The Complete Bush Quotes

August 29, 2002
Remarks by the President at Back to School Event
Parkview Arts and Science Magnet High School
Little Rock, Arkansas
***
"If you don't have any ambitions, the minimum wage job isn't going to get you to where you want to get, for example. In other words, what is your ambitions; and oh, by the way, if that is your ambition, here's what it's going to take to achieve it. It's kind of a reality check."

 

November 4, 2002
Arkansas Welcome
Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport
Bentonville, Arkansas
***
"In other words, if there are certain work rules that prevent me from putting the right people at the right place at the right time to protect you, I have had -- up to now, and if the Senate, some senators get their way, I won't have-- the ability to suspend those rules. That's what you want."

 

May 12, 2003
Remarks by the President on His Jobs and Growth Plan
MCT Industries
Albuquerque, New Mexico
***
"He told me that if this new cap goes in, he's more likely to invest in plant and equipment so he can expand his business. The plant makes -- incensed Phil to make the decision to make a capital investment. And if he makes that decision, it means somebody is going to have to make the machinery that he purchases. It means that when he purchases the machinery, his employees become more productive. In other words, the effect of creating incentives is that jobs will more likely be created from the supplier to Phil's business; and as Phil's business becomes more productive, it is more likely somebody is going to find employment from his business."

 

June 30, 2003
Bush-Cheney 2004 Luncheon Remarks
Miami Airport Hilton
Miami, Florida
***
"We cannot allow drug companies to block generics, which are cheaper at the counter for our citizens -- less expensive is a better way to put that, still of high quality, but of less expense -- because of arguments over minor features. In other words, the generic gets ready to come on the market and the initial company will say, wait a minute, you're -- you've got the pill bottle -- the color of the pill bottle looks like that you're infringing on the patent, and delays take place."

 

July 1, 2003
Remarks of the President on Education Reform and Parental Options
Kipp D.C., Key Academy
Washington, D.C.
***
"So in other words, if you measure and find success, there needs to be -- something needs to happen, which is praise. And parents will say, well, gosh, if that's successful, I think we'll continue sending my child to that school. But if parents don't have any options other than a public school system, there's no accountability -- really no accountability. In other words, if there's nothing else can happen, if you find failure and you're stuck, why measure?"

 

July 3, 2003
President Bush Discusses Upcoming Africa Trip in Roundtable Interview with African Print Journalists
The Roosevelt Room
***
"As to whether or not -- look, once the strategy is in place, I will let people know whether or not I'm airborne or not. In other words, I'm not trying to make any -- I don't need to dramatize the decision. It's getting plenty of attention here at home. But we've got -- and look, I'm just gathering enough information to be rational in what we do.

 

September 18, 2003
Remarks by the President and King Abdullah of Jordan in Press Availability
Camp David
***
"The other thing, of course, is that the U.N. resolution must promote an orderly transfer of sovereignty to what will be a freely elected government, based upon a constitution. So in other words, we must have -- the constitution must be written, and there will be free elections, and then sovereignty will occur once the Iraqi people are able to express their opinions. And so we'll be working on that, as well."

***
"And by the way, we're very well prepared for Hurricane Isabel. I met this morning by SVTS -- that's video conferencing -- with Tom Ridge and John Gordon of the NSC staff, fully briefed on the path of the storm."

 

October 28, 2003
President Holds Press Conference
The Rose Garden
***
"And, as you notice, yesterday, one fellow tried to -- was done in as a he tried to conduct a suicide mission. In other words, an Iraqi policemen did their job."

***
"And so David Kay will continue his search. But one of the things that he first found was that there is clear violation of the U.N. Security Council Resolution 1441. Material breach, they call it in the diplomatic circles. Casus belli, it means a -- that would have been a cause for a war. In other words, he said, it's dangerous."

 

November 7, 2003
President Bush Discusses Job Training Initiative in North Carolina
Forsyth Technical Community College
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
***
"The job mix is shifting. The economy, as it grows, sometimes there's a different shift in the type of jobs available. You hear a lot of talk about productivity increases. You mentioned productivity increases. A lot of the manufacturing sector is seeing job loss because the worker is more productive. In other words, an hour of a person's time yields more product."

 

December 5, 2003
President Bush Discusses the Economy at the Home Depot in Maryland
The Home Depot
Halethorpe, Maryland
***
"Not only did it change foreign policy, in other words, we can't sit there and pick and choose what threat we deal with. Now that we have become vulnerable, we're going to have deal with the threats before they mature and come upon us."

 

February 9, 2004
President Meets with Workers and Small Business Owners on Economy
SRC Automotive
Springfield, Missouri
***
"Except when you're marching to war, it's not a very optimistic thought, is it? In other words, it's the opposite of optimistic when you're thinking you're going to war."

 

April 13, 2004
President Addresses the Nation in Prime Time Press Conference
The East Room
***
"The report, itself, I've characterized as mainly history, and I think when you look at it you'll see that it was talking about '97 and '98 and '99. It was also an indication, as you mentioned, that bin Laden might want to hijack an airplane, but as you said, not to fly into a building, but perhaps to release a person in jail. In other words, serve it as a blackmail."

 

May 3, 2004
Remarks by the President and Mrs. Bush at "ask President Bush" Event
Niles Senior High School
Niles, Michigan
***
"The lesson of September the 11th is oceans no longer protect us, and, therefore, we cannot let threats fully materialize. In other words, we can't see a threat and hope it goes away. We can't see a threat and say, oh, gosh, maybe the person will change their mind and all of a sudden their hatred for America will diminish."

***
"Listen, we've got people who are hooked on drugs. As a matter of fact, a lot of the drug abuse can be traced to serious addiction. In other words, a few using a lot is a way to maybe describe drug abuse in the country."

 

May 4, 2004
Remarks by the President at Pancake Breakfast
Lucas County, Ohio Recreation Center
Maumee, Ohio
***
"I say that [Ohio is going to feel the economic vitality] because in the month of March, there were 7,900 new jobs created in Ohio -- 7,900 out of the 308,000 new jobs that were created in the month of March. In other words, 7,900 in March in Ohio, part of the 308,000. In other words, the job picture is improving."

 

May 4, 2004
Remarks by the President at "ask President Bush" Event Hara Complex
Dayton, Ohio
***
"In other words, envision going from the shovel to the backhoe. You had to learn how to drive the backhoe, and when you did, you're incredibly more productive than you were with a shovel. It's that same equivalent that's taking place throughout our economy right now."

 

May 6, 2004
Remarks by President Bush and His Majesty King Abdullah II of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in a Press Availability
The Rose Garden
***
"That's what has to happen. That's road map. In other words, that's how you head down the road to peace."

 

June 15, 2004
Remarks by President Bush and President Karzai of Afghanistan in a Press Availability
The Rose Garden
***
PRESIDENT BUSH: No, I thought you said am I worried that inflation is going to -- what I'm pleased about is the fact that our economy is strong and is getting stronger. All indications are -- is that the economic stimulus plan we put in place is working. There's strong growth. There is -- there is -- there are new jobs being added. Consumer spending is up. Disposable -- after-tax disposable income is high. In other words, the ingredients for continued economic growth are present. And I'm very pleased. I'm particularly pleased because it means that workers are able to do their duties to their families.

 

June 23, 2004
President Bush Discusses HIV/AIDS Initiatives in Philadelphia
People for People
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
***
"And proven methods of prevention are showing the spread of this disease -- are slowing the spread of this disease in some parts of the world. In other words, prevention -- we're beginning to understand how to prevent the disease from spreading."

 

June 24, 2004
President Bush: High Tech Improving Economy, Health Care, Education
Remarks by the President on Innovation
U.S. Department of Commerce
Washington, D.C.
***
"Well, broadband is the capacity to move information a lot quicker and to move more information a lot quicker. As a matter of fact, broadband is four to 100 times faster than dial-up access. So in other words, if you -- if you have your -- if you're on a -- just a dial-up phone for your computer, imagine information getting to you a hundred times quicker. That means more information can move quicker."

 

July 9, 2004
Remarks by the President in Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Lapp Electrical Service, Inc.
Smoketown, Pennsylvania
***
"And they're going to buy new mezzanines, budget trucks and service vans. That's called investment. In other words, they set aside $80,000, and they're going to do something with the $80,000. Now, the way the economy works is that as they make a purchase with the $80,000, somebody has to manufacture, or fix up, or take care of the product they're buying -- in this case, a mezzanine, or a bucket truck, or a service van."

***
"Here's what Greg said about tax relief: 'It helped us pull out of the lull quicker than we would have.' That's positive, isn't it? In other words, they were in a lull. It's called recession. Actually, in his case it was like neutral."

 

July 14, 2004
Remarks by the President in "ask President Bush" Event
Mid-States Aluminum Corporation
Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin
***
"You're not going to believe this -- at least I didn't believe it -- that the FBI, the branch involved with intelligence -- in other words, who might be coming into the country, who might be -- who somebody suspects might do us harm -- could not discuss a case with the law enforcement division of the FBI."

***
"It's in the employee's interest that they make wise decisions. In other words, you don't want to purchase too much health care. In other words if you go to the doctor here, doctor there, doctor -- into the office -- so you start asking questions, do I really need this?"

***
"I do know that the organization [Al Queda] is -- got the ability to kind of exist without his [Bin Laden's] physical presence. In other words, there's command -- there's commanders that are able to rise up event though we may capture a previous commander."

 

August 9, 2004
Remarks by the President in "ask President Bush" Event,
Northern Virginia Community College, Annandale, Virginia
***
"Secondly, the tactics of our -- as you know, we don't have relationships with Iran. I mean, that's -- ever since the late '70s, we have no contacts with them, and we've totally sanctioned them. In other words, there's no sanctions -- you can't -- we're out of sanctions."

 

August 18, 2004
President's Remarks at Ask President Bush Event
Lakefront Park
Hudson, Wisconsin
***
"And when we find a threat it's important to be able to pick up the phone and call a friend, like Great Britain, and say, pick this person up, please, because -- and here's the evidence. In other words, there's got to be a collaborative effort. And we are."

 

September 4, 2004
Remarks by the President at "ask President Bush" Event
Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School,
Brecksville-Broadview Heights, Ohio

***
"Let me explain it [drilling for oil in the ANWR] to you now so you understand -- that the drilling area would be the size of an airport in Cleveland, Ohio. In other words, it would be on what would be like your airport, and the rest of the entire area here would have no exploration at all. In other words, the pad, the place at which they would place the equipment to drill for much-needed crude oil and natural gas, would be the size of the airport region here inside your entire county. It's a very small part of the world."

 

September 17, 2004
Remarks by the President at Focus on Women's Issues Event
Charlotte Merchandise Mart
Charlotte, North Carolina

***
"One of the interesting things about a changing economy is that our workers are more productive than ever before. That means instead of using a hoe, you use a backhoe. Or instead of using, you know, a regular old standard typewriter, you use a computer. In other words, that's an example of becoming more productive." (Applause.)

 

September 22, 2004
President's Remarks in "Focus on Education with President Bush" Event
Valley Forge Convention Center
King of Prussia, Pennsylvania
***
"Notice she said, research-based. In other words, what that means is, people have actually looked at what works and have incorporated what works into the textbooks. That's what we want. We want curriculum that actually achieves our objectives. Remember the old reading debates -- there was -- sometimes people had this notion about what might work, and we never knew whether it was or not until we started to measure. That's how you can say, research-based textbooks."

 

December 20, 2004
Press Conference of the President
Room 450, Dwight DC Eisenhower Executive Office Building
***
"But if we expect the border patrol to be able to enforce a long border, particularly in the south -- and the north, for that matter -- we ought to have a system that recognizes people are coming here to do jobs that Americans will not do. And there ought to be a legal way for them to do so. To me, that is -- and not only that, but once the person is here, if he or she feels like he or she needs to go back to see her family, to the country of origin, they should be able to do so within a prescribed -- in other words, and the card, the permit would last for a prescribed period of time."

 

January 28, 2005
President Speaks at 2005 "Congress of Tomorrow" Luncheon
The Greenbrier
White Sulpher Springs, West Virginia
***
"First, I think we've proven to the country we know how to set an agenda and work together to achieve it. In other words, people -- people ought to view this team we've put together, the relationship between the executive branch and the legislative branch, as people who are -- come to Washington, D.C. to solve problems."

 

February 3, 2005
President Participates in Social Security Conversation in North Dakota
North Dakota State University
Fargo, North Dakota
***
"There are instruments that are devised or available -- will be available for younger workers when they get ready to retire to invest -- to ensure against a downturn of the market. In other words, it's a different kind of instrument."

 

February 4, 2005
President Discusses Strengthening Social Security in Florida
Tampa Convention Center
Tampa, Florida
***
"When Social Security was designed, the life expectancy was about 60 years old. In other words, you were expected to live that long. Today, life expectancy is 77 years old. In other words, people are living longer."

 

February 10, 2005
President Discusses Strengthening Social Security in North Carolina
BTI Center For The Performing Arts
Raleigh, North Carolina
***
"And so step one of my strategy is to continue saying to the American people, we have got a serious problem. In other words, sometimes they say, is it serious, is it a crisis -- look, whatever you want to call it, just look at the chart and you come up with the conclusions."

 

February 23, 2005
President Bush Speaks with Young Professionals in Germany
Electoral Palace
Mainz, Germany
***
 I want to thank you all for coming. This is a good opportunity for me to really listen to what you have to ask and tell me about a lot of things. I'm interested in economy, the entrepreneurial spirit. I'm interested in attitudes about freedom and peace. I'm interested to know, obviously, what you think about or answer questions about policies that I've decided.

***
"You know, you can't discriminate. Freedom is not a discriminatory thought, at least in the White House -- in other words, if you say, certain people should be free, but others shouldn't free."

 

February 4, 2005
President Discusses Strengthening Social Security in Florida
Tampa Convention Center
Tampa, Florida
***
"Some have suggested that we calculate -- the [Social Security] benefits will rise based upon inflation, as opposed to wage increases. There is a reform that would help solve the red if that were put into effect. In other words, how fast benefits grow, how fast the promised benefits grow, if those -- if that growth is affected, it will help on the red.

 

April 5, 2005
President Participates in Social Security Conversation in West Virginia
West Virginia University at Parkersburg
Parkersburg, West Virginia
***
"And I can understand why people are sometimes confused because there's a lot of propaganda in the mix. In other words, people are saying things that simply aren't true."

 

May 13, 2005
President Discusses Social Security with National Association of Realtors
Marriott Wardman Park Hotel Washington, D.C.
***
"And so I tell people that this math has created a significant problem for the solvency of Social Security. In other words, Social Security really is on the path to bankruptcy -- because of the math, because of what's taking place in the demographics in America."

 

May 23, 2005
President Welcomes Afghan President Karzai to the White House The East Room
***

PRESIDENT BUSH: The President can give you some statistics on that if you're interested. One of the interesting issues, however, besides poppy crop eradication, and frankly, bringing people to justice who are running drugs is to -- is for crop substitution. And the -- President Karzai was talking about how the quality of the pomegranate that used to be grown in Afghanistan, evidently it's quite famous for -- the country is quite famous for growing pomegranates.

PRESIDENT KARZAI: Yes, yes.

PRESIDENT BUSH: Or honeydew melons. In other words, there are some specialty crops, along with wheat and corn, that can and should be grown in Afghanistan.

 

May 31, 2005
President's Press Conference
The Rose Garden
***
"In other words, what the insurgents fear is democracy, because democracy is the opposite of their vision. Their vision is one where a few make the decision for many, and if you don't toe the line, there's serious consequences."

 

June 22, 2005
President Discusses Energy Policy, Economic Security Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant
Lusby, Maryland
***
"The No Child Left Behind Act we passed is challenging what I've called the soft bigotry of low expectations. That means you have your expectations so low you just move the children through the system without measuring whether or not they can read and write. In other words, if you don't think certain children can read and write, the easy path is just move them through."

 

June 30, 2005
Interview of the President by Foreign Print Journalists
The Roosevelt Room
***

Well, I think -- I think if the truth is not told, it's a problem. But let's talk about the truth, in terms of Guantanamo. First of all, there's inspections 24 hours a day, seven days a week available for the International Red Cross. There's been a lot of press contingents down to take a look at the situation firsthand, and a lot of congressional folks going down. In other words, a lot of people -- there's a transparent situation there.

 

July 13, 2005
President Meets with Cabinet, Discusses Economy, Energy, Trade
The Cabinet Room
***
"The OMB is going to announce that the 2005 deficit is $94 billion less than previously expected. In other words, revenues are coming in greater than anticipated."

 

July 18, 2005
President, Prime Minister of India Discuss Freedom and Democracy
The East Room
***

And of course I'm reviewing a different candidate. I'm reviewing their curriculum vitae, as well as their findings. I will sit down with some and talk to them face-to-face, those who I have not known already. You know, we've got some people that -- perhaps in contention that I've already spent time with, that I know; in other words, I'm familiar with some of the people that are being speculated about in the press. And so I don't need to interview those. But of course I'm going to take a very thorough approach.

 

July 20, 2005
President Encourages Renewal of Patriot Act Provisions
Port of Baltimore
Baltimore, Maryland
***
"We're developing innovative programs to defend this country against a biological, chemical, or nuclear attack. In other words, one of the biggest dangers we face is if a biological, chemical, or nuclear device gets in the hands of terrorists. Listen, they will use them."

***

August 4, 2005
President, President Uribe of Colombia Discuss Terrorism and Security
Bush Ranch
Crawford, Texas
***
"As I have told the American people, one, that people like Zawahiri have an ideology that is dark, dim, backwards; they don't trust -- they don't appreciate women; if you don't agree to their narrow view of a religion you'll be whipped in the public square. That's their view, and they have tactics to help spread that view. In other words, they've got goals."

***
"And part of their goal is to drive us out of the broader Middle East, precisely what Zawahiri said. In other words, he's threatening."

***

 

August 11, 2005
President Meets with Defense and Foreign Policy Teams
Bush Ranch
Crawford, Texas
***
"The recent violence in Iraq is a grim reminder of the brutal enemies we face in the war on terror. And we are a nation at war. The war arrived on our shores on September the 11th, 2001. And since that day, the terrorists have continued to kill. They have killed in Madrid and Istanbul and Jakarta and Casablanca and Riyadh and Bali and London and elsewhere, and they are determined to do more harm. And they kill indiscriminately. In other words, they don't care who they kill."

 

September 22, 2005
President Discusses War on Terror and Hurricane Preparation
The Pentagon
***
"Our forces will focus on hunting down high-value targets like the terrorist, Zarqawi."

***
"Now, look, they've been successful on attacks. They were successful here. They've been successful in London and Madrid. In other words, they have had attacks."

 

September 26, 2005
President Discusses Hurricane Effects on Energy Supply
U.S. Department of Energy
Washington, D.C.
***
"The Plantation Pipeline, which is an East Coast pipeline, is at 100 percent capacity. That's one of the real success stories of this storm. In other words, it didn't go down at all."

 

October 18, 2005
President Signs Homeland Security Appropriations Act for 2006
The East Room
***
"To stop illegal immigrants from coming into the country, we've increased manpower, we've upgraded technology, and we've improved the physical barriers along our border. In other words, we've worked together to implement the strategy."

 

November 4, 2005
President Bush Meets with President Kirchner of Argentina
Hermitage Hotel
Mar del Plata, Argentina
***
"I will come and say to the people, the leadership, and whoever is listening down there, that our markets are open, so long as you open your markets. In other words, let's have open markets."

 

December 19, 2005
Press Conference of the President
The East Room
***
"First, I want to make clear to the people listening that this program is limited in nature to those that are known al Qaeda ties and/or affiliates. That's important. So it's a program that's limited, and you brought up something that I want to stress, and that is, is that these calls are not intercepted within the country. They are from outside the country to in the country, or vice versa. So in other words, this is not a -- if you're calling from Houston to L.A., that call is not monitored."

" One of the reasons why I proposed working with the Russians, the Russian idea of allowing Iran to have a civilian nuclear power plant industry without enriched material -- in other words, the enriched materials -- without enriching material, the enriching material would come from Russia, in this case, and be picked up by the Russians, was to prevent them from having the capacity to develop a nuclear weapon.

 

January 6, 2006
President Discusses Strong and Growing Economy, Hilton
Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
***
"I'll never forget going to an automobile manufacturing plant in Mississippi. It was a very diverse group of workers. I said, how many of you own your own 401K? In other words, how many of you have a stock portfolio. Nearly 90 percent held their hands up. When you cut taxes on capital gains, and you cut taxes on dividends, you're helping the line workers in the automobile plant."

 

January 11, 2006
President Participates in Discussion on the Global
War on Terror, Kentucky International Convention Center, Louisville,
Kentucky
***
"So, in other words, it's not going to be that kind of -- it's not the kind of war that you talked about earlier, and so the peace won't be the kind of peace that we're used to."

 

January 12, 2006
President Participates in Roundtable with Small
Business Owners and Community Leaders in New Orleans, New Orleans
Metropolitan Convention Center And Visitors Bureau, Inc., New Orleans,
Louisiana
***
"One issue I do want to touch on is the levees. Now, the Mayor made it very clear to me that we need a federal policy, a strong federal policy on the levees in order to encourage investors and investment in New Orleans. In other words, if there's any doubt about levees, people wouldn't be willing to reinvest in this city. If we couldn't get people to reinvest in this city, the recovery wouldn't be as strong as we hope it to be."

January 12, 2006
President Visits Mississippi, Discusses Gulf Coast
Reconstruction, St. Stanislaus College, Bay St. Louis, Mississippi
***
"Congress did a smart thing, in my judgment -- was to provide tax incentives for businesses who are in this part of the world. They provide tax incentives for small businesses to expense up to $200,000 of investment and private -- and incentive for all businesses to provide a 50-percent bonus depreciation for investment made. What I'm telling you is, it's kind of economic talk for saying, if somebody spends money in an investment in this part of the world, they get a tax incentive to do so. In other words, if you're able to make the tax code attract capital so people invest, it means you're more likely to be able to find work here. It goes on -- and again, I want to thank the members of Congress for working on that."

January 19, 2006
President Highlights Importance of Small Business in Economic, Growth, JK Moving
& Storage, Sterling, Virginia
***
"Think of how robust our economy is when it's growing at 4.1 percent in the third quarter of this year, in the face of storm and high energy prices -- it's got to affect your business, doesn't it, all those high energy prices. And, yet, you're growing. In other words, we've got an economy that is robust."

 

January 23, 2006
President Discusses Global War on Terror at Kansas State University
Kansas State University
Manhattan, Kansas
***
"He [Sadaam Hussein] was a state sponsor of terror. In other words, the government had declared, you are a state sponsor of terror."

 

February 1, 2006
President Discusses 2006 Agenda
Grand Ole Opry House
Nashville, Tennessee
***
"In other words, Congress authorized me to use force in the fundamental incidents of war, which means in this case, you can't defeat the enemy until you know when the enemy is going to hit."

 

March 9, 2006
President's Remarks at Georgia Republican Party's President's Day Dinner
Georgia International Convention Center
College Park, Georgia
***
"You see, prior to September the 11th, 2001, a lot of folks assumed that we were safe in America. In other words, we could see a threat somewhere overseas, but we were fine. Oceans protected us, perhaps our might protected us. But that all changed for me on September the 11th, 2001."

 

March 20, 2006
President Discusses War on Terror and Operation Iraqi Freedom
Renaissance Cleveland Hotel
Cleveland, Ohio
***
Your question, however, the part that's really important is, how do we regain credibility when it comes to intelligence? Obviously, the Iranian issue is a classic case, where we've got to make sure that when we speak there's credibility. And so, in other words, when the United States rallies a coalition, or any other country that had felt that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction is trying to rally a coalition in dealing with one of these non-transparent societies, what do we need to do to regain the trust of not only the American people, but the world community?

 

March 21, 2006
Press Conference of the President
James S. Brady Briefing Room
***
"There needs to be enforcement mechanisms that don't discourage the Border Patrol agents. They work hard, they get somebody coming in from country X; the person says, check back in with us in 30 days -- they don't. In other words, they end up in society."

 

April 10, 2006
President Bush Discusses Global War on Terror
The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies
The Johns Hopkins University
Washington, D.C.
***
"Yes. No, I -- this is -- there's an ongoing legal proceeding which precludes me from talking a lot about the case. There's also an ongoing investigation that's a serious investigation. I will say this, that after we liberated Iraq, there was questions in people's minds about the basis on which I made statements, in other words, going into Iraq."

 

April 11, 2006
President Discusses Medicare in Iowa
Wesley Acres
Des Moines, Iowa
***
"I fully recognize that when you have a variety of choices from which to choose, it can be a little confusing at first. In other words, people get on the computer, and say, look at all these different options."

 

May 19, 2006
President Discusses the American Competitiveness Initiative
Northern Kentucky University
Highland Heights, Kentucky
***
"See, they're driven by an ideological fervor. In other words, they're not just isolated angry people; they're people that have got a point of view."

 

June 6, 2006
President's Remarks to the Travel Pool
Laredo Border Patrol Sector Headquarters
Laredo, Texas
***
"Well, the framework I've outlined recognizes that Congress has got the right to regulate what they call green cards. And if Congress thinks that the line for citizens from Mexico is too long, they can increase the number of green cards. If they think it's -- or they can shorten -- increase the number of green cards. If they think it's too short, they can eliminate the number of green cards. In other words, they can control the flow of people from a particular part of the country."

 

July 7, 2006
Press Conference by the President
Museum of Science and Industry
Chicago, Illinois
***
"They didn't we couldn't have done -- made that decision, see. They were silent on whether or not Guantanamo -- whether or not we should have used Guantanamo. In other words, they accepted the use of Guantanamo, the decision I made. What they did say was, in terms of going forward, what should the court system look like? How can we use a military commission or tribunal?"

 

July 10, 2006
Roundtable Interview of the President by Foreign Print Media
The Roosevelt Room
***
"In other words, so when you talk about relations with an American President, you've got to understand that there's a -- at least I have, I know my predecessors have, connections, close connections with people who have fond -- either fond memories and/or great pride in their motherland."

 

September 15, 2006
Press Conference of the President
The Rose Garden
***
"And we believe a good way to go is to use the amendment that we worked with John McCain on, called the Detainee Treatment Act, as the basis for clarity for people we would ask to question the enemy. In other words, it is a way to bring U.S. law into play. It provides more clarity for our professionals."

***
"Imagine -- imagine an enemy that can't stand what we believe in getting a hold of oil resources and taking a bunch of oil off the market in order to have an economic punishment. In other words, they say, you go ahead and do this, and if you don't, we'll punish you economically."

 

***
THE PRESIDENT: No, I said -- Mike, thanks. I was just speculating that the culture might be changing, and I was talking about when you're involved with making decisions of historic nature, you won't be around to see the effects of your decisions. And I said that when I work the ropelines, a lot of people come and say, Mr. President, I'm praying for you -- a lot. As a matter of fact, it seems like a lot more now than when I was working ropelines in 1994. And I asked them -- I was asking their opinion about whether or not there was a Third Awakening, I called it.

I'd just read a book on Abraham Lincoln, and his presidency was right around the time of what they called the Second Awakening, and I was curious to know whether or not these smart people felt like there was any historical parallels. I also said that I had run for office the first time to change a culture -- Herman and Hutch remember me saying, you know, the culture that said, if it feels good, do it, and, if you've got a problem, blame somebody else -- to helping to work change a culture in which each of us are responsible for the decisions we make in life. In other words, ushering in a responsibility era.

 

September 28, 2006
Remarks by the President at Bob Riley for Governor Luncheon
Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex
Birmingham, Alabama
***
"I found it to be really interesting to talk to the officers who drive the vehicles that are run on fuel that is 85 percent ethanol -- in other words, fuel made from corn. So I said to the guy, do you -- see, he has a choice, he can either use gasoline or ethanol. I said, which one do you use? He says, I like the ethanol. I said, why? He said, it's got a lot of get up and go to it. In other words, it works well."

 

September 28, 2006
President Bush Discusses Energy in Alabama
Hoover Public Safety Center
Hoover, Alabama
***
"So anyway, so I said, Officer Parker, I said -- first, I told him thanks for serving. And then I said, you've got a choice, don't you, between gasoline and E85? He said, I do. I said, which one do you pick? He said, E85. I said, why? He said, because it's got a little better "git up" to it. In other words, it works just fine.

***
"We think it's in our national interest that ethanol penetrate more market -- in other words, more people use ethanol."

***
"In other words, corn is good, and so is sugar. But you can imagine it's going to put a little strain on the corn market after a while if the only raw material we use for ethanol is corn.

 

October 3, 2006
Remarks by the President at Richard Pombo for Congress Breakfast
Stockton Memorial Civic Auditorium
Stockton, California
***
"Captured terrorists have unique knowledge about where their operatives are deployed and what plots may be underway. In other words, they know.

 

October 26, 2006
Remarks by the President at Bouchard for U.S. Senate Reception
Mabry Banquet and Convention Center
Warren, Michigan
***
"In other words, they don't believe Iraq is a part of the war on terror. They believe it is a separate theater of some kind. I'm not sure what they believe. This is a global war we're -- fight."

 

November 2, 2006
Remarks by the President at Montana Victory 2006 Rally
MetraPark Arena
Billings, Montana
***
"People said, well, why did you go to Elvis' place? Well, one, I had never been down there. (Applause.) And Laura was kind of -- (laughter) -- pushing me. She said it's about time we took a family vacation. (Laughter.) Secondly, Prime Minister Koizumi wanted to go to Elvis' place. He's a big believer in -- he loved Elvis, in other words."

 

November 6, 2006
Remarks by the President at Florida Victory 2006 Rally
Pensacola Civic Center
Pensacola, Florida
***
"In other words, the Democrat's philosophy is this: If it breathes, tax it. (Laughter.) And if it stops breathing, find their children and tax them." (Laughter.)

 

March 6, 2007
Roundtable Interview of the President by Foreign Print Journalists
Roosevelt Room
***
"As China's demand for oil continues, if there's not a corresponding increase in international supply, what happens in China affects the ability of someone in Latin America to be able to keep more money -- in other words, the gas prices go up."

 

March 12, 2007
President Bush and President Berger of Guatemala Participate in Joint Press
Availability
The National Palace
Guatemala City, Guatemala
***
"It also turns out narco-traffickers oftentimes leave behind the poison as they head to other markets. In other words, the local population can become deeply affected by drogas."

 

March 28, 2007
President Bush Discusses Economy, War on Terror During Remarks to the
National Cattlemen's Beef Association
Holiday Inn on the Hill
Washington, D.C.
***
"We've captured hundreds of fighters that are spreading sectarian violence. In other words, we're after killers. We're after -- we don't say, this religious group, or this religious group."

 

April 19, 2007
President Bush Discusses the Global War on Terror in Tipp City, Ohio
Tipp City High School
Tipp City, Ohio
***
"In other words, if what happens overseas matters to the United States, therefore, the best way to protect us is to deal with threats overseas. In other words, we just can't let a threat idle; we can't hope that a threat doesn't come home to hurt us. A lesson of that terrible day was, threats overseas can come home to hurt us. And so the fundamental question -- and this has led to constructive debate -- it's, what do you do about it?"

***
"There's a -- by the way, every new phase of history has its own unique features to it. For example, you've got a kid in the battlefield and he's emailing home every day. Or, four-hour [sic] news cycles. There's a lot of -- asymmetrical warfare, or $50 weapons are sometimes used to defeat expensive vehicles. In other words, these are different times."

 

May 24, 2007
Press Conference by the President
Rose Garden
***
THE PRESIDENT: Oh, so, in other words, the option would have been just let Saddam Hussein stay there? Your question is, should we not have left Saddam Hussein in power? And the answer is, absolutely not. Saddam Hussein was an enemy of the United States. He'd attacked his neighbors. He was paying Palestinian suicide bombers. He would have been -- if he were to defy -- and by the way, cheating on the U.N. oil for sanctions program -- oil-for-food program. No, I don't buy it. I don't buy that this world would be a better place with Saddam Hussein in power, and particularly if -- and I'm sure the Iraqis would agree with that.

 

May 29, 2007
President Bush Discusses Comprehensive Immigration Reform
Tom Steed Building
Federal Law Enforcement Training Center
Glynco, Georgia
***
"In other words, part of making sure our country is a rule of law, we've got to have people enforce the law. It's against the law to hire somebody who is here illegally. That's the law."

 

May 31, 2007
Interview of the President by Boyko Vassilev Petrov, BNT, Bulgaria
Map Room
***
Q Bulgaria is an ally; it's hosting three joint military bases. What will Bulgaria get in return?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, first of all, you've got a good friend. And I don't think friends really kind of measure decision making on a quid pro quo basis. In other words, relationships, they're evolving and they're growing. I presume Bulgaria made the decisions, first and foremost, for the basing because it was in her best interests. In other words, sovereign nations say, well, this is in my interests.

***
"And so what I tell those parents, and I'd like to share the same thing with the Bulgarian families, is, one, the cause was necessary and noble for peace; two, that I'm committed to helping this Iraqi government succeed, and I think the people will look back 50 years from now and say, oh, I understand now why they were doing what they were doing, because democracies and liberties help yield peace; thirdly, that I won't let politics get in the way of making important decisions to help achieve the mission. In other words, we won't let their loved one die in vain. You can look back on any war, and determine whether or not certain tactics could be changed, but the strategic decision, removing Saddam Hussein, was the right decision."

 

June 20, 2007
President Bush Discusses Stem Cell Veto and Executive Order
East Room
***
"I'm also up here with Carol Franz; she has whipped cancer twice by using adult stem cells. In other words, adult stem cells have saved her life."

 

June 28, 2007
President Bush Visits Naval War College, Discusses Iraq, War on Terror
Spruance Auditorium
Newport, Rhode Island
***
"According to a captured document -- in other words, according to something that we captured from al Qaeda -- they had hoped to set up its -- a government in Anbar."

 

July 4, 2007
President Bush Celebrates Independence Day With West Virginia Air National Guard
167th Airlift Wing
C-5 Maintenance Hangar
Martinsburg, West Virginia
***
"More than two decades [sic] later, it is hard to imagine the Revolutionary War coming out any other way -- but at the time, America's victory was far from certain. In other words, when we celebrated the first 4th of July celebration, our struggle for independence was far from certain."

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