You can't have a democracy with an armed political party willing to bomb its neighbor without the consent of its government or, you know, just deciding, "Well, let's create enough chaos and discord by lobbing rockets. And so the reality is in order for Lebanon to succeed and we want Lebanon's democracy to succeed the process is going to the Lebanese government's eventually going to have to deal with Hezbollah.
The question is: Shouldn't Hezbollah disarm? And ultimately they should. And it's necessary for the Lebanese government to succeed.
The cornerstone of our policy in that part of the world is to help democracies. Lebanon's a democracy. We want the Siniora government to succeed.
I understand gas prices are like a hidden tax - not a hidden tax; it's taking money out of people's pockets. I know that.
We passed law that encouraged consumption through different purchasing habits like, you know, hybrid vehicles. You buy hybrid, you get a tax credit. We've encouraged the spread of ethanol as an alternative to crude oil. We have asked for Congress to pass regulatory relief so we can build more refineries to increase the supply of gasoline, hopefully taking the pressure off of price. And so the strategy is to recognize that dependency upon crude oil, in a global market, affects us economically here at home. And, therefore, we need to diversify away as quickly as possible.
I understand how democracy works. Quite a little bit of criticism in it, which is fine. That's fine. That's part of the process. But I have every right, as do my administration, to make it clear what the consequences would be of policy. And if we think somebody is strong or doesn't see the world the way it is, we'll continue to point that out to people.
Those who heralded the decision not to give law enforcement the tools necessary to protect the American people just simply don't see the world the way we do.
There were tactical decisions that I wish I could have done differently: mission accomplished, not revealing my drunken driving charge prior to my run for the presidency, flying over New Orleans on Katrina and the pictures being released and people saying, "he's aloof and doesn't really care."
My hope was that by saying clearly to Saddam Hussein, "we're going to enforce UN Resolutions," that he would make the decision to leave peaceably and at least allow for inspectors to come into his country, and if he chose not to, there would be a military option. I want people to understand that the military was my last option. I had a strategy and hopefully solving the problem peacefully - and it wasn't just me, it was a coalition of nations that were involved.
I would like people to understand the rationale for my embryonic stem cell research decision and how the process became distorted over time.
I am a passionate person when it comes to freedom.
I believe that we're in an ideological struggle; I believe the only way to marginalize those who murder the innocent, to achieve our ideological objectives, is to spread democracy and freedom.
I believe in the universality of freedom and therefore want to be involved in the freedom movement.
I believe that women will lead the democracy movement.
Helping people helps defines a strategy that makes public and private moneys more effective when it comes to helping save lives.
One of the biggest sacrifices in running for President, if there is one, is the loss of anonymity.
George H. W. Bush. He's been a classy guy in his post-presidency.
George H. W. Bush is gracious. And I'm not saying any of the former presidents aren't gracious, I'm just saying, this man is gracious.
Each of us will figure out our own way.
I can only give my life in a way that makes me comfortable.
I feel a special kinship with our military personnel, veterans, and their families. After all, two of my decisions sent them into harm's way.
I'm just beginning to get a sense for ways I can use golf - or perhaps mountain biking at some point in time - to stay focused on causes that are dear to my heart.
I don't want to be in the press.
There's a lot that I want to accomplish.
I believe that freedom is a gift from an Almighty to every man, woman, and child; that is a principle that was important to me during my presidency and I think it's an important principle.
