George W. Bush on Politics

"I believe that the best government that will yield to peace, is one decided by people. Not by a liberator in this case."

"No, I think you have to earn your way into politics. I don't think that anything is ever given to you."

"President Obama's got plenty of critics, and I'm not going to be one."

"But some governments will be timid in the face of terror. And make no mistake about it: If they do not act, America will."

"This is Preservation Month. I appreciate preservation. It's what you do when you run for president. You've got to preserve."

"The state can do what they want to do. Don't try to trap me in this state's issue like you're trying to get me into."

"I made it very plain: We will not have an all-volunteer army. Let me restate that. We will not have a draft."

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

"...they want the federal government controlling Social Security, like it's some kind of federal program."

"Any government that chooses to be an ally of terror has also chosen to be an enemy of civilization."

"Any government that supports, protects or harbours terrorists is complicit in the murder of the innocent and equally guilty of terrorist crimes."

"What we Republicans should stand for is growth in the economy. We ought to make the pie higher."

"You want the country to go back to normal, but the presidency couldn't go back to normal."

"I believe women will lead the democracy movement in the Middle East."

"Captain Brown was correct: America's space program will go on."

"Women are going to lead the democracy movement, mark my words."

"I will never relent in defending America - whatever it takes."

"National Endowment for Democracy, 20th anniversary"

"I'm for an immigration policy that's welcoming."

"I will have a foreign-handed foreign policy."

"Americans are asking, why do they hate us?"

"Taking care of women, is good politics."

"What was it like to be governor?"

"State of the Union , 2004"

"What you do is as important as anything government does. I ask you to seek a common good beyond your comfort; to defend needed reforms against easy attacks; to serve your nation, beginning with your neighbor. I ask you to be citizens: citizens, not spectators; citizens, not subjects; responsible citizens, building communities of service and a nation of character."

"What we're trying to do with this reinforcement of our troops is to provide enough space so that the Iraqi government can meet certain benchmarks or certain requirements for a unity government to survive and for the country to be strong."

"Peaceful nations must stand for the advance of democracy. No other system of government has done more to protect minorities, to secure the rights of labor, to raise the status of women, or to channel human energy to the pursuits of peace."

"Tribal sovereignty means that; it's sovereign. I mean, you're a — you've been given sovereignty, and you're viewed as a sovereign entity. And therefore the relationship between the federal government and tribes is one between sovereign entities."

"Laura and I are watching the scenes of mayhem unfolding at the seat of our Nation's government in disbelief and dismay. It is a sickening and heartbreaking sight. This is how election results are disputed in a banana republic — not our democratic republic."

"We support the election process. We support democracy, but that doesn't mean that we have to support governments that get elected as a result of democracy." Bush commenting about the Palestinian elections that resulted in Hamas coming to power in the Gaza Strip. March 29, 2006"