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Quotes - Dubya the Campaigner
(Brilliant examples of Dubya out on the trail)
 
Some seem to believe that we should negotiate with the terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along. We've heard this foolish delusion before. As Nazi tahnks tanks crossed into Poland in 1939, an American senator declared: Lord, if I could only have talked to Hitler, all this might have been avoided. We have an obligation to call this what it is, the false comfort of appeasement.
Dubya makes a 100% transparent swipe against Democratic presidential front-runner Senator Barack Obama, in honor of the 60th anniversary of the State of Israel. Jerusalem, Israel, May 15, 2008

Look, if it if my showing up and endorsing him helps him, or if I'm against him and it helps him either way, I want him to win.
On John McCain's presidential candidacy, White House, Mar. 5, 2008

As the majority party in the House of Representatives, they recognize that in their new role they now have greater responsibilities. And in my first act of bipartisan outreach since the election, I shared with her [Nancy Pelosi] the names of some Republican interior de, decorators who can help her pick out the new drapes in her new offices.
Interestingly enough, the White House transcript claims that laughter followed this. You be the judge. (I think I hear crickets chirping...) White House, Nov. 8, 2006

I believe Iraq had a lot to do with the election, but I believe there was other factors, as well.
What other factors was involved? White House, Nov. 8, 2006

Somehow it seeped in their conscious that my attitude was just simply stay the course. Stay the course means let's get the job done, but it doesn't mean staying stuck on a strategy or tactics that may not be working. So perhaps I need to do a better job of explaining that we're constantly adjusting.
Hmm, I wonder why people got the impression that Dubya just wanted to stay the course? White House, Nov. 8, 2006

I do believe they [Democrats] care about the security. I don't I thought they were wrong not making sure our professionals had the tools, and I still believe that. I don't see how you can protect the country unless you give these professionals tools. They just have a different point of view. That doesn't mean they don't want America to get attacked.
Dubya doubles up on negatives here, White House, Nov. 8, 2006

Amid this time of change, I have a message for those on the front lines. To our enemies: Do not be joyful. ...To the people of Iraq: Do not be fearful. ...To our brave men and women in uniform: Don't be doubtful.
Dubya's instructions to the enemies, Iraqi citizens and U.S. troops on how to deal with the Democratic victory in the 2006 midterm elections. White House, Nov. 8, 2006

The campaign has ended, and the United States of America goes forward with confidence and faith.
Or at least with the confidence and faith of 51% of the voting public, Dubya's acceptance speech, Washington, D.C., Nov. 3, 2004

I want to thank you all for your hard work. I was impressed every day by how hard and how skillful our team was.
Write your own joke here... Dubya's acceptance speech, Washington, D.C., Nov. 3, 2004

Perhaps the most important reason to put me back in is so that Laura will be the First Lady for four more years. ...We were campaigning together tomorrow.
Dubya spends his eleventh hour campaigning in full time travel mode, Burgettstown, Pennsylvania, Nov. 1, 2004

My opponent says that America must submit to what he has called a global test before we take action to defend ourselves. I'm not making that up. I heard it during one of the debates. As far as I can tell, my opponent's global test means America must get permission to defend our country.
Actually, he's kinda making it up... here is what Senator Kerry actually said: "No president, through all of American history, has ever ceded, and nor would I, the right to preempt in any way necessary to protect the United States of America. But ...you have to do it in a way that passes the test, that passes the global test where your countrymen, your people understand fully why you're doing what you're doing and you can prove to the world that you did it for legitimate reasons." Sioux City, Iowa, Nov. 1, 2004

And next Tuesday, the American people will go to the polls. They will be voting for vision. They will be voting for consistency. They will be voting for conviction. And no doubt in my help, they'll be voting for Bush/Cheney.
Not sure what the last sentence was supposed to mean, Grand Rapids, Michigan, Oct. 30, 2004

The Senator's willingness to trade principle for political convenience makes it clear that John Kerry is the wrong man for the wrong job at the wrong time.
Dubya offers a triple negative to dissuade voters from supporting Senator Kerry, Westlake, Ohio, Oct. 28, 2004

The Senator's willingness to trade principle for political convenience makes it clear that John Kerry is the wrong man for the wrong job at the wrong time.
He offers this phrase once again, Saginaw, Michigan, Oct. 28, 2004

The Senator's willingness to trade principle for political convenience makes it clear that John Kerry is the wrong man for the wrong job at the wrong time.
And the trifecta is complete, Dayton, Ohio, Oct. 28, 2004

[John Kerry] voted against that tax relief at a vital time. Plus, he's decided to raise $2.2 million in new federal spending. He's going to spend it. That's what he said.
Million... Trillion... Whatever. And, of course, 2.2 is Dubya's calculation, not Kerry's, so in actuality, Kerry has never said he would spend 2.2 trillion (or million, in this case) dollars. Saginaw, Michigan, Oct. 28, 2004

And a political candidate who jumps to conclusions without knowing the facts is not a person you want as your Commander-in-Chief.
Is he referring to his own invasion of Iraq here? Lititz, Pennsylvania, Oct. 27, 2004

And a political candidate who jumps to conclusions without knowing the facts is not the person you want as the Commander-in-Chief.
History repeats in rapid succession... Vienna, Ohio, Oct. 27, 2004

We have a different point of view when it comes to defending America. Senator Kerry now calls Iraq a diversion. But the case of just one terrorist shows how wrong his thinking is. A man named Zarqawi is responsible for planting car bombs and beheading Americans in Iraq. He ran a terrorist training camp in Afghanistan, until coalition forces arrived. And then he fled to Iraq, where he's fighting us today.
I don't think Kerry ever called the Iraq war a diversion that failed to create enemies, Alamogordo, New Mexico, Oct. 24, 2004

Americans will go to the polls in a time of war and ongoing threats any unlike we have seen before.
As usual, you know what he was supposed to say, right? Lakeland, Florida, Oct. 23, 2004

Saddam Hussein was a threat. He was a threat because he hated America. He was a threat because he was shooting missiles at American airplanes. He was a threat because he harbored terrorists. He was a threat because he invaded his neighbors. He was a threat because he had used weapons of mass destruction. He was a threat. Now, we didn't find the stockpiles we all thought were there. That includes me and my opponent.
Dubya finds an improbable way to include Kerry in the fact that no WMDs were found in Iraq, Rochester, Minnesota, Oct. 20, 2004

We will not have an all-volunteer army. And yet, this week we will have an all-volunteer army!
Dubya's own supporters bail him out of a verbal snafu, Daytona Beach, Florida, Oct. 16, 2004

We need a safety net for those with the greatest needs. I believe in community health centers, where low and poor can get their preventative and care.
Dubya seems to be missing a few words here, Daytona Beach, Florida, Oct. 16, 2004

See, I have a different philosophy. I'm a compassionate conservative. I think government ought to help people realize their dreams, not tell them how to live their lives.
Except when it comes to family planning and who they can marry, right Dubya? Colorado Springs, Colorado, Oct. 12, 2004

You heard my opponent I talked a little bit a while ago about it he said, oh, he's going to pay for all his programs by taxing the rich. We've heard that kind of rhetoric before. The rich hire lawyers and accountants for a reason to pass the tax bill on to you.
Again, I fail to understand the logic... Since the rich are really good at evading taxes, we should just give up on the idea of trying to tax them any more than we are now? Colorado Springs, Colorado, Oct. 12, 2004

You know, I went to Washington to solve problems, not to pass them on to future Presidents and future generations.
As Dubya ratchets up the campaign rhetoric, I may be coming across as more partisan than average here, but is Dubya forgetting about the largest deficit in American history? I think that may very well affect future Presidents and future generations. Call me crazy. Colorado Springs, Colorado, Oct. 12, 2004

I am sure many of you stayed up to watch the vice presidential debate last night. America saw two very different visions of our country, and two different hairdos. I didn't pick my Vice President for his hairdo. I picked him for his judgment, his experience.
Two things: Staying up until 9 PM ain't exactly "staying up", and is Dubya trying to suggest that John Kerry chose his running mate for his hairdo? Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, Oct. 6, 2004

My opponent is a tax-and-spend liberal. I'm a compassionate conservative.
Help me, I'm suffering a 1980s flashback here, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, Oct. 6, 2004

Forty-three days before the election, my opponent has now suddenly settled on a proposal for what to do next, and it's exactly what we're currently doing. We're working with the international partners. We're training Iraqi troops. We're reconstructing the reconstructing the company. We're preparing for elections.
I'm pretty sure that John Kerry has never called for "reconstructing the company", Derry, New Hampshire, Sep. 20, 2004

If you're a baby boomer, you don't have to worry about Social Security. And by the way, you'll hear the same rhetoric you hear every campaign, believe me, you know. Oh, don't worry, they're going to take away your Social Security check. It is the most tired, pathetic way to campaign for the presidency. So you don't have to worry about that. And baby boomers are fine. We're in good shape, you know. The people who aren't in good shape are the children and grandchildren in this country, because there's a lot fewer payer-inners than there are recipients when it comes to Social Security checks.
Between the payer-inners and the puzzling use of "don't worry", we have ourselves a winner here, Muskegon, Michigan, Sep. 13, 2004

You know, Zell Miller, he represents a lot of folks out there who are wondering whether or not it's okay to vote Republican. He's what I would call a discerning Democrat.
"Discerning" because he conveniently supports Dubya... Huntington, West Virginia, Sep. 10, 2004

When you're out rounding up the vote, remind people about what this economy has been through. Five months before we got into office the stock market had started to decline. We had a recession right as we got there. There was corporate scandals. By the way, we made it clear we're not going to tolerate dishonesty in the boardrooms of America. We had a terrorist attack on our country. All those were obstacles for our American workers. See, we're overcoming these obstacles. We're overcoming these obstacles because we got great workers, great farmers. We're overcoming it because the entrepreneurial spirit is strong. We're overcoming it because of well-time tax relief.
For those nagging questions about all of the problems that the average American faces, Dubya proposes a doom-and-gloom-laden explanation, Huntington, West Virginia, Sep. 10, 2004

You cannot be pro-doctor, pro-patient, pro-hospital and pro-trial lawyer at the same time. You have to choose. My opponent made his choice, and he put him on the ticket.
So if John Kerry is "pro-trial lawyer", what is Dubya? Pro-hospital? Huntington, West Virginia, Sep. 10, 2004

Awfully tempting when you're coming down the pike to tell everybody what they want to hear. So they said, well, how are you going to pay for it? He [John Kerry] said, oh, that's simple, we'll just tax the rich. There's two problems with that. One is that you can't raise enough money by taxing the rich to pay for $2 trillion. There's a gap between what he promises and what he says he's going to do.
The other problem is that "what he promises" and "what he says he's going to do" mean exactly the same thing. But you know what he's trying to say, right? Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Sep. 9, 2004

See, I don't think you can be pro-doctor, pro-patient, and pro-hospital and pro-plaintiff attorney at the same time. I think you have to choose. My opponent made his choice and he put him on the ticket. I made my choice. I am for medical liability reform now.
So I guess Dubya is pro-doctor and anti-everyone-else, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Sep. 3, 2004

My grandfather was raised right here in Columbus, Ohio. So I'm here to ask that you send a homeboy back to Washington, D.C.
Dubya pushes his tenuous third generation connection to Ohio, and throws in the word "homeboy" for good measure, Columbus, Ohio, Sep. 1, 2004

I'm here to tell you I've got a reason to seek the presidency again. There is a reason to want to serve, and that's to keep the country safer and stronger and better.
That's something we can all get behind: keeping the country better! Lima, Ohio, Aug. 28, 2004

DUBYA: We received great bipartisan support. In the Senate, matter of fact, the bipartisan support was so strong only 12 members voted against it.
CROWD: Booo!
DUBYA: Two of those 12 senators are my opponent and his running mate.
CROWD: Booo!
DUBYA: He said they asked him, they said, why did you do that? He said, well, I actually did vote for the $87 billion right before I voted against it. Voto si, y despues voto no. Muy claro. And so they said, well, wait a minute. And they kept pressing. And he said, well, I was proud of the vote. And then finally he said, it's just a complicated matter. There's nothing complicated about supporting our troops in combat.
When you oversimplify this much, complication becomes an impossibility (but nice Spanish, Dubya), Miami, Florida, Aug. 27, 2004

When you're out there campaigning and talking to people, remind them what we have been through as a country. We've been through a recession that means we're going backwards.
This riff about going backwards seems out of place given the usual talk about the economy being out of recession, Hudson, Wisconsin, Aug. 18, 2004

Now, look, I don't think you can choose I mean, I know you have to choose between patients and doctors and plaintiff's attorneys. You have to make a choice. You can't be for both. And my opponent made his choice and he put him on the ticket.
Dubya seems determined to make this new "joke" a repeat offense, Hudson, Wisconsin, Aug. 18, 2004

You know, my opponent said the other day you can find the heart and soul in Hollywood I think you find it right here in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.
In Dubya's world, a light-hearted statement made by his opponent one month earlier on July 17 is still fair game, and still just "the other day", Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, Aug. 18, 2004

Now, my opponent is trying to turn Yucca Mountain into a political poker chip. He says he's strongly against yucca here in Nevada.
Or something like that... Las Vegas, Nevada, Aug. 12, 2004

You can't be pro-doctor and pro-patient and pro-trial lawyer at the same time. You have to choose. My opponent made his choice, and he put him on the ticket. I made my choice.
So what's Dubya's choice? If Kerry has made his choice and Dubya has to choose one out of the remaining two, I guess that means doctors are out of luck. I don't get it... Annandale, Virginia, Aug. 9, 2004

There will be big differences in this campaign. They're going to raise your taxes, we're not.
Gross oversimplification (prevarication?) at its finest, Springfield, Missouri, Jul. 30, 2004

[John Kerry is] up to $1.9 trillion so far, of new promises. And we got a long way to go in the campaign. Pretty easy to stand up in front of people and say, well, I promise you this, and I'll spend that, and then it begins to mount up after a while. So the question is, how is he going to pay for it?
Comment made against the backdrop of the $7.1 trillion national debt, $1.4 trillion of which has accrued on his watch, Prairie Du Chien, Wisconsin, May 7, 2004

He's going to tax all of you.
Dubya on John Kerry, sounding pretty silly unless Dubya is planning to unilaterally outlaw all taxes, Washington, D.C., Mar. 23, 2004

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

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, CNN, Dec. 16, 1999

The important question is, how many hands have I shaked?
Answering a question about why he hadn't spent more time campaigning in New Hampshire. As reported in the New York Times. Somewhere in New Hampshire, Oct. 22, 1999


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