Bushisms

If your'e debating with a Republican there a quote here for every occasion.

"It'll be hard to articulate."�George W. Bush, anticipating how he'll feel upon assuming the presidency, Jan. 2001

"A dictatorship would be a heck of a lot easier, there's no question about it." �George W. Bush, July 27, 200

"This foreign policy stuff is a little frustrating." �George W. Bush, as quoted by the New York Daily News, April 23, 2002

"It would be a mistake for the United States Senate to allow any kind of human cloning to come out of that chamber." �George W. Bush, Washington, D.C., April 10, 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." �George W. Bush, Bridgeport, Conn., April 9, 2002

"Sometimes when I sleep at night I think of 'Hop on Pop.'" �George W. Bush, in a speech about childhood education, Washington, D.C., April 2, 2002

"We've tripled the amount of money � I believe it's from $50 million up to $195 million available." �George W. Bush, 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." �George W. Bush, O'Fallon, Mo., Mar. 18, 2002

"I understand that the unrest in the Middle East creates unrest throughout the region." �George W. Bush, Washington, D.C., March 13, 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." �George W. Bush, Washington, D.C., March 13, 2002

"My trip to Asia begins here in Japan for an important reason. It begins here because for a century and a half now, America and Japan have formed one of the great and enduring alliances of modern times. From that alliance has come an era of peace in the Pacific." �George W. Bush, who apparently forgot about a little something called World War II, Tokyo, Feb. 18, 2002

"He [Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi] said I want to make it very clear to you exactly what I intend to do and he talked about non-performing loans, the devaluation issue and regulatory reform and he placed equal emphasis on all three." �George W. Bush, who had meant to say "the deflation issue" rather than "the devaluation issue," and accidentally sent the Japanese Yen tumbling, Tokyo, Feb. 18, 2002

"But all in all, it's been a fabulous year for Laura and me." �George W. Bush, summing up his first year in office, Washington, D.C., Dec. 20, 2001

"I couldn't imagine somebody like Osama bin Laden understanding the joy of Hanukkah." �George W. Bush, at a White House Menorah lighting ceremony, Washington, D.C., Dec. 10, 2001

"I am here to make an announcement that this Thursday, ticket counters and airplanes will fly out of Ronald Reagan Airport." �George W. Bush, Washington, D.C., Oct. 3, 2001

"We are fully committed to working with both sides to bring the level of terror down to an acceptable level for both." �George W. Bush, after a meeting with congressional leaders, Washington, D.C., Oct. 2, 2001

"The folks who conducted to act on our country on September 11th made a big mistake. They underestimated America. They underestimated our resolve, our determination, our love for freedom. They misunderestimated the fact that we love a neighbor in need. They misunderestimated the compassion of our country. I think they misunderestimated the will and determination of the Commander-in-Chief, too." �George W. Bush, Washington, D.C., Sept. 26, 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." �George W. Bush, 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." �George W. Bush, 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." �George W. Bush, Crawford, Texas, Aug, 13, 2001

"A dictatorship would be a heck of a lot easier, there's no question about it." �George W. Bush, July 27, 200

"You saw the president yesterday. I thought he was very forward-leaning, as they say in diplomatic nuanced circles." �Goerge W. Bush, referring to his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, 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." �George W. Bush, in Rome, July 22, 2001

"It is white." �George W. Bush, asked by a child in Britain what the White House was like, July 19, 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." �George W. Bush, 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."�George W. Bush, 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." �George W. Bush, at a news conference in Europe, 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." �George W. Bush, referring to the McCain-Kennedy patients' bill of rights, June 13, 2001

"Can't living with the bill means it won't become law." �George W. Bush, referring to the McCain-Kennedy patients' bill of rights, June 13, 2001

"Anyway, I'm so thankful, and so gracious � I'm gracious that my brother Jeb is concerned about the hemisphere as well." �George W. Bush, 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." �George W. Bush, in remarks to the University of Nebraska women's volleyball team, the 2001 national champions, May 31, 2001

"So on behalf of a well-oiled unit of people who came together to serve something greater than themselves, congratulations." �George W. Bush, in remarks to the University of Nebraska women's volleyball team, the 2001 national champions, 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." �George W. Bush, May 22, 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." �George W. Bush, May 14


"There's no question that the minute I got elected, the storm clouds on the horizon were getting nearly directly overhead." �George W. Bush, 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." �George W. Bush, May 1, 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." �George W. Bush, on the Kyoto accord, April 24, 2001

"It's very important for folks to understand that when there's more trade, there's more commerce." �George W. Bush, at the Summit of the Americas in Quebec City, April 21, 2001

"Neither in French nor in English nor in Mexican." �George W. Bush, declining to take reporters' questions during a photo op with Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien, April 21, 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." �George W. Bush, on "parental empowerment in education," 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." �George W. Bush, 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." �George W. Bush, April 10, 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." �George W. Bush, at a White House Press conference, March 29, 2001


"I've coined new words, like, misunderstanding and Hispanically." �George W. Bush, speaking at the Radio & Television Correspondents dinner, March 29, 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." �George W. Bush, speaking to the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, 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." �George W. Bush, in a media roundtable discussion, 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." �George W. Bush, speaking at Tyndall Air Force Base in 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." �George W. Bush, in an interview with the Washington Post, March 9, 2001

"Ann and I will carry out this equivocal message to the world: Markets must be open." �George W. Bush, at the swearing-in ceremony for Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman, March 2, 2001

"My pan plays down an unprecedented amount of our national debt." �George W. Bush, in his budget address to Congress, Feb. 27, 2001

"I have said that the sanction regime is like Swiss cheese � that meant that they weren't very effective." �George W. Bush, during a White House press conference, Feb. 22, 2001

"You teach a child to read, and he or her will be able to pass a literacy test.'' �George W. Bush, Feb. 21, 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."�George W. Bush, Feb. 8, 2001

"We're concerned about AIDS inside our White House � make no mistake about it." �George W. Bush, Feb. 7, 2001

"There's no such thing as legacies. At least, there is a legacy, but I'll never see it." �George W. Bush, speaking to Catholic leaders at the White House, Jan. 31, 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." �George W. Bush, speaking to reporters, Jan. 29, 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." �George W. Bush, in a pre-inaugural interview with U.S. News & World Report


"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." �George W. Bush, Jan. 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." �George W. Bush, Jan. 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." �George W. Bush, Jan. 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."�George W. Bush, Jan. 2001

"She's just trying to make sure Anthony gets a good meal � Antonio." �George W. Bush, on Laura Bush inviting Justice Antonin Scalia to dinner at the White House, Jan. 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 more literate country and a hopefuller country." �George W. Bush, Jan. 2001

"It'll be hard to articulate." �George W. Bush, anticipating how he'll feel upon assuming the presidency, Jan. 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." �George W. Bush, commenting on Linda Chavez, Jan. 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." �George W. Bush, Dec. 20, 2000

"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." �George W. Bush, Dec. 20, 2000

"I also have picked a secretary for Housing and Human Development. Mel Martinez from the state of Florida." �George W. Bush, Dec. 20, 2000

"If this were a dictatorship, it would be a heck of a lot easier � so long as I'm the dictator." �George W. Bush, Dec. 19, 2000

"The great thing about America is everybody should vote." �George W. Bush

"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." �George W. Bush

"The legislature's job is to write law. It's the executive branch's job to interpret law." �George W. Bush, Nov. 2000

"They misunderestimated me." �George W. Bush, Nov. 2000

"One of the great things about books is sometimes there are some fantastic pictures." �George W. Bush

"They want the federal government controlling Social Security like it's some kind of federal program." �George W. Bush

"Families is where our nation finds hope, where wings take dream." �George W. Bush

"If affirmative action means what I just described, what I'm for, then I'm for it." �George W. Bush, during the third presidential debate

"The idea of putting subliminable messages into ads is ridiculous." �George W. Bush

"One of the common denominators I have found is that expectations rise above that which is expected." �George W. Bush


"I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully." �George W. Bush

"I know how hard it is for you to put food on your family." �George W. Bush

"We ought to make the pie higher." �George W. Bush

"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." �George W. Bush, during the third presidential debate, Oct. 2000

"The woman who knew that I had dyslexia � I never interviewed her." �George W. Bush, responding to a magazine article claiming he suffered from dyslexia

"Laura and I are proud to call John and Michelle Engler our friends. I know you're proud to call him governor. What a good man the Englers are." �George W. Bush, Nov. 2000

"Well, I think if you say you're going to do something and don't do it, that's trustworthiness." �George W. Bush, in a CNN online chat, Aug. 2000

"We cannot let terrorists and rogue nations hold this nation hostile or hold our allies hostile.'' �George W. Bush

"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." �George W. Bush, on MSNBC's "Hardball"

"The fact that he relies on facts � says things that are not factual � are going to undermine his campaign." �George W. Bush on Al Gore

"I think anybody who doesn't think I'm smart enough to handle the job is underestimating." �George W. Bush

"This is Preservation Month. I appreciate preservation. It's what you do when you run for president. You gotta preserve." �George W. Bush, speaking during "Perseverance Month" at Fairgrounds Elementary School in Nashua, New Hampshire

"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." �George W. Bush, on Sen. John McCain

"When I was coming up, it was a dangerous world, and you knew exactly who they were. It was us versus them, and it was clear who them was. Today we are not so sure who the they are, but we know they're there." �George W. Bush, Jan. 2000

"I don't want to win? If that were the case, why the heck am I on the bus sixteen 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?" �George W. Bush, Jan. 2000

"The most important job is not to be governor, or first lady in my case." �George W. Bush

"It's clearly a budget. It's got a lot of numbers in it." �George W. Bush

"Rarely is the questioned asked: Is our children learning?" �George W. Bush

"If you're sick and tired of the politics of cynicism and polls and principles, come and join this campaign." �George W. Bush

"Actually, I � this may sound a little West Texas 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." �George W. Bush

"I was raised in the West. The West of Texas. It's pretty close to California. In more ways than Washington, D.C., is close to California." �George W. Bush

"It was just inebriating what Midland was all about then." �George W. Bush, reflecting in 1994 about growing up in Midland, Texas