love things. They act
out of hatred; we don't seek revenge, we seek justice
out of love."-Oklahoma City, Aug. 29, 2002
"There's no cave deep enough for America, or dark
enough to hide."-Oklahoma City, Aug. 29, 2002
"President Musharraf, he's still tight with us on the
war against terror, and that's what I appreciate. He's
a-he understands that we've got to keep al-Qaida on
the run, and that by keeping him on the run, it's more
likely we will bring him to justice."-Ruch, Ore., Aug.
22, 2002
"I'm a patient man. And when I say I'm a patient man,
I mean I'm a patient man."
"Nothing he [Saddam Hussein] has done has convinced
me-I'm confident the Secretary of Defense-that he is
the kind of fellow that is willing to forgo weapons of
mass destruction, is willing to be a peaceful
neighbor, that is-will honor the people-the Iraqi
people of all stripes, will-values human life. He
hasn't convinced me, nor has he convinced my
administration."-Crawford, Texas, Aug. 21, 2002
"I'm thrilled to be here in the bread basket of
America because it gives me a chance to remind our
fellow citizens that we have an advantage here in
America-we can feed ourselves."-Stockton, Calif., Aug.
23, 2002
"There's no bigger task than protecting the homeland
of our country."
"The federal government and the state government must
not fear programs who change lives, but must welcome
those faith-based programs for the embetterment of
mankind."-Stockton, Calif., Aug. 23, 2002
"I love the idea of a school in which people come to
get educated and stay in the state in which they're
educated."
"There may be some tough times here in America. But
this country has gone through tough times before, and
we're going to do it again."
"I promise you I will listen to what has been said
here, even though I wasn't here."
"I can assure you that, even though I won't be sitting
through every single moment of the seminars, nor will
the vice president, we will look at the summaries."
"Tommy [Thompson, Health and Human Services
secretary,] is a good listener, and he's a pretty good
actor, too."
"The trial lawyers are very politically powerful. .
But here in Texas we took them on and got some good
medical-medical malpractice.""I firmly believe the
death tax is good for people from all walks of life
all throughout our society."
-Waco, Texas, Aug. 13, 2002
"There was no malfeance involved. This was an honest
disagreement about accounting procedures. ... There
was no malfeance, no attempt to hide anything."-White
House press conference, Washington, D.C., July 8, 2002
"I also understand how tender the free enterprise
system can be."-White House press conference,
Washington, D.C., July 9, 2002
"Over 75 percent of white Americans own their home,
and less than 50 percent of Hispanos and African
Americans don't own their home. And that's a gap,
that's a homeownership gap. And we've got to do
something about it."-Cleveland, Ohio, July 1, 2002
"Whether you're here by birth, or whether you're in
America by choice, you contribute to the vitality of
our life. And for that, we are grateful."-Washington,
D.C., May 17, 2002
"I'd rather have them sacrificing on behalf of our
nation than, you know, endless hours of testimony on
congressional hill."-National Security Agency, Fort
Meade, Maryland, June 4, 2002
"We're working with Chancellor Schröder on what's
called 10-plus-10-over-10: $10 billion from the
U.S.,$10 billion from other members of the G7 over a
10-year period, to help Russia securitize the
dismantling-the dismantled nuclear warheads."-Berlin,
Germany, May 23, 2002
"Do you have blacks, too?"-To Brazilian President
Fernando Cardoso, Washington, D.C., Nov. 8, 2001
"This is a nation that loves our freedom, loves our
country."-Washington, D.C, May 17, 2002
"The public education system in America is one of the
most important foundations of our democracy. After
all, it is where children from all over America learn
to be responsible citizens, and learn to have the
skills necessary to take advantage of our fantastic
opportunistic society."-Santa Clara, Calif., May 1,
2002
"After all, a week ago, there were-Yasser Arafat was
boarded up in his building in Ramallah, a building
full of, evidently, German peace protestors and all
kinds of people. They're now out. He's now free to
show leadership, to lead the world."-Washington, D.C.,
May 2, 2002
"This foreign policy stuff is a little
frustrating."-as quoted by the New York Daily News,
April 23, 2002
"I want to thank the dozens of welfare to work
stories, the actual examples of people who made the
firm and solemn commitment to work hard to embetter
themselves."-Washington, D.C., April 18, 2002
"And so, in my State of the-my State of the Union-or
state-my speech to the nation, whatever you want to
call it, speech to the nation-I asked Americans to
give 4,000 years-4,000 hours over the next-the rest of
your life-of service to America. That's what I
asked-4,000 hours." -Bridgeport, Conn., April 9, 2002
"It would be a mistake for the United States Senate to
allow any kind of human cloning to come out of that
chamber."-Washington, D.C., April 10, 2002
"For a century and a half now, America and Japan have
formed one of the great and enduring alliances of
modern times."-Tokyo, Japan, Feb. 18, 2002
"We've tripled the amount of money-I believe it's from
$50 million up to $195 million available."-Lima, Peru,
March 23, 2002
"We've got pockets of persistent poverty in our
society, which I refuse to declare defeat-I mean, I
refuse to allow them to continue on. And so one of the
things that we're trying to do is to encourage a
faith-based initiative to spread its wings all across
America, to be able to capture this great
compassionate spirit."-O'Fallon, Mo., Mar. 18, 2002
"There's nothing more deep than recognizing Israel's
right to exist. That's the most deep thought of all.
... I can't think of anything more deep than that
right."-Washington, D.C., March 13, 2002
"I understand that the unrest in the Middle East
creates unrest throughout the region."-Washington,
D.C., March 13, 2002
"The suicide bombings have increased. There's too many
of them."-Albuquerque, N.M., Aug. 15, 2001
"Brie and cheese."-Taunting a reporter who recently
spent time on the West Coast, Crawford, Texas, Aug.
23, 2001
"You'll hear people say it's racist to test. Folks,
it's racist not to test. Because guess who gets
shuffled through the system oftentimes? Children whose
parents don't speak English as a first language,
inner-city kids. It's so much easier to quit on
somebody than to remediate."-Referring to his
education bill, Independence, Mo., Aug. 21, 2001
"One of the interesting initiatives we've taken in
Washington, D.C., is we've got these vampire-busting
devices. A vampire is a-a cell deal you can plug in
the wall to charge your cell phone."-Denver, Aug. 14,
2001
"There's a lot of people in the Middle East who are
desirous to get into the Mitchell process. And-but
first things first. The-these terrorist acts and, you
know, the responses have got to end in order for us to
get the framework-the groundwork-not framework, the
groundwork to discuss a framework for peace, to lay
the-all right."-Referring to former Sen. George
Mitchell's report on Middle East peace, Crawford,
Texas, Aug. 13, 2001
"My administration has been calling upon all the
leaders in the-in the Middle East to do everything
they can to stop the violence, to tell the different
parties involved that peace will never
happen."-Crawford, Texas, Aug, 13, 2001
"You saw the president yesterday. I thought he was
very forward-leaning, as they say in diplomatic
nuanced circles."-Referring to his meeting with
Russian President Vladimir Putin, Rome, July 23, 2001
''I know what I believe. I will continue to articulate
what I believe and what I believe-I believe what I
believe is right."-Rome, July 22, 2001
"I can't tell you what it's like to be in Europe, for
example, to be talking about the greatness of America.
But the true greatness of America are the
people."-Visiting the Jefferson Memorial, Washington,
D.C., July 2, 2001
"Well, it's an unimaginable honor to be the president
during the Fourth of July of this country. It means
what these words say, for starters. The great
inalienable rights of our country. We're blessed with
such values in America. And I-it's-I'm a proud man to
be the nation based upon such wonderful
values."-Visiting the Jefferson Memorial, Washington,
D.C., July 2, 2001
"I want to thank you for coming to the White House to
give me an opportunity to urge you to work with these
five senators and three congressmen, to work hard to
get this trade promotion authority moving. The power
that be, well most of the power that be, sits right
here."-Washington, D.C., June 18, 2001
"We spent a lot of time talking about Africa, as we
should. Africa is a nation that suffers from
incredible disease."-Gothenburg, Sweden, June 14, 2001
"I haven't had a chance to talk, but I'm confident
we'll get a bill that I can live with if we
don't."-Referring to the McCain-Kennedy patients' bill
of rights, Brussels, Belgium, June 13, 2001
"Can't living with the bill means it won't become
law."-Referring to the McCain-Kennedy patients' bill
of rights, Brussels, Belgium, June 13, 2001
"Russia is no longer our enemy and therefore we
shouldn't be locked into a Cold War mentality that
says we keep the peace by blowing each other up. In my
attitude, that's old, that's tired, that's stale."-Des
Moines, Iowa, June 8, 2001
"Anyway, I'm so thankful, and so gracious-I'm gracious
that my brother Jeb is concerned about the hemisphere
as well."-Miami, Fla., June 4, 2001
"It's important for young men and women who look at
the Nebraska champs to understand that quality of life
is more than just blocking shots."-Remarks to the
University of Nebraska women's volleyball team, the
2001 national champions, Washington, D.C., May 31,
2001
"Our nation must come together to unite."-Tampa, Fla.,
June 4, 2001
"So on behalf of a well-oiled unit of people who came
together to serve something greater than themselves,
congratulations."-Remarks to the University of
Nebraska women's volleyball team, the 2001 national
champions, Washington, D.C., May 31, 2001
"If a person doesn't have the capacity that we all
want that person to have, I suspect hope is in the far
distant future, if at all."-Remarks to the Hispanic
Scholarship Fund Institute, Washington, D.C., May 22,
2001
"Thirdly, the explorationists are willing to only move
equipment during the winter, which means they'll be on
ice roads, and remove the equipment as the ice begins
to melt, so that the fragile tundra is
protected."-Conestoga, Pa., May 18, 2001
"Presidents, whether things are good or bad, get the
blame. I understand that."-Washington, D.C., May 11,
2001
"For every fatal shooting, there were roughly three
non-fatal shootings. And, folks, this is unacceptable
in America. It's just unacceptable. And we're going to
do something about it."-Philadelphia, May 14, 2001
"There's no question that the minute I got elected,
the storm clouds on the horizon were getting nearly
directly overhead."-Washington, D.C., May 11, 2001
"But I also made it clear to [Vladimir Putin] that
it's important to think beyond the old days of when we
had the concept that if we blew each other up, the
world would be safe."-Washington, D.C., May 1, 2001
"Whatever it took to help Taiwan defend theirself."-On
how far we'd be willing to go to defend Taiwan, Good
Morning America, April 25, 2001
"First, we would not accept a treaty that would not
have been ratified, nor a treaty that I thought made
sense for the country."-On the Kyoto accord in an
interview with the Washington Post, April 24, 2001
"It's very important for folks to understand that when
there's more trade, there's more commerce."-Quebec
City, Canada, April 21, 2001
"Neither in French nor in English nor in
Mexican."-Declining to answer reporters' questions at
the Summit of the Americas, Quebec City, Canada, April
21, 2001
"We must have the attitude that every child in
America-regardless of where they're raised or how
they're born-can learn."-New Britain, Conn., April 18,
2001
"It is time to set aside the old partisan bickering
and finger-pointing and name-calling that comes from
freeing parents to make different choices for their
children."-Remarks on "parental empowerment in
education," Washington, D.C., April 12, 2001
"I think we're making progress. We understand where
the power of this country lay. It lays in the hearts
and souls of Americans. It must lay in our
pocketbooks. It lays in the willingness for people to
work hard. But as importantly, it lays in the fact
that we've got citizens from all walks of life, all
political parties, that are willing to say, I want to
love my neighbor. I want to make somebody's life just
a little bit better."-Concord Middle School, Concord,
N.C., April 11, 2001
"This administration is doing everything we can to end
the stalemate in an efficient way. We're making the
right decisions to bring the solution to an
end."-Washington, D.C., April 10, 2001
"The Senate needs to leave enough money in the
proposed budget to not only reduce all marginal rates,
but to eliminate the death tax, so that people who
build up assets are able to transfer them from one
generation to the next, regardless of a person's
race."-Washington, D.C., April 5, 2001
"It would be helpful if we opened up ANWR (Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge). I think it's a mistake not
to. And I would urge you all to travel up there and
take a look at it, and you can make the determination
as to how beautiful that country is."-Press
conference, Washington, D.C., March 29, 2001
"I've coined new words, like, misunderstanding and
Hispanically."-Radio-Television Correspondents
Association dinner, Washington, D.C., March 29, 2001
"And we need a full affront on an energy crisis that
is real in California and looms for other parts of our
country if we don't move quickly."-Press conference,
Washington, D.C., March 29, 2001
"I assured the prime minister, my administration will
work hard to lay the foundation of peace in the
Middle-to work with our nations in the Middle East,
give peace a chance. Secondly, I told him that our
nation will not try to force peace, that we'll
facilitate peace and that we will work with those
responsible for a peace."-Photo opportunity with Ariel
Sharon, Washington, D.C., March 20, 2001
"There are some monuments where the land is so
widespread, they just encompass as much as possible.
And the integral part of the-the precious part, so to
speak-I guess all land is precious, but the part that
the people uniformly would not want to spoil, will not
be despoiled. But there are parts of the monument
lands where we can explore without affecting the
overall environment."-Media round table, Washington,
D.C. March 13, 2001
"A lot of times in the rhetoric, people forget the
facts. And the facts are that thousands of small
businesses-Hispanically owned or otherwise-pay taxes
at the highest marginal rate."-to the Hispanic Chamber
of Commerce; Washington, D.C., March 19, 2001
"But the true threats to stability and peace are these
nations that are not very transparent, that hide
behind the-that don't let people in to take a look and
see what they're up to. They're very kind of
authoritarian regimes. The true threat is whether or
not one of these people decide, peak of anger, try to
hold us hostage, ourselves; the Israelis, for example,
to whom we'll defend, offer our defenses; the South
Koreans."-Media roundtable, Washington, D.C., March
13, 2001
"I do think we need for a troop to be able to house
his family. That's an important part of building
morale in the military."-Tyndall Air Force Base,
Florida, March 12, 2001
"I suspect that had my dad not been president, he'd be
asking the same questions: How'd your meeting go with
so-and-so? . How did you feel when you stood up in
front of the people for the State of the Union
Address-state of the budget address, whatever you call
it."-Interview with the Washington Post, March 9, 2001
"I think there is some methodology in my travels."
-Washington, D.C., March 5, 2001
"I'm also honored to be here with the speaker of the
House-just happens to be from the state of Illinois.
I'd like to describe the speaker as a trustworthy man.
He's the kind of fellow who says when he gives you his
word he means it. Sometimes that doesn't happen all
the time in the political process."-Chicago, March 6,
2001
"Ann and I will carry out this equivocal message to
the world: Markets must be open."-Swearing-in ceremony
for Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman, Washington,
D.C., March 2, 2001
"Of all states that understands local control of
schools, Iowa is such a state."-Council Bluffs, Iowa,
Feb. 28, 2001
"Those of us who spent time in the agricultural sector
and in the heartland, we understand how unfair the
death penalty is."-Omaha, Neb., Feb. 28, 2001
"My pan plays down an unprecedented amount of our
national debt."-Budget address to Congress, Feb. 27,
2001
"The budget caps were busted, mightily so. And we are
reviewing with people like Judd Gregg from New
Hampshire and others some budgetary reform measures
that will reinstate-you know, possibly reinstate
budgetary discipline. But the caps no longer-the caps,
I guess they're there. But they didn't mean
much."-Washington, D.C., Feb. 5, 2001
"I have said that the sanction regime is like Swiss
cheese-that meant that they weren't very
effective."-White House press conference, Washington,
D.C., Feb. 22, 2001
"You teach a child to read, and he or her will be able
to pass a literacy test.''-Townsend, Tenn., Feb. 21,
2001
"Home is important. It's important to have a
home."-Crawford, Texas, Feb. 18, 2001
"One reason I like to highlight reading is, reading is
the beginnings of the ability to be a good student.
And if you can't read, it's going to be hard to
realize dreams; it's going to be hard to go to
college. So when your teachers say, read-you ought to
listen to her."-Nalle Elementary School, Washington,
D.C., Feb 9, 2001
"It's good to see so many friends here in the Rose
Garden. This is our first event in this beautiful
spot, and it's appropriate we talk about policy that
will affect people's lives in a positive way in such a
beautiful, beautiful part of our national-really, our
national park system, my guess is you would want to
call it."-Washington, D.C., Feb. 8, 2001
"We're concerned about AIDS inside our White
House-make no mistake about it."-Washington, D.C.,
Feb. 7, 2001
"I appreciate that question because I, in the state of
Texas, had heard a lot of discussion about a
faith-based initiative eroding the important bridge
between church and state."-Question and answer session
with the press, Jan. 29, 2001
"I confirmed to the prime minister that we appreciate
our friendship."-After meeting with Prime Minister
Jean Chrétien of Canada, Feb. 5, 2001
"There's no such thing as legacies. At least, there is
a legacy, but I'll never see it."-To Catholic leaders
at the White House, Jan. 31, 2001
"I am mindful not only of preserving executive powers
for myself, but for predecessors as well."-Washington,
D.C., Jan. 29, 2001
"My pro-life position is I believe there's life. It's
not necessarily based in religion. I think there's a
life there, therefore the notion of life, liberty and
pursuit of happiness."-Quoted in the San Francisco
Chronicle, Jan. 23, 2001
"Then I went for a run with the other dog and just
walked. And I started thinking about a lot of things.
I was able to-I can't remember what it was. Oh, the
inaugural speech, started thinking through
that."-Pre-inaugural interview with U.S. News & World
Report, Jan. 22, 2001 issue
"Redefining the role of the United States from
enablers to keep the peace to enablers to keep the
peace from peacekeepers is going to be an
assignment."-Interview with the New York Times, Jan.
14, 2001
"The California crunch really is the result of not
enough power-generating plants and then not enough
power to power the power of generating
plants."-Interview with the New York Times, Jan. 14,
2001
"I'm hopeful. I know there is a lot of ambition in
Washington, obviously. But I hope the ambitious
realize that they are more likely to succeed with
success as opposed to failure."-Interview with the
Associated Press, Jan. 18, 2001
"If he's-the inference is that somehow he thinks
slavery is a-is a noble institution I would-I would
strongly reject that assumption-that John Ashcroft is
a open-minded, inclusive person."-NBC Nightly News
With Tom Brokaw, Jan. 14, 2001
"She's just trying to make sure Anthony gets a good
meal-Antonio."-On Laura Bush inviting Justice Antonin
Scalia to dinner at the White House. NBC Nightly News
With Tom Brokaw, Jan. 14, 2001
"I want it to be said that the Bush administration was
a results-oriented administration, because I believe
the results of focusing our attention and energy on
teaching children to read and having an education
system that's responsive to the child and to the
parents, as opposed to mired in a system that refuses
to change, will make America what we want it to be-a
literate country and a hopefuller
country."-Washington, D.C., Jan. 11, 2001
"I would have to ask the questioner. I haven't had a
chance to ask the questioners the question they've
been questioning. On the other hand, I firmly believe
she'll be a fine secretary of labor. And I've got
confidence in Linda Chavez. She is a-she'll bring an
interesting perspective to the Labor
Department."-Austin, Texas, Jan. 8, 2001
"I do remain confident in Linda. She'll make a fine
labor secretary. From what I've read in the press
accounts, she's perfectly qualified."-Austin, Texas,
Jan. 8, 2001
"I mean, these good folks are revolutionizing how
businesses conduct their business. And, like them, I
am very optimistic about our position in the world and
about its influence on the United States. We're
concerned about the short-term economic news, but
long-term I'm optimistic. And so, I hope investors,
you know-secondly, I hope investors hold investments
for periods of time-that I've always found the best
investments are those that you salt away based on
economics."-Austin, Texas, Jan. 4, 2001
"The person who runs FEMA is someone who must have the
trust of the president. Because the person who runs
FEMA is the first voice, often times, of someone whose
life has been turned upside down hears from."-Austin,
Texas, Jan. 4, 2001
"She is a member of a labor union at one
point."-Announcing his nomination of Linda Chavez as
secretary of labor. Austin, Texas, Jan. 2, 2001
"Natural gas is hemispheric. I like to call it
hemispheric in nature because it is a product that we
can find in our neighborhoods."-Austin, Texas, Dec.
20, 2000
"I also have picked a secretary for Housing and Human
Development. Mel Martinez from the state of
Florida."-Austin, Texas, Dec. 20, 2000
"Let me put it to you this way, I am not a revengeful
person."- Interview with Time magazine in the Dec. 25,
2000, issue.
"I am mindful of the difference between the executive
branch and the legislative branch. I assured all four
of these leaders that I know the difference, and that
difference is they pass the laws and I execute
them."-Washington, D.C., Dec. 18, 2000
"The great thing about America is everybody should
vote."-Austin, Texas, Dec. 8, 2000
"Dick Cheney and I do not want this nation to be in a
recession. We want anybody who can find work to be
able to find work."-60 Minutes II, Dec. 5, 2000
"I knew it might put him in an awkward position that
we had a discussion before finality has finally
happened in this presidential race."
-Describing a phone call to Sen. John Breaux.
Crawford, Texas, Dec. 2, 2000
"As far as the legal hassling and wrangling and
posturing in Florida, I would suggest you talk to our
team in Florida led by Jim Baker."-Crawford, Texas,
Nov. 30, 2000
"The legislature's job is to write law. It's the
executive branch's job to interpret law."-Austin,
Texas, Nov. 22, 2000
"Think about that. Two hundred and eighty-five new or
expanded programs, $2 trillion more in new spending,
and not one new bureaucrat to file out the forms or
answer the phones?"-Minneapolis, Nov. 1, 2000
"They want the federal government controlling Social
Security like it's some kind of federal program."-St.
Charles, Mo., Nov. 2, 2000
"They said, 'You know, this issue doesn't seem to
resignate with the people.' And I said, you know
something? Whether it resignates or not doesn't matter
to me, because I stand for doing what's the right
thing, and what the right thing is hearing the voices
of people who work."-Portland, Ore., Oct. 31, 2000
"Anyway, after we go out and work our hearts out,
after you go out and help us turn out the vote, after
we've convinced the good Americans to vote, and while
they're at it, pull that old George W. lever, if I'm
the one, when I put my hand on the Bible, when I put
my hand on the Bible, that day when they swear us in,
when I put my hand on the Bible, I will swear to
not-to uphold the laws of the land."-Toledo, Ohio,
Oct. 27, 2000
"It's your money. You paid for it."-LaCrosse, Wis.,
Oct. 18, 2000
"That's a chapter, the last chapter of the 20th, 20th,
the 21st century that most of us would rather forget.
The last chapter of the 20th century. This is the
first chapter of the 21st century. "-On the Lewinsky
scandal, Arlington Heights, Ill., Oct. 24, 2000
"It's important for us to explain to our nation that
life is important. It's not only life of babies, but
it's life of children living in, you know, the dark
dungeons of the Internet."-Arlington Heights, Ill.,
Oct. 24, 2000
"I don't want nations feeling like that they can bully
ourselves and our allies. I want to have a ballistic
defense system so that we can make the world more
peaceful, and at the same time I want to reduce our
own nuclear capacities to the level commiserate with
keeping the peace."-Des Moines, Iowa, Oct. 23, 2000
"Families is where our nation finds hope, where wings
take dream."-LaCrosse, Wis., Oct. 18, 2000
"If I'm the president, we're going to have
emergency-room care, we're going to have gag orders."
"Drug therapies are replacing a lot of medicines as we
used to know it."
"It's one thing about insurance, that's a Washington
term."
"I think we ought to raise the age at which juveniles
can have a gun."
"Mr. Vice President, in all due respect, it is-I'm not
sure 80 percent of the people get the death tax. I
know this: 100 percent will get it if I'm the
president."
"Quotas are bad for America. It's not the way America
is all about."
"If affirmative action means what I just described,
what I'm for, then I'm for it."-St. Louis, Mo.,
October 18, 2000
"Our priorities is our faith."-Greensboro, N.C., Oct.
10, 2000
"I mean, there needs to be a wholesale effort against
racial profiling, which is illiterate
children."-Second presidential debate, Oct. 11, 2000
"It's going to require numerous IRA agents."-On Gore's
tax plan, Greensboro, N.C., Oct. 10, 2000
"I think if you know what you believe, it makes it a
lot easier to answer questions. I can't answer your
question."-In response to a question about whether he
wished he could take back any of his answers in the
first debate. Reynoldsburg, Ohio, Oct. 4, 2000
"I would have my secretary of treasury be in touch
with the financial centers, not only here but at
home."-Boston, Oct. 3, 2000
"I know the human being and fish can coexist
peacefully."-Saginaw, Mich., Sept. 29, 2000
"I will have a foreign-handed foreign
policy."-Redwood, Calif., Sept. 27, 2000
"One of the common denominators I have found is that
expectations rise above that which is expected."-Los
Angeles, Sept. 27, 2000
"It is clear our nation is reliant upon big foreign
oil. More and more of our imports come from
overseas."-Beaverton, Ore., Sep. 25, 2000
"Well, that's going to be up to the pundits and the
people to make up their mind. I'll tell you what is a
president for him, for example, talking about my
record in the state of Texas. I mean, he's willing to
say anything in order to convince people that I
haven't had a good record in Texas."-MSNBC, Sept. 20,
2000
"I am a person who recognizes the fallacy of
humans."-Oprah, Sept. 19, 2000
"A tax cut is really one of the anecdotes to coming
out of an economic illness."-The Edge With Paula Zahn,
Sept. 18, 2000
"The woman who knew that I had dyslexia-I never
interviewed her."-Orange, Calif., Sept. 15, 2000
"The best way to relieve families from time is to let
them keep some of their own money."-Westminster,
Calif., Sept. 13, 2000
"They have miscalculated me as a leader."-Ibid.
"I don't think we need to be subliminable about the
differences between our views on prescription
drugs."-Orlando, Fla., Sept. 12, 2000
"This is what I'm good at. I like meeting people, my
fellow citizens, I like interfacing with
them."-Outside Pittsburgh, Sept. 8, 2000
"That's Washington. That's the place where you find
people getting ready to jump out of the foxholes
before the first shot is fired."-Westland, Mich.,
Sept. 8, 2000
"Listen, Al Gore is a very tough opponent. He is the
incumbent. He represents the incumbency. And a
challenger is somebody who generally comes from the
pack and wins, if you're going to win. And that's
where
I'm coming from."-Detroit, Sept. 7, 2000
"We'll let our friends be the peacekeepers and the
great country called America will be the
pacemakers."-Houston, Texas, Sept. 6, 2000
"We don't believe in planners and deciders making the
decisions on behalf of Americans."-Scranton, Pa.,
Sept. 6, 2000
"I regret that a private comment I made to the vice
presidential candidate made it through the public
airways."-Allentown, Pa., Sept. 5, 2000.
"The point is, this is a way to help inoculate me
about what has come and is coming."--on his anti-Gore
ad, in an interview with the New York Times, Sept. 2,
2000
"As governor of Texas, I have set high standards for
our public schools, and I have met those
standards."--CNN online chat, Aug. 30, 2000
"Well, I think if you say you're going to do something
and don't do it, that's trustworthiness."--Ibid.
"I don't know whether I'm going to win or not. I think
I am. I do know I'm ready for the job. And, if not,
that's just the way it goes."-Des Moines, Iowa, Aug.
21, 2000
''This campaign not only hears the voices of the
entrepreneurs and the farmers and the entrepreneurs,
we hear the voices of those struggling to get
ahead."-Ibid.
"We cannot let terrorists and rogue nations hold this
nation hostile or hold our allies hostile.''-Ibid.
"I have a different vision of leadership. A leadership
is someone who brings people together."-Bartlett,
Tenn., Aug. 18, 2000
"I think he needs to stand up and say if he thought
the president were wrong on policy and issues, he
ought to say where."-Interview with the Associated
Press, Aug. 11, 2000
"I want you to know that farmers are not going to be
secondary thoughts to a Bush administration. They will
be in the forethought of our thinking."-Salinas,
Calif., Aug. 10, 2000
"And if he continues that, I'm going to tell the
nation what I think about him as a human being and a
person."-President George H.W. Bush, on the Today
show, Aug. 1, 2000
"You might want to comment on that, Honorable."--To
New Jersey's secretary of state, the Hon. DeForest
Soaries Jr., as quoted by Dana Milbank in the
Washington Post, July 15, 2000
"This case has had full analyzation and has been
looked at a lot. I understand the emotionality of
death penalty cases."--Seattle Post-Intelligencer,
June 23, 2000
"States should have the right to enact reasonable laws
and restrictions particularly to end the inhumane
practice of ending a life that otherwise could
live."-Cleveland, June 29, 2000
"Unfairly but truthfully, our party has been tagged as
being against things. Anti-immigrant, for example. And
we're not a party of anti-immigrants. Quite the
opposite. We're a party that welcomes
people."-Cleveland, July 1, 2000
"The fundamental question is, 'Will I be a successful
president when it comes to foreign policy?' I will be,
but until I'm the president, it's going to be hard for
me to verify that I think I'll be more effective."-In
Wayne, Mich., as quoted by Katharine Q. Seelye in the
New York Times, June 28, 2000
"The only things that I can tell you is that every
case I have reviewed I have been comfortable with the
innocence or guilt of the person that I've looked at.
I do not believe we've put a guilty ... I mean
innocent person to death in the state of Texas." All
Things Considered, NPR, June 16, 2000
"I'm gonna talk about the ideal world, Chris. I've
read-I understand reality. If you're asking me as the
president, would I understand reality, I do."-On
abortion, Hardball, MSNBC; May 31, 2000
"There's not going to be enough people in the system
to take advantage of people like me."-On the coming
Social Security crisis; Wilton, Conn.; June 9, 2000
"I think anybody who doesn't think I'm smart enough to
handle the job is underestimating."-U.S. News & World
Report, April 3, 2000
Bush: "First of all, Cinco de Mayo is not the
independence day. That's dieciséis de Septiembre, and
..."
Matthews: "What's that in English?"
Bush: "Fifteenth of September." (Dieciséis de
Septiembre = Sept. 16)
-Hardball, MSNBC, May 31, 2000
"Actually, I-this may sound a little West Texan to
you, but I like it. When I'm talking about-when I'm
talking about myself, and when he's talking about
myself, all of us are talking about me."-Ibid.
"This is a world that is much more uncertain than the
past. In the past we were certain, we were certain it
was us versus the Russians in the past. We were
certain, and therefore we had huge nuclear arsenals
aimed at each other to keep the peace. That's what we
were certain of. ... You see, even though it's an
uncertain world, we're certain of some things. We're
certain that even though the 'evil empire' may have
passed, evil still remains. We're certain there are
people that can't stand what America stands for. ...
We're certain there are madmen in this world, and
there's terror, and there's missiles and I'm certain
of this, too: I'm certain to maintain the peace, we
better have a military of high morale, and I'm certain
that under this administration, morale in the military
is dangerously low."-Albuquerque, N.M., the Washington
Post, May 31, 2000
"He has certainly earned a reputation as a fantastic
mayor, because the results speak for themselves. I
mean, New York's a safer place for him to be."-On Rudy
Giuliani, The Edge With Paula Zahn, May 18, 2000
"The fact that he relies on facts-says things that are
not factual-are going to undermine his campaign."-New
York Times, March 4, 2000
"I think we agree, the past is over."-On his meeting
with John McCain, Dallas Morning News, May 10, 2000
"It's clearly a budget. It's got a lot of numbers in
it."--Reuters, May 5, 2000
GOV. BUSH: Because the picture on the newspaper. It
just seems so un-American to me, the picture of the
guy storming the house with a scared little boy there.
I talked to my little brother, Jeb-I haven't told this
to many people. But he's the governor of-I shouldn't
call him my little brother--my brother, Jeb, the great
governor of Texas.
JIM LEHRER: Florida.
GOV. BUSH: Florida. The state of the Florida.-The
NewsHour With Jim Lehrer, April 27, 2000
"I hope we get to the bottom of the answer. It's what
I'm interested to know."-On what happened in
negotiations between the Justice Department and Elián
González's Miami relatives, as quoted by the
Associated Press, April 26, 2000
"Laura and I really don't realize how bright our
children is sometimes until we get an objective
analysis."-CNBC, April 15, 2000
"You subscribe politics to it. I subscribe freedom to
it."-Responding to a question about whether he and Al
Gore were making the Elián González case a political
issue. In Palm Beach, Fla., as quoted by the
Associated Press, April 6, 2000
"I was raised in the West. The wesv of Texas. It's
pretty close to California. In more ways than
Washington, D.C., is close to California."-In Los
Angeles as quoted by the Los Angeles Times, April 8,
2000
"Reading is the basics for all learning."-Announcing
his "Reading First" initiative in Reston, Va., March
28, 2000 (Thanks to Carl LaRocca.)
"We want our teachers to be trained so they can meet
the obligations, their obligations as teachers. We
want them to know how to teach the science of reading.
In order to make sure there's not this kind of
federal-federal cufflink."-At Fritsche Middle School,
Milwaukee, March 30, 2000
"Other Republican candidates may retort to personal
attacks and negative ads."-Fund-raising letter from
George W. Bush, quoted in the Washington Post, March
24, 2000
"I've got a reason for running. I talk about a larger
goal, which is to call upon the best of America. It's
part of the renewal. It's reform and renewal. Part of
the renewal is a set of high standards and to remind
people that the greatness of America really does
depend on neighbors helping neighbors and children
finding mentors. I worry. I'm very worried about, you
know, the kid who just wonders whether America is
meant for him. I really worry about that. And uh, so,
I'm running for a reason. I'm answering this question
here and the answer is, you cannot lead America to a
positive tomorrow with revenge on one's mind. Revenge
is so incredibly negative. And so to answer your
question, I'm going to win because people sense my
heart, know my sense of optimism and know where I want
to lead the country. And I tease people by saying, 'A
leader, you can't say, follow me the world is going to
be worse.' I'm an optimistic person. I'm an inherently
content person. I've got a great sense of where I want
to lead and I'm comfortable with why I'm running. And,
you know, the call on that speech was, beware. This is
going to be a tough campaign."-Interview with the
Washington Post, March 23, 2000
"People make suggestions on what to say all the time.
I'll give you an example; I don't read what's handed
to me. People say, 'Here, here's your speech, or
here's an idea for a speech.' They're changed. Trust
me."-Interview with the New York Times, March 15, 2000
"It's evolutionary, going from governor to president,
and this is a significant step, to be able to vote for
yourself on the ballot, and I'll be able to do so next
fall, I hope."-In an interview with the Associated
Press, March 8, 2000
"It is not Reaganesque to support a tax plan that is
Clinton in nature.''-Los Angeles, Feb. 23, 2000
"I don't have to accept their tenants. I was trying to
convince those college students to accept my tenants.
And I reject any labeling me because I happened to go
to the university."-Today, Feb. 23, 2000
"I understand small business growth. I was one."-New
York Daily News, Feb. 19, 2000
"The senator has got to understand if he's going to
have-he can't have it both ways. He can't take the
high horse and then claim the low road."-To reporters
in Florence, S.C., Feb. 17, 2000
"Really proud of it. A great campaign. And I'm really
pleased with the organization and the thousands of
South Carolinians that worked on my behalf. And I'm
very gracious and humbled."-To Cokie Roberts, This
Week, Feb. 20, 2000
"I don't want to win? If that were the case why the
heck am I on the bus 16 hours a day, shaking thousands
of hands, giving hundreds of speeches, getting
pillared in the press and cartoons and still staying
on message to win?"-Newsweek, Feb. 28, 2000
"I thought how proud I am to be standing up beside my
dad. Never did it occur to me that he would become the
gist for cartoonists."-ibid.
"If you're sick and tired of the politics of cynicism
and polls and principles, come and join this
campaign."-Hilton Head, S.C., Feb. 16, 2000
"How do you know if you don't measure if you have a
system that simply suckles kids through?"-Explaining
the need for educational accountability in Beaufort,
S.C., Feb. 16, 2000
"We ought to make the pie higher."-South Carolina
Republican Debate, Feb. 15, 2000
"I do not agree with this notion that somehow if I go
to try to attract votes and to lead people toward a
better tomorrow somehow I get subscribed to some-some
doctrine gets subscribed to me."-Meet The Press, Feb.
13, 2000
"I've changed my style somewhat, as you know. I'm
less-I pontificate less, although it may be hard to
tell it from this show. And I'm more interacting with
people."-ibid
"I think we need not only to eliminate the tollbooth
to the middle class, I think we should knock down the
tollbooth."-Nashua, N.H., as quoted by Gail Collins in
the New York Times, Feb. 1, 2000
"The most important job is not to be governor, or
first lady in my case."-Pella, Iowa, as quoted by the
San Antonio Express-News, Jan. 30, 2000
"Will the highways on the Internet become more
few?"-Concord, N.H., Jan. 29, 2000
"This is Preservation Month. I appreciate
preservation. It's what you do when you run for
president. You gotta preserve."-Speaking during
"Perseverance Month" at Fairgrounds Elementary School
in Nashua, N.H. As quoted in the Los Angeles Times,
Jan. 28, 2000
"I know how hard it is for you to put food on your
family."-Greater Nashua, N.H., Chamber of Commerce,
Jan. 27, 2000
"What I am against is quotas. I am against hard
quotas, quotas they basically delineate based upon
whatever. However they delineate, quotas, I think
vulcanize society. So I don't know how that fits into
what everybody else is saying, their relative
positions, but that's my position.''-Quoted by Molly
Ivins, the San Francisco Chronicle, Jan. 21, 2000
"When I was coming up, it was a dangerous world, and
you knew exactly who they were," he said. "It was us
vs. them, and it was clear who them was. Today, we are
not so sure who the they are, but we know they're
there."-Iowa Western Community College, Jan 21, 2000
"The administration I'll bring is a group of men and
women who are focused on what's best for America,
honest men and women, decent men and women, women who
will see service to our country as a great privilege
and who will not stain the house."-Des Moines Register
debate, Iowa, Jan. 15, 2000
"This is still a dangerous world. It's a world of
madmen and uncertainty and potential mential
losses."-At a South Carolina oyster roast, as quoted
in the Financial Times, Jan. 14, 2000
"We must all hear the universal call to like your
neighbor just like you like to be liked
yourself."-ibid.
"Rarely is the question asked: Is our children
learning?"-Florence, S.C., Jan. 11, 2000
"Gov. Bush will not stand for the subsidation of
failure."-ibid.
"There needs to be debates, like we're going through.
There needs to be town-hall meetings. There needs to
be travel. This is a huge country."-Larry King Live,
Dec. 16, 1999
"I read the newspaper."-In answer to a question about
his reading habits, New Hampshire Republican Debate,
Dec. 2, 1999
"I think it's important for those of us in a position
of responsibility to be firm in sharing our
experiences, to understand that the babies out of
wedlock is a very difficult chore for mom and baby
alike. ... I believe we ought to say there is a
different alternative than the culture that is
proposed by people like Miss Wolf in society. ... And,
you know, hopefully, condoms will work, but it hasn't
worked."-Meet the Press, Nov. 21, 1999
"The students at Yale came from all different
backgrounds and all parts of the country. Within
months, I knew many of them."-From A Charge To Keep,
by George W. Bush, published November 1999
"It is incredibly presumptive for somebody who has not
yet earned his party's nomination to start speculating
about vice presidents."-Keene, N.H., Oct. 22, 1999,
quoted in the New Republic, Nov. 15, 1999
"The important question is, How many hands have I
shaked?"-Answering a question about why he hasn't
spent more time in New Hampshire, in the New York
Times, Oct. 23, 1999
"I don't remember debates. I don't think we spent a
lot of time debating it. Maybe we did, but I don't
remember."-On discussions of the Vietnam War when he
was an undergraduate at Yale, Washington Post, July
27, 1999
"The only thing I know about Slovakia is what I
learned first-hand from your foreign minister, who
came to Texas."-To a Slovak journalist as quoted by
Knight Ridder News Service, June 22, 1999. Bush's
meeting was with Janez Drnovsek, the prime minister of
Slovenia.
"If the East Timorians decide to revolt, I'm sure I'll
have a statement."-Quoted by Maureen Dowd in the New
York Times, June 16, 1999
"Keep good relations with the Grecians."-Quoted in the
Economist, June 12, 1999
"Kosovians can move back in."-CNN Inside Politics,
April 9, 1999
"It was just inebriating what Midland was all about
then."-From a 1994 interview, as quoted in First Son
