We needed to go back on the offense and offer clear leadership on Iraq.
We need a common enemy to unite us.
Richard Clarke had plenty of opportunities to tell us in the administration that he thought the war on terrorism was moving in the wrong direction and he chose not to.
I don’t think anybody could have predicted that they would try to use an airplane as a missile, a hijacked airplane as a missile.
There clearly are contacts between al Qaeda and Iraq that can be documented; there clearly is testimony that some of the contacts have been important contacts and that there’s a relationship here.
No American president can support an Egypt that calls into question the historic treaty between Israel and Egypt. And no American president can support an Egypt that doesn’t fully recognize women’s rights or the rights of religious minorities.
There was no silver bullet that could have prevented the 11 September attacks. There was nothing demonstrating or showing that something was coming in the United States. If there had been something, we would have acted on it.
My mom was a teacher – I have the greatest respect for the profession – we need great teachers – not poor or mediocre ones.
I didn’t run for student council president. I don’t see myself in any way in elected office. I love policy. I’m not particularly fond of politics.
I will never forget the bright September day, standing at my desk in the White House, when my young assistant said that a plane had hit the World Trade Center – and then a second one – and a third, the Pentagon.
Any time you have a situation in which you are calling for more time rather than calling for Iraq to immediately comply, it plays into the hands of Saddam Hussein.
What we’re hearing from everyone is that they understand that Saddam Hussein is a threat. They understand that he’s been a threat for a long time.
Separation of powers is a problem for foreign policy.
I don’t think that anybody could have predicted that these people would take an airplane and slam it into the World Trade Center, take another one and slam it into the Pentagon, that they would try to use an airplane as a missile.
After all, when the world looks to America, they look to us because we are the most successful political and economic experiment in human history.
But the truth of the matter is, we’re an open society, we want to remain an open society, and there will continue to be vulnerability. That’s why we have to meet the threats when they are not yet taking place on our territory and on our soil.
I don’t think anybody can take the word of Saddam Hussein and his regime, and certainly an American president and allies who are obligated to worry about the safety and security of our countries, cannot take the word of this dictator, who lies, pathologically lies.
I don’t believe for a minute anybody allowed people to suffer because they are African Americans, Nobody, especially the president, would have left people unattended on the basis of race.
I do think people have suggested that it would be a good thing if the reporting were accurate on Al-Jazeera and if it were not slanted in ways that appear to be at times just purely inaccurate.
When diplomacy has been exhausted, the Security Council must become involved. Questions about Iran’s nuclear activities remain unanswered, despite repeated efforts by the IAEA.