Edward Kennedy Quotes (160 Quotes)

Chief Justice Rehnquist served this country with the greatest distinction, ... I respected his leadership of the federal judiciary and his strong commitment to the integrity and independence of the courts.

President Bush must do more than give speeches, ... He must demonstrate leadership by saying no to his right-wing allies who want to close our borders and yes to the business community, labor unions and Hispanic Americans who want realistic and comprehensive immigration reform.

They won't tell American people what they want to know when the Iraqi security forces will be fully capable of fighting on their own. That's the key to achieving victory.

The victims of Katrina have lost everything, and now President Bush says it is OK for them to lose their fair wages, too.

We need more than photo-ops and spin control to win this war. We need an effective plan to achieve our goals in Iraq and protect our troops. The president once again offered neither. He needs to realize what most Americans now understand -- that staying the course is not an option.

Hate crimes are a national disgrace, and they attack everything this country stands for,

When the roll is called on this 87 billion legislation, which provides no effective conditions for genuine international participation and a clear change in policy in Iraq, I intend to vote no,

Our armed forces are serving ably in Iraq under enormously difficult circumstances, and the policy of our government must be worthy of their sacrifice. Unfortunately, it is not, and the American people know it.

I am so proud of the city and the unions for giving it their all and reaching an agreement. This will be a wonderful week for Boston, for John Kerry and for the Democratic Party.

The news on the Republican Medicare bill gets better and better for drug company profits and HMOs, and worse and worse for seniors and the Medicare program,

For all my years in public life, I have believed that America must sail toward the shores of liberty and justice for all. There is no end to that journey, only the next great voyage. We know the future will outlast all of us, but I believe that all of us will live on in the future we make.

must also determine whether (Roberts) has demonstrated a commitment to the constitutional principles that have been so vital in advancing fairness, decency and equal opportunity in our society.

A democratic party, a part of a democratic West, does not, should not and cannot have private armies and cannot be involved in criminality and violence, ... and this is, I think as the sisters have pointed out, the golden opportunity for them to indicate once and for all and finally that they are going to separate themselves from that type of support.

I'm deeply troubled by a narrow and cramped and perhaps even a mean-spirited view of the law that appears in some of your writings, ... It appears you did not fully appreciate the problem of discrimination in our society.

President Bush should provide the information ... rather than hiding behind a privilege that doesn't exist and encouraging Roberts to not answer questions, ... The American people deserve to know who John Roberts is and where he stands on the vital issues before the country.

The President's handling of the war has been a toxic mix of ignorance, arrogance, and stubborn ideology. No amount of Presidential rhetoric or preposterous campaign spin can conceal the truth about the steady downward spiral in our national security since President Bush made the decision to go to war in Iraq.

narrow, cramped and mean-spirited.

The administration has to abolish its 'my-way-or-the-highway' attitude,

It is possible to love America while concluding that it is not now wise to go to war, ... The standard that should guide us is especially clear when lives are on the line. We must ask what is right for our country and not party.

Many of us respect his ability on the issues and his intense commitment to the principles he believes in, ... We know that while serving in high office, he has time and again aggressively used litigation and legislation in creative and inappropriate ways to advance his political and ideological goals.

The only surprise is that the administration is surprised by the intense reaction of the American people.

My own position is I don't think we ought to abandon schools by taking money away from public schools in order to save them. And that's been my position for some period of time,

we want to look to the future.

the first president to try to write discrimination back into the Constitution.

If port security is not a top priority for our own government, how can we expect it to be a priority for a foreign government We cannot risk contracting out our national security.

You can't separate safety and security in schools from the issue of the availability and the accessibility of guns. The public understands that school violence prevention is a complex issue. The American people are increasingly demanding that we take action.

An administration that takes such a course, whether out of conviction or political calculation is no friend of minorities and no force for civil rights,

America will not be America until we free ourselves of discrimination and bigotry,

I continue to be convinced that this is the wrong war at the wrong time, ... The threat from Iraq is not imminent and it will distract America from the two more immediate threats to our security the clear and present danger of terrorism and the crisis with North Korea.

For years, under the Medicare system, it was a universal system in the sense that people would pay in all across this nation. Now that concept is being challenged and, I believe, undermined.

This debate is certainly not over.

Thus, the controversy about the Moral Majority arises not only from its views, but from its name - which, in the minds of many, seems to imply that only one set of public policies is moral and only one majority can possibly be right.

Our troops deserve better, Mr. Secretary. I think the American people deserve better, ... They deserve competency, and they deserve the facts. In baseball, it's three strikes and you're out. What is it for the secretary of defense.

The Constitution does not just protect those whose views we share; it also protects those with whose views we disagree.

A similar debate is taking place in the Senate, which on Wednesday held its own budget discussion. The Republican budget is a thinly veiled assault on Medicare, ... It proposes to sacrifice the future of Medicare in order to finance a tax cut for the wealthy.

I hope I am proven wrong about John Roberts. I have been proven wrong before on my confirmation votes. I regret my vote to confirm Justice Scalia, even though he, too, like Judge Roberts was a nice person and a very smart Harvard lawyer.

The war in Iraq itself has not made America safer and has not made the world safer.

We indicated to each and all of them that we stand with them we want to learn more from them, ... Today isn't just one meeting but is going to be a continuum, until we are able to see justice and those who were a part of this cruel and murderous act are brought to justice.

Today, we say the only thing we have to fear is four more years of George Bush.

We don't intend to give up or give in.

It's a response to the president's very legitimate concerns, and it ought to be the basis of a sound compromise,

Even today, the administration submitted a report to Congress on troop training that again failed to set out a plan,

I can still remember sitting in the Judiciary Committee at the time that William French Smith testified against it and being absolutely appalled,

Judge Pickering's record reflects a hostility to civil rights and a vision of the Republican Party that reminds Americans of a painful time in our nation's history, ... Those who lack a strong commitment to our nation's fundamental ideals and principles do not belong in our federal judiciary.

Dad, I'm in some trouble. There's been an accident and you're going to hear all sorts of things about me from now on. Terrible things.

Otis has a new lease on life. The revised report means the base will continue, but with new missions that will give it a strong future role in protecting the security of the Commonwealth and the region.

Joe embodied the highest ideals and values of the nation, and public service is a more noble profession because of his life and his example.

By some measures, we've matched or surpassed where HBC is today.

Unfortunately, Mr. Chairman, there are real and serious reasons to be deeply concerned about Judge Roberts' record. Many of his past statements and writings raise questions about his commitment to equal opportunity and the bipartisan remedies we have adopted in the past.

Frankly, I don't mind not being President. I just mind that someone else is.