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Quotes - Dubya on the Presidency (2002) (Democracy in a nutshell, with the emphasis on "nut")
You said we're headed to war in Iraq — I don't know why you say that. I hope we're not headed to war in Iraq. I'm the person who gets to decide, not you.
Discounting the roles of Congress and an inquisitive press in order to look tough in front of a reporter (and avoid answering the question), Crawford, Texas, Dec. 31, 2002 I want to thank all my citizens for coming.
Lord Dubya thanks his loyal subjects, Northern State University, Aberdeen, South Dakota, Oct. 31, 2002 I'm honored that Governor Shaheen is here today. I appreciate her taking time out of her schedule to come and pay her respects to the Presidency.
This just sounds really strange (not to mention imperious) to me, Manchester, New Hampshire, Oct. 5, 2002 I don't need a giant — and when I say "I," it's not only me, it's other Presidents — don't need a thick book of regulations trying to micromanage the department of homeland security.
Sounds like he serves on a "board of presidents" or something, which would probably be a good idea in his case, Denver, Colorado, Sep. 27, 2002 I refuse to have future Presidents, or this President, deal with a Senate trying to tell me through micromanaging the process how best to secure the homeland.
Having trouble with the space-time continuum here, Trenton, New Jersey, Sep. 23, 2002 [Sen. Fred Thompson has] still got some — he's got a task ahead there on the floor of the Senate, and that's to make sure I get a homeland security department that is unfettered from government rules and bureaucracies, a homeland security department that will allow this President and future Presidents to move people to the right place at the right time, in order to protect the homeland from an enemy which still hates us.
By all means, untie Dubya's cabinet from the pesky encumbrance of "government rules". Rules are for terrorists, after all. Lamar Alexander for Senate Luncheon, Nashville, Tennessee, Sep. 17, 2002 I try to go for longer runs, but it's tough around here at the White House on the outdoor track. It's sad that I can't run longer. It's one of the saddest things about the presidency.
I guess short running times are on par with sending soldiers to their death and witnessing the Sept. 11 attacks, Washington Post, Aug. 21, 2002 I'm the commander — see, I don't need to explain — I do not need to explain why I say things. That's the interesting thing about being the president. Maybe somebody needs to explain to me why they say something, but I don't feel like I owe anybody an explanation.
As quoted by Bob Woodward in "Bush at War", Crawford, Texas, Aug. 20, 2002 You know, the threats we face are real. I mean, it is real. Heh, heh. It's, uhh, I like to remind people that I'm an early morning guy. I, I, I get to the Oval Office about, umm — oh, generally about 6:50 or so. It's — it's not a very long commute (laughter). And, uhh — sit at the great desk that, umm, other Presidents have used — umm, Teddy and Frank, and — I can call them that, since, heh (laughter) heh — and Spot the Dog comes in with me, and I read a threat assessment.
Dubya's treatment of the real threats America faces comes across as oddly comical and irreverent, Washington, D.C., Jul. 10, 2002 REPORTER: The NAACP is meeting this week in Houston, as you probably know. And there's been some criticism that you've not attended their convention since the 2000 campaign. How would you respond to that, and respond generally to suggestions from some critics that your civil rights record in the administration is not a stellar one?
DUBYA: Let's see. There I was, sitting around the leader with — the table with foreign leaders, looking at Colin Powell and Condi Rice. This incomplete sentence was the only answer Dubya provided to this question, and seems to suggest, "Hey, I've got two colored people in positions of authority in my administration, what more do they want?" White House, Jul. 9, 2002 We were concerned about threats on the President. We were worried about future attacks, and there's a lot of belief that Flight 93 was headed to the White House.
Talking about his concerns immediately following the attacks on September 11, 2001, and apparently forgetting that he was President at the time, interview with ARD German Television, May 22, 2002 You see, the President is — can still learn.
I couldn't resist this one, Los Angeles, California, Apr. 29, 2002 Far be it from the American President to get to decide who leads what country... I made up my mind that Saddam needs to go.
Statements separated by only a few minutes in interview with ITN, Crawford, Texas, Apr. 5, 2002 Do you know that since 1878, Presidents have hosted this event? And it is our honor to continue this tradition. The first President who did so was a guy named Rutherford B. Hayes. He decided to have the Easter Egg Roll here at the White House because the members of the United States Congress said you couldn't be — they wouldn't want to host the Easter Egg Roll anymore on the congressional grounds.
Another tense mismatch jamboree, White House, Mar. 31, 2002 I don't want to hold two press conferences in one week.
Having problems with the concept of presidential accountability and accessibility, or maybe just sleepy, Alexandria, Virginia, Mar. 20, 2002 And so one of my jobs is to make sure that entrepreneurial spirit is strong and alive in America, that it continues to flourish so that the great American dream of owning your own business is vibrant and alive and well and when we go into the 21st century.
Please note the year this comment was made in... Albers Manufacturing, O'Fallon, Missouri, Mar. 18, 2002 It's an encroachment on the executive branch's ability to conduct business.
Response to investigators asking for the names of Enron executives who met with him in energy policy meetings, and apparently stating a new doctrine on the purpose of the executive branch, "conducting business", White House, Jan. 28, 2002
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