What the US President is Thinking

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"One of my dreams is to make sure that schools understand 
and have the resources available for schools within schools," 
—George W. Bush, at Justina Elementary School in Jacksonville,
Fla, Sept. 9, 2001 http://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/11/politics/11ECON.html

"A dictatorship would be a heck of a lot easier, 
there's no question about it." —George W. Bush, July 
27, 2001
"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
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"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

"The liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to a point where it becomes stronger than their democratic State itself. That, in its essence, is Fascism — ownership of government by an individual, by a group or by any controlling private power."
-FDR