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George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (Born July 6 , 1946 )
- Politician , 43rd president of the USA ; son of George H. W. Bush, husband of Laura Welch Bush
Sourced
Quotes from famous speeches
A Distinctly American Internationalism (November 19, 1999)
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, Simi Valley, CA [1]
- In the defense of our nation, a president must be a clear-eyed realist. There are limits to the smiles and scowls of diplomacy. Armies and missiles are not stopped by stiff notes of condemnation. They are held in check by strength and purpose and the promise of swift punishment.
- The most powerful force in the world is not a weapon or a nation but a truth: that we are spiritual beings, and that freedom is "the soul’s right to breathe."
- American foreign policy must be more than the management of crisis. It must have a great and guiding goal: to turn this time of American influence into generations of democratic peace.
- Some have tried to pose a choice between American ideals and American interests—between who we are and how we act. But the choice is false. America, by decision and destiny, promotes political freedom – and gains the most when democracy advances. America believes in free markets and free trade – and benefits most when markets are opened. America is a peaceful power – and gains the greatest dividend from democratic stability. Precisely because we have no territorial objectives, our gains are not measured in the losses of others. They are counted in the conflicts we avert, the prosperity we share and the peace we extend.
- The case for trade is not just monetary, but moral. Economic freedom creates habits of liberty. And habits of liberty create expectations of democracy.
- We are no longer fighting a great enemy, we are asserting a great principle: that the talents and dreams of average people – their warm human hopes and loves – should be rewarded by freedom and protected by peace. We are defending the nobility of normal lives, lived in obedience to God and conscience, not to government.
- America has never been an empire. We may be the only great power in history that had the chance, and refused – preferring greatness to power and justice to glory.
First Inaugural Address (January 20, 2001)
Washington, DC [2]
- The peaceful transfer of authority is rare in history, yet common in our country. With a simple oath, we affirm old traditions and make new beginnings.
- America has never been united by blood or birth or soil. We are bound by ideals that move us beyond our backgrounds, lift us above our interests and teach us what it means to be citizens.
- We are not this story's author, who fills time and eternity with His purpose. Yet His purpose is achieved in our duty, and our duty is fulfilled in service to one another. Never tiring, never yielding, never finishing, we renew that purpose today; to make our country more just and generous; to affirm the dignity of our lives and every life.
This work continues. This story goes on. And an angel still rides in the whirlwind and directs this storm.
Address to the National Endowment for Democracy (November 6, 2003)
United States Chamber of Commerce, Washington, DC [3]
- [T]he prosperity, and social vitality and technological progress of a people are directly determined by the extent of their liberty. Freedom honors and unleashes human creativity -- and creativity determines the strength and wealth of nations. Liberty is both the plan of Heaven for humanity, and the best hope for progress here on Earth.
- Are the peoples of the Middle East somehow beyond the reach of liberty? Are millions of men and women and children condemned by history or culture to live in despotism? Are they alone never to know freedom, and never even to have a choice in the matter? I, for one, do not believe it. I believe every person has the ability and the right to be free.
- The establishment of a free Iraq at the heart of the Middle East will be a watershed event in the global democratic revolution.
- The advance of freedom is the calling of our time; it is the calling of our country. From the Fourteen Points to the Four Freedoms, to the Speech at Westminster, America has put our power at the service of principle. We believe that liberty is the design of nature; we believe that liberty is the direction of history. We believe that human fulfillment and excellence come in the responsible exercise of liberty. And we believe that freedom -- the freedom we prize -- is not for us alone, it is the right and the capacity of all mankind.
- This is, above all, the age of liberty.
Remarks on U.S.-British relations and foreign policy (November 19, 2003)
Whitehall Palace, London [4]
- Americans traveling to England always observe more similarities to our country than differences. I've been here only a short time, but I've noticed the tradition of free speech exercised with enthusiasm is alive and well here in London. We have that at home too. They now have that right in Baghdad as well.
- The United States and Great Britain share a mission in the world beyond the balance of power or the simple pursuit of interest. We seek the advance of freedom and the peace that freedom brings.
- We cannot rely exclusively on military power to assure our long-term security. Lasting peace is gained as justice and democracy advance.
- If the Middle East remains a place where freedom does not flourish, it will remain a place of stagnation and anger and violence for export. And as we saw in the ruins of two towers, no distance on the map will protect our lives and way of life. If the greater Middle East joins the democratic revolution that has reached much of the world, the lives of millions in that region will be bettered, and a trend of conflict and fear will be ended at its source.
- We did not charge hundreds of miles into the heart of Iraq and pay a bitter cost of casualties and liberate 25 million people only to retreat before a band of thugs and assassins.
Speech to United Nations General Assembly (September 21, 2004)
UN Headquarters, New York, NY [5]
- For decades, the circle of liberty and security and development has been expanding in our world. This progress has brought unity to Europe, self-government to Latin America and Asia, and new hope to Africa. Now we have the historic chance to widen the circle even further, to fight radicalism and terror with justice and dignity, to achieve a true peace, founded on human freedom.
- We know that dictators are quick to choose aggression, while free nations strive to resolve differences in peace. We know that oppressive governments support terror, while free governments fight the terrorists in their midst. We know that free peoples embrace progress and life, instead of becoming the recruits for murderous ideologies.
- Every nation that wants peace will share the benefits of a freer world. And every nation that seeks peace has an obligation to help build that world.
- The security of our world is found in the advancing rights of mankind.
- Peaceful nations must stand for the advance of democracy. No other system of government has done more to protect minorities, to secure the rights of labor, to raise the status of women, or to channel human energy to the pursuits of peace.
- When it comes to the desire for liberty and justice, there is no clash of civilizations. People everywhere are capable of freedom, and worthy of freedom.
- The desire for freedom resides in every human heart. And that desire cannot be contained forever by prison walls, or martial laws, or secret police. Over time, and across the Earth, freedom will find a way.
- For too long, many nations, including my own, tolerated, even excused, oppression in the Middle East in the name of stability. Oppression became common, but stability never arrived. We must take a different approach. We must help the reformers of the Middle East as they work for freedom, and strive to build a community of peaceful, democratic nations.
- The advance of liberty is the path to both a safer and better world.
Second Inaugural Address (20 January 2005)
- The survival of liberty in our land increasingly depends on the success of liberty in other lands. The best hope for peace in our world is the expansion of freedom in all the world.
- We will persistently clarify the choice before every ruler and every nation— the moral choice between oppression, which is always wrong, and freedom, which is eternally right.
- As hope kindles hope, millions more will find it. By our efforts, we have lit a fire as well— a fire in the minds of men. It warms those who feel its power, it burns those who fight its progress, and one day this untamed fire of freedom will reach the darkest corners of our world.
- In America's ideal of freedom, the public interest depends on private character— on integrity and tolerance toward others and the rule of conscience in our own lives. Self-government relies, in the end, on the governing of the self.
That edifice of character is built in families, supported by communities with standards,and sustained in our national life by the truths of Sinai, the Sermon on the Mount, the words of the Koran and the varied faiths of our people. Americans move forward in every generation by reaffirming all that is good and true that came before— ideals of justice and conduct that are the same yesterday, today and forever.
- The exercise of rights is ennobled by service and mercy and a heart for the weak. Liberty for all does not mean independence from one another. Our nation relies on men and women who look after a neighbor and surround the lost with love. Americans, at our best, value the life we see in one another and must always remember that even the unwanted have worth. And our country must abandon all the habits of racism because we cannot carry the message of freedom and the baggage of bigotry at the same time.
- From the perspective of a single day, including this day of dedication, the issues and questions before our country are many. From the viewpoint of centuries, the questions that come to us are narrowed and few. Did our generation advance the cause of freedom? And did our character bring credit to that cause?
- We have known divisions, which must be healed to move forward in great purposes— and I will strive in good faith to heal them. Yet those divisions do not define America. We felt the unity and fellowship of our nation when freedom came under attack, and our response came like a single hand over a single heart. And we can feel that same unity and pride whenever America acts for good, and the victims of disaster are given hope, and the unjust encounter justice, and the captives are set free.
- We go forward with complete confidence in the eventual triumph of freedom. Not because history runs on the wheels of inevitability; it is human choices that move events. Not because we consider ourselves a chosen nation; God moves and chooses as he wills. We have confidence because freedom is the permanent hope of mankind, the hunger in dark places, the longing of the soul. When our Founders declared a new order of the ages, when soldiers died in wave upon wave for a union based on liberty, when citizens marched in peaceful outrage under the banner "Freedom Now"— they were acting on an ancient hope that is meant to be fulfilled.
- History has an ebb and flow of justice, but history also has a visible direction set by liberty and the author of liberty. When the Declaration of Independence was first read in public and the Liberty Bell was sounded in celebration, a witness said, "It rang as if it meant something." In our time it means something still. America, in this young century, proclaims liberty throughout all the world and to all the inhabitants thereof. Renewed in our strength— tested, but not weary— we are ready for the greatest achievements in the history of freedom.
Miscellaneous quotes
Arranged chronologically where a date is provided
1998
- "You don't get everything you want. A dictatorship would be a lot easier."
- Responding to the difficulties of governing Texas ("The Taming of Texas," Governing Magazine, July 1998 [6]. Also cited in Is our Children Learning?: The Case Against George W. Bush by Paul Begala.)
1999
- "Victory means exit strategy, and it's important for the president to explain to us what the exit strategy is."
- re Kosovo , Houston Chronicle April 9, 1999
2000
- "I think we all agree, the past is over."
- The Dallas Morning News, May 10, 2000
- "I know that the human being and the fish can coexist peacefully."
- The Washington Post, October 1, 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, OH, 4 October 2000.
- "If affirmative action means what I just described, what I'm for, then I'm for it."
- St. Louis, Missouri, October 18, 2000
- "This is an impressive crowd - the haves and the have-mores. Some people call you the elites; I call you my base."
- New York, October 20, 2000 speech to the Al Smith Dinner for charity [7], also in Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 .
- "They want the federal government controlling Social Security like it's some kind of federal program."
- St. Charles, MO (USA Today, 11/2/2000)
- "I told all four [congressional leaders] that I felt like this election happened for a reason; that it pointed out-- the Delay in the outcome should make it clear to all of us-- that we can come together to heal whatever wounds may exist, whatever residuals there may be. And I really look forward to the opportunity. I hope they've got my sense of optimism about the possible, and enthusiasm about the job. I told all four that there are going to be some times where we don't agree with each other, but that's okay. If this were a dictatorship, it would be a heck of a lot easier... [Bush chuckles, audience laughs] ...just so long as I'm the dictator [more laughter]."
- Washington, DC, December 18, 2000, during his first trip to Washington as President-elect [8]. The last sentence is also included in Farhenheit 9/11.
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
- "It's amazing I won. I was running against peace, prosperity, and incumbency."
- June 14, 2001, to Göran Persson , unaware he was still on live TV
- "Dealing with Congress is a matter of give and take. The president doesn't get everything he wants, the Congress doesn't get everything they want. But we're finding good common ground. A dictatorship would be a heck of a lot easier, there's no question about it."
- Washington, DC, July 26, 2001 [9].
- The resolve of our great nation is being tested. But make no mistake: We will show the world that we will pass this test. God bless.
- Statement at Barksdale Air Force Base (September 11, 2001)
- A great people has been moved to defend a great nation. Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shattered steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve.
America was targeted for attack because we're the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world. And no one will keep that light from shining.
Today, our nation saw evil, the very worst of human nature. And we responded with the best of America— with the daring of our rescue workers, with the caring for strangers and neighbors who came to give blood and help in any way they could.
- Address to the Nation (September 11, 2001)
- "I want justice. And there's an old poster out West, I recall, that says, 'Wanted: Dead or Alive.'"[10][11]
- referring to Osama Bin Ladin after the 9/11 attack. September 17, 2001.
- The English translation is not as eloquent as the original Arabic, but let me quote from the Koran, itself: In the long run, evil in the extreme will be the end of those who do evil. For that they rejected the signs of Allah and held them up to ridicule.
The face of terror is not the true faith of Islam. That's not what Islam is all about. Islam is peace. These terrorists don't represent peace. They represent evil and war.
- Remarks by the President at Islamic Center, Washington, D.C. (September 17, 2001)
- "Every nation, in every region, now has a decision to make. Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists."[12]
- "There's one terrible pilot."
- 2001 Dec 4, convention center, Orlando, Florida—what he claims to have thought about the first September Eleventh crash[13]
2002
- "Well, first of all, when we walked into the classroom, I had seen this plane fly into the first building. There was a TV set on."
- 2002 Jan 5, convention center, Ontario, California[14]—there was no live broadcast of the first September Eleventh crash
- "States like these, and their terrorist allies, constitute an axis of evil, arming to threaten the peace of the world. By seeking weapons of mass destruction, these regimes pose a grave and growing danger. They could provide these arms to terrorists, giving them the means to match their hatred. They could attack our allies or attempt to blackmail the United States. In any of these cases, the price of indifference would be catastrophic."
- Bush referring to Iraq, Iran, and North Korea as an "Axis of Evil" in his State of the Union Address on January 29, 2002
- "I don't know where [Osama bin Laden] is. I'll repeat what I said: I am truly not that concerned about him."
- Brady briefing room, Mar 13, 2002
- "I just want you to know that, when we talk about war, we're really talking about peace."
- Department of Housing and Urban Development, Washington, D.C., June 18, 2002 [15]
- "After all, this [Saddam Hussein] is a guy that tried to kill my dad at one time."
- Houston, Texas, Sep. 26, 2002 [16]
- "We'll do everything we can to remind people that we've never been a nation of conquerors."
- Roosevelt Room, 2002 Dec 4 [17]
2003
- "In our time, respect for the right to life calls us to defend the sick and the dying, persons with disabilities and birth defects, and all who are weak and vulnerable. And this self-evident truth calls us to value and to protect the lives of innocent children waiting to be born."
- Jan 22 , 2003 , speaking at the at 30th Annual March for Life
- 'In any conflict, your fate will depend on your action. Do not destroy oil wells, a source of wealth that belongs to the Iraqi people. Do not obey any command to use weapons of mass destruction against anyone, including the Iraqi people. War crimes will be prosecuted. War criminals will be punished. And it will be no defense to say, "I was just following orders."'
- address to the nation, 2003-03-17 [18]
- "I think war is a dangerous place."
- Washington, D.C., May 7, 2003
- "I said you were a man of peace. I want you to know I took immense crap for that."
- "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'm the master of low expectations."
- Aboard Air Force One, June 4, 2003
- "The United States is committed to the worldwide elimination of torture and we are leading this fight by example."
- "There are some that feel like if they attack us that we may decide to leave prematurely. They don't understand what they are talking about if that is the case. Let me finish. There are some who feel like the conditions are such that they can attack us there. My answer is, bring 'em on." [22], [23]
- When discussing the insurgency on Iraq .
- July 2, 2003.
- "And we base it, our history, and our decision making, our future, on solid values. The first value is, we're all God's children."
- Speaking at an atheist convention, Washington, D.C., Jul. 16, 2003
- " The only thing I know for certain is that they are bad people."
- On the British detainees being held at Guantanamo Bay by the U.S. without judicial process, in meeting with British PM Tony Blair, Washington, D.C., Jul. 18, 2003
- "Step forth and speak." Sept. 17, 2003 [24]
- "The best way to get the news is from objective sources, and the most objective sources I have are people on my staff who tell me what's happening in the world."
- FOX interview w/ Brit Hume, 2003 Sep 23—cf. the chestnut that those with the king's ear have the power
- "I don't know of anybody in my administration who leaked classified information. If somebody did leak classified information, I'd like to know it."
- "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
- We're fighting on many fronts, and Iraq is now the central front. Saddam holdouts and foreign terrorists are trying desperately to undermine Iraq's progress and to throw that country into chaos. The terrorists in Iraq believe their attacks on innocent people will weaken our resolve. That's what they believe. They believe that America will run from a challenge. They're mistaken. Americans are not the running kind.
- "Saddam's rape rooms and torture chambers and children's prisons are closed forever. His mass graves will claim no victims."
- 2003 October 18, to the Philippine Congress [25]
- "As you know, these are open forums, you're able to come and listen to what I have to say."
- Oct. 28, 2003, Washington, D.C.
- "My Geordie is probably just about as bad as my English."
- Asked if he will be able to understand the accent in Tony Blair's constituency in North-East England, 14 November, 2003 [26]
- "So what's the difference?"
- 2003 Dec 16, to Diane Sawyer, as she presses about the administration's verbiage about Iraqi WMD vs. the fact none were used or found [27][28]
- "They have mis-underestimated us!"
- 2003 address referring to the war on Terrorism, perhaps deliberately repeating an earlier malaprop of his own
2004
- We will build new ships to carry man forward into the universe, to gain a new foothold on the moon, and to prepare for new journeys to worlds beyond our own.
- Returning to the moon is an important step for our space program. Establishing an extended human presence on the moon could vastly reduce the costs of further space exploration, making possible ever more ambitious missions. Lifting heavy spacecraft and fuel out of the Earth's gravity is expensive. Spacecraft assembled and provisioned on the moon could escape its far lower gravity using far less energy, and thus, far less cost. Also, the moon is home to abundant resources. Its soil contains raw materials that might be harvested and processed into rocket fuel or breathable air. We can use our time on the moon to develop and test new approaches and technologies and systems that will allow us to function in other, more challenging environments. The moon is a logical step toward further progress and achievement.
- "It's not a dictatorship in Washington, but I tried to make it one in that instance."
- Describing his executive order making faith-based groups eligible for federal subsidies, New Orleans, Louisiana, Jan. 15, 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
- "No President has ever done more for human rights than I have."
- Ken Auletta "Fortress Bush", The New Yorker, Jan 19, 2004, p64
- "This is my chance to help this lady put some money in her pocket. Let me explain how the economy works. When you spend money to buy food it helps this lady's business. It makes it more likely somebody is going to find work. So instead of asking questions, answer mine: are you going to buy some food?"
- Remarks by the President to the Press Pool, Nothin' Fancy Cafe, Roswell, New Mexico -- Whitehouse Transcript[29], Office of the Press Secretary, January 22, 2004.
- "There are no longer torture chambers or rape rooms or mass graves in Iraq."
- 2004 April 30, welcoming Paul Martin to the Whitehouse[30]
- "...right here in the Oval Office I sat down with Mr. Pachachi and Chalabi and al-Hakim, people from different parts of the country that have made the firm commitment, that they want a constitution eventually written that recognizes minority rights and freedom of religion."
- 2004 Feb 7, interview with Tim Russert (broadcast next day)[31]
- "I'm a war president. I make decisions here in the Oval Office in foreign policy matters with war on my mind."
- On NBC's "Meet the Press", Feb. 8, 2004
- "Those weapons of mass destruction have got to be somewhere."
- Joke at the Radio and Television News Correspondents Association [32]
- March 25, 2004
- "I wish you would have given me this written question ahead of time, so I could plan for it... You know, I just -- I'm sure something will pop into my head here in the midst of this press conference, with all the pressure of trying to come up with an answer, but it hadn't yet."
- - when asked if he had made any mistakes as President.
- Press Conference, April 13, 2004
- "My meetings with [Ahmed Chalabi] were very brief. I mean, I think I met with him at the State of the Union and just kind of working through the rope line, and he might have come with a group of leaders. But I haven't had any extensive conversations with him."
- 2004 June 1, remarks on Iraqi Interim Government[33]
- I mean, if you've ever been a governor of a state, you understand the vast potential of broadband technology, you understand how hard it is to make sure that physics, for example, is taught in every classroom in the state. It's difficult to do. It's, like, cost-prohibitive.
- Washington, D.C., June 24, 2004
- "I want to be the peace president"
- "We'll do everything in our power to save America one soul at a time."
- Speaking to the National Urban League, July 23, 2004
- "Freedom is the Almighty God's gift to every man and woman."
- Speaking to the National Urban League, July 23, 2004
- "We may still find weapons. We haven’t found them yet."
- "Tribal sovereignty means that; it's sovereign. I mean, you're a -- you've been given sovereignty, and you're viewed as a sovereign entity. And therefore the relationship between the federal government and tribes is one between sovereign entities,"
- - when asked what sovereignty would mean for Native Americans in the 21st century
- August 6, 2004 [35]
- "Had we to do it over again, we would look at the consequences of catastrophic success, being so successful so fast that an enemy that should have surrendered or been done in escaped and lived to fight another day."
- August, 2004, telling Time magazine that he underestimated the Iraqi resistance
- "This young century will be liberty's century. By promoting liberty abroad, we will build a safer world. By encouraging liberty at home, we will build a more hopeful America. Like generations before us, we have a calling from beyond the stars to stand for freedom. This is the everlasting dream of America."
- Acceptance speech at Republic National Convention (September 2, 2004)
- "I don’t think you can win it. But I think you can create conditions so that those who use terror as a tool are less acceptable in parts of the world."
- In response to the question of whether we can win the war on terror (September 2, 2004)[36]
- "Free societies are hopeful societies. And free societies will be allies against these hateful few who have no conscience, who kill at the whim of a hat."
- September 17, 2004, Washington, D.C.
- "Well, actually, he forgot Poland."
- 1st Presidential Debate, September 30, 2004 [37]
- See: You forgot Poland on Wikipedia
- "It's hard work"
- 1st Presidential Debate, September 30, 2004
- "I hear there's rumors on the internets [pause] that we're going to have a draft. We're not going to have a draft, period."
- 2nd Presidential Debate, October 8, 2004 [38]
- "I wasn't happy when we found out there wasn't weapons [of mass destruction in Iraq]"
- 2nd Presidential Debate, October 8, 2004
- "Our healthcare system is the envy of the world"
- 3rd Presidential Debate, October 13, 2004 [39]
- "I just don't think I ever said I'm not worried about Osama bin Laden. It's kind of one of those exaggerations."
- 3rd Presidential Debate, October 13, 2004 (See his Mar 13, 2002 quote)
- "In all due respect, I'm not so sure it's credible to quote leading news organizations about -- oh, never mind."
- 3rd Presidential Debate, October 13, 2004
- "I made it very plain: We will not have an all-volunteer army. Let me restate that. We will not have a draft."
- Bush speaking at the Daytona International Speedway with his brother, Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida, October 16, 2004 [40]
- "A political candidate who jumps to conclusions without knowing the facts is not a person you want as your Commander in Chief"
- Pres. George W. Bush, 10/24/2004 Campaign Speech
- "A political candidate who jumps to conclusions without knowing the facts is not a person you want as your commander in chief."
- Bush to supporters at an airport rally, October 27, 2004 [41]
- "America has spoken, and I'm humbled by the trust and the confidence of my fellow citizens."
- Acceptance speech for second term (November 3, 2004)
- "We have one country, one Constitution and one future that binds us. And when we come together and work together, there is no limit to the greatness of America."
- Acceptance speech for second term (November 3, 2004)
- "Let me put it to you this way. I earned capital in the campaign, political capital, and now I intend to spend it. It is my style."
- News conference (4 November 2004)
- "Now that I've got the will of the people at my back, I'm going to start enforcing the one-question rule. That was three questions."
- News conference, apparently joking (4 November 2004) [42]
- "Again, he violated the one-question rule right off the bat. Obviously, you didn't listen to the will of the people."
- News conference, apparently joking (4 November 2004) [43]
- "I would like to thank all you Canadians for your warm welcome at the airport. Especially those of you who waved (Pause) with all 5 fingers.
- Bush in a Press Confrence during his state visit to Canada. November 30, 2004
- "Justice ought to be fair."
- Bush speaking at the White House Economic Conference, Washington, D.C., Dec. 15, 2004
- "It is complex"
- Bush referring to the job of Secretary of Defense at his 17th Press Conference since taking office on December 20, 2004
2005
- "I think people attack me because they are fearful that I will then say that you're not equally as patriotic if you're not a religious person. ... I've never said that. I've never acted like that. I think that's just the way it is." (Washington Times, 12 January 2005)
- "Sometimes, words have consequences you don't intend them to mean" (14th of January 2005) [44]
- Asked why his administration had been unable to locate and arrest Osama Ben Laden: "Because he's hiding." (16th of January 2005) [45]
- To Poland's President Aleksander Kwaśniewski : "I want to thank you for your leadership on that issue, Mr Prime Minister". (10th of February 2005) [46]
Remarks as yet undated Alphabetized, until they can be dated
- "Every time they say tax the rich, the rich dodge and you pay."
- Bush before the 2004 election.
- "General. I can't name the general. General."
- Bush's answer when asked the name of the Pakistani president. Full interview.
- "I'm a patient man. And when I say I'm a patient man, I mean I'm a patient man."
- "I call upon all nations to do everything they can to stop these terrorist killers. Thank you, now watch this drive."
- Talking to TV cameras during his golf game.
- "I love freedom of speech."
- Said in reference to a protest by Greens member Bob Brown during his address to the Australian Parliament as Brown was ordered to leave the parliament. October 23, 2003 [47]
- "I support Latino-owned businesses, women-owned businesses, and every-other-kind-of-person-owned businesses."
- "I think that people who are gonna commit crimes shouldn't have guns."
- An audio clip sampled by singer Tori Amos in her cover of the Beatles song "Happiness is a Warm Gun".
- "I wouldn't answer the marijuana questions, you know why? Because I don't want some little kid doing what I tried." [48]
- "Please,don't kill me."
- While his lips pursed in mock desperation, openly mocking Karla Faye Tucker's pleas for clemency, in an interview with Talk magazine. [49]
- "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. It fool me. We can't get fooled again."[50] Video: [51]
- "There ought to be limits to freedom."
- In response to GWBush.com, a website parodying him
- "They just had an opening for a pilot and I was there at the right time."
- When asked how he managed to join the Texas Air National Guard, and thus avoid Vietnam, at a time when there were thousands of applicants ahead of him on the waiting list.
- "We're a peaceful nation. Yet, as we have learned, so suddenly and so tragically, there can be no peace in a world of sudden terror. In the face of today's new threat, the only way to pursue peace is to pursue those who threaten it. We did not ask for this mission, but we will fulfill it."
- "We're not an imperial power"
- "Why shouldn't the tax breaks go to the rich, they earned the money."
- Bush before the 2000 election.
Mangled English
Arranged chronologically where a date is provided; then alphabetized, until they can be dated
- "Keep good relations with the Grecians."
- The Economist, June 12, 1999
- "You're working hard to put food on your family." [52]
- Referring to difficulties of a single mother.
- Often misquoted as, "I know how hard it is for you to put food on your family."
- January 27, 2000
- "The most important job is not to be governor, or first lady in my case."—Pella, Iowa, San Antonio Express-News
- "We ought to make the pie higher."
- Republican debate, February 15, 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."
- "Quotas are bad for America. It's not the way America is all about."
- St. Louis, Missouri, October 18th, 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, December 5, 2000
- "Teach a child to read and he or her will be able to pass a literacy test."
- Townsend, Tenn., February 21, 2001
- "Our nation must come together to unite."
- "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 Senator George Mitchell's report on Middle East peace, Crawford Texas, August 13th, 2001
- "We will stand up for terror. We will stand up for freedom."
- Campaign speech in Marlton, New Jersey, October 18, 2004 [54]
- "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., October 27, 2003
- "The prime minister brought up the Abu Garef [pause] si. situation."
- June 22, 2004. Bush mispronounces the name of Abu Ghraib prison, the site of a scandal which had been the center of media attention for weeks.
- "Too many good docs are getting out of business. Too many O-B-G-Y-Ns aren't able to practice their, their love with women all across this country"
- Missouri, September 6, 2004
- This quotation is often used in personal attacks against Mr Bush; it is misinterpreted to have an inappropriate, immoral sexual implication. However, there is evidence that George Bush suffers from a mild form of dyslexia, and this utterance is, in all probability, a manifestation of that (hypothetical) disability.
- "Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we."
- "After standing on the stage, after the debates, I made it very plain we will not have an all-volunteer army."
- Daytona Beach, FL, October 16, 2004
- "We thought we were protected forever from trade policy or terrorist attacks because our oceans protected us."
- Santiago, Chile, November 20, 2004
- Discussing the September 11th attacks.
- "Our nation is a Pacific country, as well. And that's why the OPEC conferences are so important."
- Santiago, Chile, November 20, 2004
- Referring to APEC, the Asia-Pacific Economic Forum.
- "I noticed today that the elections are on schedule for June the 30th. What we're doing is the right thing in Iraq, and history will prove it right."
- Santiago, Chile, November 22, 2004
- Iraq's first post-Saddam elections are scheduled for January 30th.
- "A pee and s—free and secure Iraq in the midst of the Middle East will have enormous hist . . . uh . . . historical impact."
- "Africa is a nation that suffers from incredible disease."
- "Families is where our nation finds hope, where wings take dream."
- "How do you know if you don't measure if you have a system that simply suckles kids through?"
- "I don't think we need to be subliminidible about the difference between our views on prescription drugs."
- "In 1994 there were 67 schools in Texas that were rated exemplorary according to our own tests."
- "It's one thing to have justice, it's another thing to go overboard with justice."
- "Rarely is the question asked: is our children learning." (possible mishearing of "is—are children learning")
- "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."
- "...the illiteracy level of our children are appalling."
- "The Iraqi regime is a threat to any American, and to threats who are friends of America."
- "The point I say to you is, is that, you know, if what you're suggesting is, is that, uh, what I'm suggesting to you is that you can't name the foreign minister of Mexico, therefore, uh, you know, you're not capable of what you do, but the truth of the matter is you're is, you are, whether you can or not."
- "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 . . . they fool me, I can't get fooled again.'"
- "They misunderestimated me."
- This is a . . . there was no malfeeance involved, this was a honest disagreement about . . . uh . . . accounting procedures."
- "We cannot let terrorists and rogue nations hold this nation hostile or hold our allies hostile."
- "We say to seniors, we understand how important prescription drug coverage. So prescription drugs will be an ingrinable part of the Medicare plan."
Frequently misattributed
- "No, I don't know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered as patriots. This is one nation under God."
- "We will export death and violence to the four corners of the earth in defense of our great nation."
- The quote is from Bush at War by Bob Woodward, but it was not said by Bush. Woodward attributes the quote to one among "about 25 men representing three different Special Forces units and three CIA paramilitary teams" during the dedication of a September 11th memorial in the mountains of Afghanistan on February 5, 2002.
- "The problem with the French is that they don't have a word for entrepreneur"
Misquotations
- "It isn't pollution that's harming the environment. It's the impurities in our air and water that are doing it."
- According to Snopes.com, originally from October 1991 issue of Mad Magazine article "Future Quayle Quotes We Can Expect to Hear." [55]
- "I don't know where he [Osama Bin Laden] is. I have no idea and I really don't care."
- This misquotation is frequently attributed to a White House Press Conference, Mar. 13, 2002 [56]
- The White House transcript reads:
- Q: Mr. President, in your speeches now you rarely talk or mention Osama bin Laden. Why is that? Also, can you tell the American people if you have any more information, if you know if he is dead or alive? Final part -- deep in your heart, don't you truly believe that until you find out if he is dead or alive, you won't really eliminate the threat of --
- THE PRESIDENT: Deep in my heart I know the man is on the run, if he's alive at all. Who knows if he's hiding in some cave or not; we haven't heard from him in a long time. And the idea of focusing on one person is -- really indicates to me people don't understand the scope of the mission.
- Terror is bigger than one person. And he's just -- he's a person who's now been marginalized. His network, his host government has been destroyed. He's the ultimate parasite who found weakness, exploited it, and met his match. He is -- as I mentioned in my speech, I do mention the fact that this is a fellow who is willing to commit youngsters to their death and he, himself, tries to hide -- if, in fact, he's hiding at all.
- So I don't know where he is. You know, I just don't spend that much time on him, Kelly, to be honest with you. I'm more worried about making sure that our soldiers are well-supplied; that the strategy is clear; that the coalition is strong; that when we find enemy bunched up like we did in Shahikot Mountains, that the military has all the support it needs to go in and do the job, which they did.
- And there will be other battles in Afghanistan. There's going to be other struggles like Shahikot, and I'm just as confident about the outcome of those future battles as I was about Shahikot, where our soldiers are performing brilliantly. We're tough, we're strong, they're well-equipped. We have a good strategy. We are showing the world we know how to fight a guerrilla war with conventional means.
- Q: But don't you believe that the threat that bin Laden posed won't truly be eliminated until he is found either dead or alive?
- THE PRESIDENT: Well, as I say, we haven't heard much from him. And I wouldn't necessarily say he's at the center of any command structure. And, again, I don't know where he is. I -- I'll repeat what I said. I truly am not that concerned about him. I know he is on the run. I was concerned about him, when he had taken over a country. I was concerned about the fact that he was basically running Afghanistan and calling the shots for the Taliban.
- But once we set out the policy and started executing the plan, he became -- we shoved him out more and more on the margins. He has no place to train his al Qaeda killers anymore. And if we -- excuse me for a minute -- and if we find a training camp, we'll take care of it. Either we will or our friends will. That's one of the things -- part of the new phase that's becoming apparent to the American people is that we're working closely with other governments to deny sanctuary, or training, or a place to hide, or a place to raise money.
- And we've got more work to do. See, that's the thing the American people have got to understand, that we've only been at this six months. This is going to be a long struggle. I keep saying that; I don't know whether you all believe me or not. But time will show you that it's going to take a long time to achieve this objective. And I can assure you, I am not going to blink. And I'm not going to get tired. Because I know what is at stake. And history has called us to action, and I am going to seize this moment for the good of the world, for peace in the world and for freedom.
Although the misquote above is a rough paraphrase of what Bush said on the March 13, 2002 the following quote alleged to have been made on the September 13, 2001 look to be someone's paraphrasing of Bush's sentiments at the time.
- "The most important thing is for us to find Osama bin Laden. It is our number one priority and we will not rest until we find him." (September 13, 2001)
No official or credible site has a transcript with that quote. However, both this misquotation and the misquotation above are often shown together as a criticism of what some say is Bush's failure to keep his eye on the ball.
Such sentiments can be gleaned from this, more accurate, quote:
- The world must know that this administration will not blink in the face of danger, and will not tire when it comes to completing the missions that we said we would do. (December 28, 2001) [57]
Attributed
- "God told me to strike at al Qaida and I struck them, and then he instructed me to strike at Saddam, which I did, and now I am determined to solve the problem in the Middle East. If you help me I will act, and if not, the elections will come and I will have to focus on them."
- According to Mahmoud Abbas , said by Bush to him as reported by Haaretz, June 26, 2003.
- "I've heard the call. I believe God wants me to run for President."
- Said to James Robison, according to Stephen Mansfield in The Faith of George W. Bush [58]
- "We're not going to have any casualties."
- According to Pat Robertson, said by Bush to him in Nashville, Tennessee, USA before the March 2003 invasion of Iraq. [59]
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