People:
Politics      page 1     page 2     page 3     page 4

U.S. Vice President Spiro Agnew: "... more than our share of the nattering nabobs of negativism." (September 11, 1970)

Former U.S. Sec. of State James Baker: "This has been a long and arduous process for everyone involved, on both sides. Thank you and good evening." (speaking at a press conference at about 11:30 p.m. on December 12, 2000, following the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to reverse the Florida Supreme Court's order that manual recounts should take place for under-voted ballots in the 2000 presidential election in Florida.)

Former Washington, D.C., mayor Marion Barry tells reporters to, "Get outta my face!" after being accused of scandalous wrongdoings. (date unknown)

Senator Lloyd Bentson to Dan Quayle: "Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy." (in a televised VP candidate debate with Quayle during the 1988 presidential campaign)

George Bush the elder: "Thank you, God bless you, and God bless the United States of America."

George Bush the elder: "I never once said, 'Nah-Gah-Dah.' " (appearing on Saturday Night Live)

George Bush the elder: "As Dana Carvey would say: Nah gonna do it... Wouldn't be prudent." (during a commencement address given at some university in the 1990s)

George Bush, the elder: "Much good can come from the prudent use of power. And much good can come of this: A world once divided into two armed camps now recognizes one sole and preeminent power, the United States of America. And they regard this with no dread. For the world trusts us with power, and the world is right. They trust us to be fair and restrained. They trust us to be on the side of decency. They trust us to do what's right. I use those words advisedly." (January 28, 1992, State of the Union address)

George Bush, the elder: "I pride myself that I'm a prudent man, and I believe that patience is a virtue. But I understand that politics is, for some, a game and that sometimes the game is to stop all progress and then decry the lack of improvement. But let me tell you: Far more important than my political future and far more important than yours is the well-being of our country." (January 28, 1992, State of the Union address)

George Bush the elder: "Read my lips... no new taxes!" (during the 1988 presidential campaign)

George Bush, the elder: "The big argument I have with the Governor on this is this taking different positions on different issues, trying to be one thing to one person here that's opposing the NAFTA agreement, and then for it, what we call waffling. You can't turn the White House into the Waffle House. You gotta say what you're for."

Bill Clinton: "...The Washington Post ran a long editorial today saying they couldn't believe Mr. Bush was making character an issue, and they said he was the greatest – quote – political chameleon for changing his positions of all time. Now, I don't wanna get into that..."

Bush, trying to interject: "(inaudible) Washington Post..."

Clinton: "Wait a minute. Let's don't... Let's don't... You don't have to believe that. I'm not interested in his character. I want to change the character of the presidency."

(during one of the 1992 presidential campaign debates)

Florida Governor Jeb Bush: "I am disgusted by the lawyers. It's just, uh, I think, a sign of the times that everything has to get lawyered-up in our country. Civil society is really under attack, and, um, I think people will reject it." (November 2004)

Reporter: "The first woman to step to the microphone asked the President about a new book called American Theocracy by political analyst Kevin Phillips."

Woman: "He makes the point that members of your administration have reached out to prophetic Christians who see the war in Iraq and the rise of terrorism as signs of the Apocalypse. Do you believe this?"

Reporter: "It was clearly not the kind of question the President is used to."

George W. Bush: "I – the answer is... I haven't really thought of it that way. Heh, heh..."

Audience chuckles.

Bush: "Heh, heh. Here's how I think of it... um... Heh, heh. First, I've heard of that, by the way. I, I, uh... the, uh... I, I guess I'm more of a practical fellow." (March 20, 2006)

George W. Bush: "The United States of America has the sovereign authority to use force in assuring its own national security. That duty falls to me, as commander-in-chief, by the oath I have sworn, by the oath I will keep." (March 17, 2003, addressing the nation and warning Saddam Hussein to leave Iraq within 48 hours)

George W. Bush: "A president has got to be the calcium in the backbone. If I weaken, the whole team weakens. If I'm doubtful, I can assure you there'll be a lot of doubt." (circa autumn of 2002)

George W. Bush: "My biggest job is to prevent the enemy from hittin' us again, and that's exactly what I'm gonna do."

Crowd cheers. (January 14, 2002)

George W. Bush: "There are some who, uh, feel like that, ya know, the conditions are such that they can attack us there... My answer is bring 'em on." (Said during the summer of 2003, referring to Iraqi insurgents staging guerilla warfare against the occupation of Iraq by the military forces of the U.S. and its allies)

George W. Bush: "Uh, saying, 'Bring it on'... Kind of tough talk, ya know, that sent the wrong signal to people... Uh, I learned some lessons about, uh, um, expressing myself maybe in a little more sophisticated manner." (May 25, 2006)

George W. Bush: "And to the C students... I say... you, too, can be president of the United States." (while delivering the 2001 commencement address at Yale University.)

George W. Bush: "It is the calling of our time to win this war on terror." (July 6, 2006)

George W. Bush: "I campaign the way I campaign. I don't get coached. I don't have Hollywood people coming down. I don't have an advisor on my staff trying to convert me into some kind of alpha male. I don't change my clothes, I don't dye my hair... I just try to be the best I can be." (during the 2000 presidential campaign, in reference to attempts by Al Gore's campaign consultants to give the vice president's political and personal image a "make-over")

George W. Bush: "And this much is certain... no terrorist network will gain weapons of mass destruction from the Iraqi regime because the regime is no more." (May 1, 2003)

Reporter: "Can you name the president of Chechnya?"

Texas Governor George W. Bush: "No, can you?" (During the 2000 presidential campaign)

George W. Bush: "There's Adam Clymer, major league asshole..."

Dick Cheney: "Oh, yeah, he is."

Bush: "...from the New York Times."

Cheney: "Big time."

(Said in reference to New York Times reporter Adam Clymer at a Labor Day event on September 4, 2000, in Naperville, Illinois, during Bush's presidential campaign. Bush and Cheney apparently did not realize they were in microphone range.)

George W. Bush: "History has given us a unique opportunity to defend freedom, and we're gonna seize the moment and do it." (February 2002)

George W. Bush: "If this were a dictatorship, it'd be a heck of a lot easier... just so long as I'm the dictator." (December 18, 2000)

George W. Bush: "See, by ending double taxation of dividends we will increase the return on investing, which will draw more money into the markets to provide capital to build factories, to buy equipment, hire more people." (January 7, 2003)

George W. Bush: "It's just, uh... Ya know, it's just – I just don't understand. It just doesn't make any sense to me." (July 6, 2006)

George W. Bush: "Do I have the legal authority to do this? And the answer is, absolutely."

(December 2005, in defense of criticism about the Bush administration's use of wiretaps and invasive surveillance on American citizens within the United States without court authorization)

George W. Bush: "Congress, in the authorization – in authorization of the use of troops, basically said the president ought to, ought to protect us. Well, one way to protect us is to understand the nature of the enemy. Part of being able to deal with this kind of enemy in a different kind of war is to understand why they're making decisions they're making inside our country."

(January or February 2006, in defense of criticism about the Bush administration's use of wiretaps and invasive surveillance within the United States without court authorization)

George W. Bush: "The program's legal, it's designed to protect civil liberties, and it's necessary."

(January or February 2006, in defense of criticism about the Bush administration's use of wiretaps and invasive surveillance within the United States without court authorization)

George W. Bush: "If there are people inside our country who are talking with Al-Qaida, we want to know about it because we will not sit back and wait to be hit again."

(January or February 2006, in defense of criticism about the Bush administration's use of wiretaps and invasive surveillance within the United States without court authorization)

George W. Bush: "If people have more money to spend, it means somebody has got to produce more for 'em... and the producers then need to hire people. It's Economics 101, except sometimes people in Washington haven't taken the course." (January 15, 2002)

George W. Bush: "Every day I think about this. Every day I think about Al-Qaida. Every day I think about protecting this country – I mean every day. I think about it and talk to people about it and strategize about it every day." (July 6, 2006)

George W. Bush: "The great threat to civilization is that a few evil men will multiply their murders and gain the means to kill on a scale equal to their hatred." (February 2002)

George W. Bush: "I do not need to explain why I say things. That's the interesting thing about being the president. Maybe somebody needs to explain to me why they say something, but I don't feel like I owe anybody an explanation." (circa autumn of 2002)

George W. Bush: "You're working hard to put food on your family." (Jan. 27, 2000, in a speech to the Greater Nashua Chamber of Commerce, New Hampshire)

George W. Bush: "There's an old saying in Tennessee. I know it's in Texas – it's probably in Tennessee – that says, fool me once... shame on... shame on you............ Ya fool me – can't get fooled again." (September 17, 2002, speaking to a group of school children in Tennessee)

George W. Bush: "Where freedom takes hold, hatred gives way to hope. When freedom takes hold, men and women turn to the peaceful pursuit of a better life. American values and American interests lead in the same direction – we stand for human liberty." (May 1, 2003)

George W. Bush: "We don't fear the future, because we're gonna shape the future of the United States of America." (February 2006)

George W. Bush: "We have done a lot to deal with greenhouse gases." (July 6, 2006)

George W. Bush: "Happy birthday."

Reporter: "What's your view on homosexuality?"

George W. Bush: "Yeah. I, I, I am mindful that we are all sinners... and, uh, I caution those who, uh, may try to take the speck out of their neighbor's eye when they've got a log in their own." (July 30, 2003)

George W. Bush: "We've had no evidence that Saddam Hussein was involved with the September the 11th." (September 18, 2003)

George W. Bush: "I don't want to be argumentative, but I was very careful never to say that Saddam Hussein ordered the attacks on America." (March 20, 2006)

George W. Bush: "Let me talk about the intelligence in Iraq. First of all, we all thought we would find stockpiles of weapons. We may still find weapons. We haven't found them yet. Every person standing up here would say, 'Gosh, we thought it was going to be different,' as did the Congress, by the way, members of both parties, and the United Nations. But what we do know is that Saddam Hussein had the capability of making weapons. And let me just say this to you: Knowing what I know today, we still would have gone on into Iraq. We still would have gone to make our country more secure. He had the capability of making weapons. He had terrorist ties. The decision I made was the right decision. The world is better off without Saddam Hussein in power. And I find it interesting, in the political process, that some say, 'Well, I voted for the intelligence,' and now they won't say whether or not it was the right decision to take Saddam Hussein out. It's the right decision, and the world is better off for it." (August 2, 2004)

George W. Bush: "We're a nation of laws, and we must enforce our laws." (May 15, 2006)

George W. Bush: "We're a nation of laws. Ya gotta uphold the laws." (July 6, 2006)

George W. Bush: "Men and women in every culture need liberty like they need food and water and air. Everywhere that freedom arrives, humanity rejoices, and everywhere that freedom stirs, let tyrants fear." (May 1, 2003)

George W. Bush: "I look at life as a series of opportunities, uh, to make this world a better place." (July 6, 2006)

George W. Bush: "Marriage is the most fundamental institution of civilization, and it should not be redefined by activist judges." (June 5, 2006)

George W. Bush: "To protect the doctor-patient relationship and keep good doctors doing good work, we must eliminate wasteful and frivolous medical lawsuits." (January 2004)

George W. Bush: "And America needs a military where our breast and brightest are proud to serve and proud to stay." (2001)

George W. Bush: "I loathe [North Korean dictator] Kim Jong-il. I've got a visceral reaction to this guy because he is starving his people. It appalls me. I feel passionate about this. Ya know, they tell me, 'Well, we may not need to move too fast because the financial burdens on people will be so immense if this guy were to topple.' I just don't buy that." (circa autumn of 2002)

George W. Bush: "I'm not leaving. The bastards know where I am. If it's meant to be, it's gonna happen, and therefore there's not need to try to hide from a terrorist." (circa autumn of 2002)

George W. Bush: "You say we're headed to war in Iraq. I don't know why you say that. I hope we're not headed to war in Iraq. I'm the person who gets to decide – not you." (responding to a reporter's question on December 31, 2002, a few months before the U.S. and its allies invaded Iraq)

George W. Bush: "Nucular power plants." (demonstrating his inability to properly pronounce the word "nuclear," 2002)

George W. Bush: "Biological, chemical, and nucular weapons." (2002)

George W. Bush: "...using chemical, biological, or, one day, nucular weapons." (2003)

George W. Bush: "Too many good docs are getting out of business. Too many OBGYNs aren't able to practice their, their love with women all across this country." (speaking at a campaign rally in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, on September 6, 2004)

George W. Bush: "To give every American a stake in the promise and future of our country, we will build an ownership society." (January 20, 2005, during Bush's 2nd inauguration address)

George W. Bush: "See, I think government ought to promote an ownership society. We ought to encourage people to own their own home, encourage entrepreneurs to take risk and own their own business." (May 24, 2005)

George W. Bush: "I guess politics never stops." (July 6, 2006)

George W. Bush: "Ya know, this town's full of politics. People just say what they wanna say." (July 6, 2006)

George W. Bush: "If my mother is listening... Mother, I should've listened to you... 'Always chew your pretzels before you swallow.' " (January 14, 2002, a few days after W. lost consciousness while choking on a pretzel at the White House)

George W. Bush: "If you have a president who worries about polls, it means you could have a president who makes decision based upon the polls. You cannot achieve big goals and accomplish hard things if you're worried about opinion polls. The president that chases the opinion poll is the president that will have failed policy, in my judgment. I like to tell people I would rather be – when history looks back, I'd rather be judged as solving problems and being correct, rather than being popular." (July 6, 2006)

George W. Bush: "One reason there's, there's problems is because we've confronted 'em. In other words, the, the, the status quo was unacceptable to me. And therefore, it's important to deal with problems before they become acute." (July 6, 2006)

George W. Bush: "In my line of work you gotta keep repeating things over, and over, and over again... for the truth to sink in... to kinda catapult the propaganda." (May 24, 2005)

George W. Bush: "I do have a compelling reason to consider running for president. I want the 21st Century to be one of prosperity with a purpose." (circa 2000)

George W. Bush: "This guy's gonna say anything to get elected. I read in the newspaper yesterday where, all of a sudden, he's for campaign funding reform." (referring to Vice President Al Gore during the 2000 presidential election campaign and alluding to allegations that Gore had violated campaign finance laws by soliciting donations using government facilities and equipment)

George W. Bush: "In order to make sure people can find work, this nation better, better knock down trade barriers. Ya see, one of the things we're good at   really good at   is growing food. We're the best in the world. And it makes sense that if we're good at growing food, that we ought to be trying to sell it, not only at home, but when we have a little extra, overseas." (January 14, 2002. Note: This comment about knocking down trade barriers was made only a few months before the Bush administration imposed tariffs on imported steel.)

George W. Bush: "I went to Washington to solve problems." (October 13, 2004)

George W. Bush: "You cannot solve a problem unless you diagnose the problem." (October 13, 2004)

George W. Bush: "We got a problem, and here's some ideas on how to solve it." (May 24, 2005)

George W. Bush: "I am into solving problems, and I'm convinced the strategy we've got is the best way to solve this problem." (July 2006)

George W. Bush: "Listen, we want to solve all problems diplomatically. That's our first option. Uh, but, of course, the president has got other options." (July 6, 2006)

George W. Bush: "The United States is in the lead in solving a lot of problems." (July 6, 2006)

George W. Bush: "Problems don't get solved overnight. But, this government has got enough capacity and enough talent to deal with a myriad of problems at the same time." (July 6, 2006)

George W. Bush: "You might remember early on in my administration I talked about the Axis of Evil. Step 1 of solving problems is to clearly identify a problem." (July 6, 2006)

George W. Bush: "I feel it is an honor to be in this position, and I'm, I'm, uh... I'm, uh... Ya know, I wake up enthused about working on these serious problems, cuz I've got confidence we can, we can solve them." (July 6, 2006)

George W. Bush: "The best way to lead and the best way to solve problems is to focus on a set of principles and do what you think is right." (July 6, 2006)

Mark Trahant: "What do you think tribal sovereignty means in the 21st Century and how do we resolve conflicts between tribes and the federal and state governments?"

George W. Bush: "Yeah. Uh, tribal sovereignty means that – it's sovereign. You're a, you're a... you've been given sovereignty and you're viewed as a sovereign entity..."

Audience snickers.

Trahant: "Okay."

Bush, continuing: "...and therefore, the relationship between the federal government and tribes is one between sovereign entities."

(August 6, 2004, answering a question from Mark Trahant, editorial page editor of The Seattle Post-Intelligencer and a member of the Native American Journalist Association, following a speech to the Unity Journalists of Color Convention)

George W. Bush: "In the midst of tough times, I don't need people around me who are not steady. If there's kind of a hand-wringing attitude going on when times are tough, I don't like it." (circa autumn of 2002)

George W. Bush: "Embryonic stem cell research requires the destruction of life to create a stem cell." (October 8, 2004)

George W. Bush: "See, the strength of America is not in our halls of government. The strength of America is in the hearts and souls of incredibly decent and generous and kind people." (circa May 2002)

George W. Bush: "This is not only 'No new taxes.' This is 'Tax cuts, so help me, God.' " (said during the 2000 presidential election campaign)

George W. Bush: "There is a tax gap." (circa October 2004)

George W. Bush: "If you have more money in your pocket, you buy more things, which encourages more production. Consumer demand is stimulated by tax relief. And the great thing about our society is when consumers demand, generally somebody's there to produce, and so there's more jobs, there's more production takes place." (January 14, 2002)

George W. Bush: "I come from Texas." (date and occasion unknown)

George W. Bush: "So, that's what there's some ideas, and, uh, it's... My job is to, like, think beyond the immediate." (April 21, 2004)

George W. Bush: "No more poison factories, no more executions of dissidents, no more torture chambers and rape rooms. The tyrant will soon be gone. The day of your liberation is near." (March 17, 2003)

George W. Bush: "The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa." (January 2003, during the state of the union address)

George W. Bush: "America speaks for the universal values that gave our nation birth... the rule of law, the freedom of conscience and religion, and the rights and dignity of every life." (February 2002)

George W. Bush: "Just gettin' warmed up. I'm kind of... just finding my feet." (July 30, 2003)

George W. Bush: "Those weapons of mass destruction have got to be somewhere!"

Audience laughs.

(Bush was joking around during a lighthearted speech and slide show before the Radio and Television Correspondents Association dinner in Washington, D.C., March 24, 2004)

George W. Bush: "I think words mean different things to different people." (July 6, 2006)

George W. Bush: "Amid the daily news of car bombs and kidnappings and brutal killings, I can understand why many of our fellow citizens are now wondering if the entire mission was worth it. I strongly believe our country is better off with Saddam Hussein out of power." (March 11, 2006)

George W. Bush: "The decision to remove Saddam Hussein from power was controversial. We did not find the weapons of mass destruction that we all believed were there, and that's raised questions about whether the sacrifice in Iraq has been worth it. Despite setbacks and missteps, I strongly believe we did and are doing the right thing." (May 25, 2006)

George W. Bush: "Uh, the decision to remove Saddam Hussein was the right decision, and I'm absolutely convinced it was. Where I get down is when I, uh, uh, ya know, when I, I, I... realize that some grieving mom or wife or dad or, ya know, has, uh, has lost a loved one, and that's, uh, that's the agony of war. And, uh, I've met with enough families to know how it's broken their heart, um, to lose a loved one. But, I made the right decision and we will succeed in Iraq, unless we decide to quit. And, uh, success in Iraq will, will, will   really important for the world. It's important for there to be a democracy in the heart of the Middle East." (July 6, 2006)

Politics, page 2

Many more political sound bites on pages 2, 3, and 4.