Hillary Clinton

We are here to advance the cause of women and to advance the cause of democracy and to make it absolutely clear that the two are inseparable. There cannot be true democracy unless women's voices are heard.

Hillary Rodham Clinton (born 26 October 1947) U.S. Senator; wife of former U.S President Bill Clinton, and candidate for United States President in 2008; born Hillary Diane Rodham

Sourced

Presidential campaign (1992 — January 19, 1993)

• I suppose I could have stayed home and baked cookies and had teas, but what I decided to do was to fulfill my profession which I entered before my husband was in public life.
  • Response to reporter's questions (16 March 1992), reported on "Making Hillary an Issue" Nightline (26 March 1992). Quoted in Boston Globe.

White house years (1993 — 2000)

• In the Bible it says they asked Jesus how many times you should forgive, and he said 70 times 7. Well, I want you all to know that I'm keeping a chart.
  • Speech at the National Prayer Luncheon, reported in The New Yorker (30 May 1994)

• It saddens me that a historic event like this is being misconstrued by a small but vocal group of critics trying to spread the notion that the UN gathering is really the work of radicals and atheists bent on destroying our families.
  • "China, UN Seek to Put Conference Back on Track" (Reuters: September 4, 1995)

• We are here to advance the cause of women and to advance the cause of democracy and to make it absolutely clear that the two are inseparable. There cannot be true democracy unless women's voices are heard. There cannot be true democracy unless women are given the opportunity to take responsibility for their own lives.
  • Keynote Address at the Vital Voices Conference in Vienna, Austria (11 July 1997)

• From my perspective, this is part of the continuing political campaign against my husband… I mean, look at the very people who are involved in this. They have popped up in other settings. The great story here for anybody willing to find it, write about it and explain it is this vast right-wing conspiracy that has been conspiring against my husband since the day he announced for president.
  • Reacting to truthful reports that her husband, Bill Clinton, had had an affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky; Interview with Matt Lauer on NBC's Today show (27 January 1998)

Senate years (2001 — January 19, 2007)

• We will also stand united behind our President as he and his advisors plan the necessary actions to demonstrate America's resolve and commitment. Not only to seek out and exact punishment on the perpetrators, but to make very clear that not only those who harbor terrorists, but those who in any way aid or comfort them whatsoever will now face the wrath of our country. And I hope that that message has gotten through to everywhere it needs to be heard. You are either with America in our time of need or you are not.
  • Statement in the US Senate in response to the World Trade Center and Pentagon Attacks (12 September 2001)

• Every nation has to either be with us, or against us. Those who harbor terrorists, or who finance them, are going to pay a price.
  • Sound file (13 September 2001)

• In the four years since the inspectors left, intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weapons stock, his missile delivery capability, and his nuclear program. He has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including Al Qaeda members, though there is apparently no evidence of his involvement in the terrible events of September 11, 2001. It is clear, however, that if left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will continue to increase his capacity to wage biological and chemical warfare, and will keep trying to develop nuclear weapons. Should he succeed in that endeavor, he could alter the political and security landscape of the Middle East, which as we know all too well affects American security. This much is undisputed.
  • Senate speech (10 October 2002)

• I was one who supported giving President Bush the authority, if necessary, to use force against Saddam Hussein. I believe that that was the right vote. I have had many disputes and disagreements with the administration over how that authority has been used, but I stand by the vote to provide the authority because I think it was a necessary step in order to maximize the outcome that did occur in the Security Council with the unanimous vote to send in inspectors.
  • Council on Foreign Relations (15 December 2003) (video)

• He ran a gas station down in St. Louis… No, Mahatma Gandhi was a great leader of the 20th century.
  • Introducing a quotation by Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi, as reported in International Herald Tribune (21 January 2004)

• I wonder if it's possible to be a Republican and a Christian at the same time.
  • C-SPAN broadcast (21 June 2004)

• Many of you are well enough off that… the tax cuts may have helped you… We're saying that for America to get back on track, we're probably going to cut that short and not give it to you. We're going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good.
  • Explaining her opposition to President Bush's tax cut in San Francisco (28 June 2004)

• And Israel is not only our ally; it is a beacon of what democracy can and should mean… If the people of the Middle East are not sure what democracy means, let them look to Israel.
  • Hanukkah dinner speech at Yeshiva University (December 2005)

• In defeating terror, Israel’s cause is our cause.
  • Hanukkah dinner speech at Yeshiva University (December 2005)

• I have said publicly no option should be off the table, but I would certainly take nuclear weapons off the table.
  • Bloomberg Television (regarding Iran), April 2006 [1]

• It is time to put policy ahead of politics and success ahead of the status quo. It is time for a new strategy to produce what we need: a stable Iraq government that takes over for its own people so our troops can finish their job.
  • Speech in US Senate (21 June 2006)

• The lost opportunities of the years since September 11 are the stuff of tragedy. Remember the people rallying in sympathy on the streets of Teheran, the famous headline — "we are all Americans now." Five years later much of the world wonders what America is now. As we face this landscape of failure and disorder, nothing is more urgent than for us to begin again to rebuild a bipartisan consensus to ensure our interests, increase our security and advance our values. It could well start with what our founders had in mind when they pledged "a decent respect for the opinions of mankind" in the Declaration of Independence. I think it's fair to say we are now all internationalists and we are all realists. This Administration's choices were false choices. Internationalism versus unilateralism. Realism versus idealism. Is there really any argument that America must remain a preeminent leader for peace and freedom, and yet we must be more willing to work in concert with other nations and international institutions to reach common goals? The American character is both idealistic and realistic: why can't our government reflect both?
  • Remarks to the Senate's Council on Foreign Relations (31 October 2006)

• At the end of the day, the American people are going to be faced with some very tough judgments, because, at the current course this president is pursuing, I'm afraid that the next president will inherit this situation, with all of its complexity and all of its heartbreak… And let's not kid ourselves. I think this administration is also focused on Iran. And I think we need to send a very strong message that an administration with its track record of failure, of arrogance, of refusal to listen and learn from the disastrous steps that have, unfortunately, been taken should not be rushing off and putting American servicemembers in harm's way and possibly widening the conflict.
  • Interview with Gwen Ifill on PBS's NewsHour with Jim Lehrer (18 January 2007)

• Look what the Iraq Study Group came up with. You know, that was a totally nonpartisan group of, you know, 10 wise Americans, you know, some of them Republican, some of then Democrats from different, you know, experiences. They came out with a long list of recommendations. Now, you can say well, I wouldn't agree with that one or wouldn't agree with this one, but the fundamental point they made is that there is no military solution. There is only a political resolution and you've got to bring everybody into the game in order to move it forward, you know. And for whatever reason, this administration rejects that. They won't talk to bad people. That means they won't talk to the Iranians and the Syrians… If they're our enemies, then believe me, I think they are, because they certainly don't wish us any well outcome, then we need to know more about them. I think it's a sign of strength to get into a process with people who you are concerned about their motives, who's really calling the shots. This administration won't do that. So, to a certain extent we're flying blind.
  • Interview with Greta van Susteren on FOX News (19 January 2007)

Presidential campaign (January 20, 2007 — present)

• From almost the first day they got into office, they (President Bush and Vice President Cheney) were trying to figure out how to get rid of Saddam Hussein. I’m not a psychiatrist – I don’t know all of the reasons behind their concern, some might say their obsession.
  • Town Hall speech, Berlin, NH, as reported in The New York Times (10 February 2007)

• I grew up in a middle-class family in the middle of America in the middle of the last century.
  • Economic policy speech, May 29, 2007. [2]

• …as we do bring our troops home, we cannot lose sight of our very real strategic national interests in this region… I will order specialized units to engage in narrow and targeted operations against al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations in the region. They will also provide security for U.S. troops and personnel and train and equip Iraqi security services to keep order and promote stability in the country, but only to the extent we believe such training is actually working. I would also consider, as I have said before, leaving some forces in the Kurdish area to protect the fragile but real democracy and relative peace and security that has developed there.
  • Speech at the Temple for the Performing Arts in Des Moines, July 10, 2007 [3]

• In two nights you're going to have the Republican candidates here. They all support the war. They all support the president. They all supported the escalation. Each of us is trying in our own way to bring the war to an end.
  • Democratic Presidential Debate, Manchester, New Hampshire, June 3, 2007 [4]

• …freedom is never granted. It is earned by each generation… in the face of tyranny, cruelty, oppression, extremism, sometimes there is only one choice. When the world looks to America, America looks to you, and you never let her down… I have never lost faith in America's essential goodness and greatness… I have 35 years of experience, fighting for real change… the American people and our American military cannot want freedom and stability for the Iraqis more than they want it for themselves… we should have stayed focused on wiping out the Taliban and finding, killing, capturing bin Laden and his chief lieutenants… I also made a full commitment to martial American power, resources and values in the global fight against these terrorists. That begins with ensuring that America does have the world's strongest and smartest military force. We've begun to change tactics in Iraq, and in some areas, particularly in Al Anbar province, it's working… We can't be fighting the last war. We have to be preparing to fight the new war… We've got to be prepared to maintain the best fighting force in the world. I propose increasing the size of our Army by 80,000 soldiers, balancing the legacy systems with newer programs to help us keep our technological edge… I'm fighting for a Cold War medal for everyone who served our country during the Cold War, because you were on the front lines of battling communism. Well, now we're on the front lines of battling terrorism, extremism, and we have to win. Our commitment to freedom, to tolerance, to economic opportunity has inspired people around the world… American values are not just about America, but they speak to the human dignity, the God-given spark that resides in each and every person across the world… We are a good and great nation.
  • Remarks to the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Kansas City, Missouri, August 20, 2007 [5]

• I have a million ideas. The country can't afford them all.
  • Reply to a question whether she her proposals can be implemented without increasing the national debt, October 11, 2007. [6]

• I'm so grateful this day has ended well.
  • In response to the closure of the Campaign office hostage crisis. [7]

• It's not easy, it's not easy. And I couldn't do it if I just didn't, you know, passionately believe it was the right thing to do. You know, I've had so many opportunities from this country, I just don't want to see us fall backwards - no. So - you know, this is very personal for me. It's not just political, it's not just public. I see what's happening, and we have to reverse it. And some people think elections are a game, they think it's like who's up or who's down. It's about our country, it's about our kids' futures, and it's really about all of us together. You know some of us put ourselves out there and do this against some pretty difficult odds. And we do it, each one of us, because we care about our country. But some of us are right and some of us are wrong, some of us are ready and some of us are not, some of us know what we will do to do on day one and some of haven't really thought that through enough. And so when we look at the array of problems we have and the potential for it getting - really spinning out of control, this is one of the most important elections America's ever faced. So as tired as I am - and I am - and as difficult as it is to try to kind of keep up with what I try to do on the road like occasionally exercise and try to eat right - it's tough when the easiest food is pizza - I just believe so strongly in who we are as a nation. So I'm going to do everything I can to make my case and, you know, then the voters get to decide.
  • In response to Marianne Pernold's question, "How do you do it?"The Washington Post

• It did take a Clinton to clean up after the first Bush, and I think it might take another one to clean up after the second Bush.
  • CNN

• You know, there's a great saying in Texas — you've all heard it — all hat and no cattle. Well, after seven years of George Bush, we need a lot less hat and a lot more cattle.
  • Campaign speech in El Paso, TX, February 12, 2008. [8]

Attributed

• We just can't trust the American people to make those types of choices… Government has to make those choices for people.
  • On the health care reform, in a 1993 conversation with Rep. Dennis Hastert. Reported in The Seduction of Hillary Rodham by David Brock (1996). [9]

Quotes about Hillary Clinton

• She could be president someday. She could go to any state and be elected to the Senate.
  • Bill Clinton, 1974. [10]

• She is one of the most ruthless people we have ever seen in politics.
  • Dick Morris, former Bill Clinton advisor.

• It's not a very big thing to say, "I made a mistake" on the war, and typical of Hillary Clinton that she can't. She's so advised by so many smart advisers who are covering every base. I think that America was better served when the candidates were chosen in smoke-filled rooms.
  • David Geffen in a interview to Maureen Dowd, The New York Times (21 February 2007)

• "When Hillary had the class reunion at the White House, there were 325 of us there," said Catherine S. Gidlow, a lawyer in St. Louis. "I turned to someone and said, 'I think there are 324 of us here who feel like failures,' and she said, 'No, I think there are 325 of us who feel like failures.'"
  • New York Times Online (14 April 2007)

• Without nepotism, Hillary would be running for the president of Vassar.
  • Maureen Dowd, The New York Times, September 30, 2007. [11]

• We need a bitch facing down terrorists, Iran and Congress.
  • Sherry Argov, New York Post, November 18, 2007 [12]

• When she comes on television, I involuntarily cross my legs.
  • Tucker Carlson, MSNBC. [13]
• I can't make her younger, taller, or change her gender. I can't do anything other than to tell you who she is.
  • Bill Clinton, January 6, 2007. [14]

• I am watching Hillary Clinton in her victory speech in New Hampshire… they just threw a bunch of college kids behind her, and had her talk about student loans, and had her daughter come out for a long awkward hug… does anyone actually buy it? Surely young people are too media savvy to be fooled by this kind of shit. Do we live in a democracy so we can just keep electing the same families? Barack is the first candidate in my lifetime to strip some of this bullshit away, and I just hope we don't blow this chance. Man if we miss this opportunity we don't deserve it… how bad does it have to get?
  • Win Butler [15]

• Say what you will about the Clintons, you cannot acquit them of having played the race card several times in both directions and of having done so in the most vulgar and unscrupulous fashion. Anyone who thinks that this equals "change" is a fool, and an easily fooled fool at that.
  • Christopher Hitchens, Slate Magazine, January 28, 2008. [16]

External links

• Senator Clinton's official web site
• HillaryClinton.com: Official 2006 Senate campaign website
• Biography of First Lady Clinton