Joseph Lieberman Quotes (126 Quotes)

would be death for the Democrats.

I read a study a while ago that made the argument, and it is a plausible argument, that there has been more persecution of Christians in the 20th century than in any of the preceding 19 centuries,

George Bush, on the other hand, fought this law all along until his position became politically untenable. And now he's doing his best to violate the spirit of campaign finance reform by staking his re-election on the huge stake he's being given by special interest contributors.

The way to beat Bush is not to mimic him, as some of my opponents have done in opting out of the public financing system, but to fight for what is right, and show the country the consequences of George Bush's lack of integrity and his special interest sell-out,

We need to rebuild the confidence of the American people ... in our government's ability to protect them from attack, whether it comes from nature or from terrorists, ... The government simply did not act quickly and effectively enough.

Our parties and Presidential candidates must find ways to differ without being destructive, to debate without demonizing, to put our national interest ahead of special interests, to take the long view rather than the most politically expedient short-term view, to rise above partisan politics to put America first.

I guess the bottom line of the tapes is -- I don't know whether I'm typical -- they make me itch. They make me feel uncomfortable about -- very uncomfortable, embarrassed -- about what was happening. It happened in both parties. And my guess is that in a technical sense it was legal, but it ought to make us feel badly enough that we make it illegal.

Last week, there was no support for American or NATO ground forces. Next week, I think there may be, because we understand more,

We know for a fact that he has biological and chemical weapons, and he is developing a very unsettling capability to deliver those weapons to distant targets,

The Bush administration, for reasons that I don't understand, was not ready with a plan to secure Iraq and to begin quickly to turn it over to the Iraqis, and bring other countries in to share with us both the dangers of keeping the peace, so our soldiers wouldn't be the only ones being shot at, and the cost of rebuilding Iraq, so our taxpayers wouldn't be the only ones paying the bill.

The V-chip is a tool that we're putting in the hands of America's viewers, television viewers, particularly America's parents. The question is how well they use it but, they can't be expected to use it very well if the programs are not accurately labeled,

The when and the how is up to the Commander in Chief and our military, but whether ought not to be in doubt.

We gave him 12 years to do what he promised to do at the end of the Gulf War, which was to disclose the weapons of mass destruction.

A foreign national who is captured and determined to be an enemy combatant in the world war on terrorism has no more right to a habeas corpus appeal to our courts than did a captured soldier of the Axis powers during World War II.

I was personally angry because President Clinton had, by his disgraceful behavior, jeopardized his administration's historic record of accomplishment, much of which grew out of the principles and programs that he and I and many others had worked on together in the new Democratic movement,

Howard Dean is moving us in a different direction, away from the center. And I think that spells danger for the Democratic Party,

I think we're in danger as a result of the Bush administration policy towards North Korea of turning a situation which is difficult into one which is quite dangerous, ... We cannot have a nuclear North Korea. That is a danger.

As policymakers - and as parents - we have a responsibility to examine the effects of media on our children, a responsibility this legislation can better enable us to fulfill. No one is looking out, in a systematic way, for cumulative impact of today's newer electronic media on our children.

The V-chip is not the solution to all our problems.

Our inquiry to date raises serious questions about whether FERC appropriately discharged its duties to monitor and regulate energy markets, followed through on warranted reviews of Enron's energy trading business, and heeded important warning signs of problems in Enron's business activities,

he has climbed into his own spider hole of denial.

This is a classic congressional moment. Are we going to adopt the 70 percent we agree on or are we going to just leave it where it is and do nothing.

We are in fact treating violent media like tobacco, and other products that pose a risk to our children.

The American people have lost confidence in George Bush because he hasn't leveled with them, ... We need a candidate who will meet the test of reaching a conclusion and having the courage to stick with it.

Based on my initial review, I don't believe that this situation qualifies as an emergency under the National Labor Relations Act because it does not affect an entire industry. Nor is it likely that the president would find that it imperils the national health or safety, which are the qualifications necessary to invoke the national emergency provisions under the act.

We don't know enough to know whether any of that influence in any way stopped the administration or agencies of our federal government from protecting average shareholders who lost their life savings when Enron collapsed, ... That's the question we're going to ask.

In the initial response to the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina, particularly in Louisiana, governments at all levels failed in this obligation,

He has a very difficult task before him, ... I fear that as an adviser who lacks statutory mandate, Senate confirmation and budget confirmation and budget authority, he will not be as effective as we need him to be.

This administration has taken us into the largest fiscal deficit in our history. The dollar is at an all-time low, and 3 million people lost their jobs,

That struck me as outrageous coming from Howard Dean, who launched the first negative ads of the campaign who has repeatedly and divisively attacked the Democratic Party, other Democratic candidates and the Democratic leadership,

about what the future will be here in Iraq.

what Americans have always done when they feel they are being treated unjustly by government, which is to go to court.

This report underscores the point that ratings V-chips are ultimately not the cure for what ails television, ... Parents clearly want more than good labels on bad programs. They want higher standards.

I hate to see that, but maybe if we're successful with our efforts to bring the president back together with his EPA administrator.

The president apparently is going to announce tomorrow that he's for more study, and frankly the time for study has to yield to leadership,

not to worry about his votes.

Thats why we cannot allow the coming legislative battle over telecommunications to become a contest within the industry, ... It has got to be focused on goals for societies and individual members of society with goals to move technology forward.

Responsibility means living up to our government's constitutional obligation to provide for the common defense and insure domestic tranquility.

Obviously some of the votes that he might wish he hadn't cast that I've heard about surprise me because they don't represent American mainstream values,

There's no question ... that we are in a position today that we didn't think ... we'd be in two or three weeks ago, where it appears that at least one of these articles of impeachment may have a chance of being adopted by the full House,

And honestly, we don't know yet whether ... we should blame the president, Ms. Lewinsky, Ms. Tripp, Judge Starr or the media -- or all of them, to some extent.

We've lost more than 3 million jobs. This president still has no real plan to sustain this growth, translate it into jobs, and rebuild a strong middle class.

This relatively small but highly popular minority is not just pushing the envelope, ... They are shooting, torturing and napalming it beyond all recognition and beyond all decency.

Howard Dean -- and now Al Gore, I guess -- are on the wrong side of each of those questions,

We are no longer among the top 10 countries in terms of percentage of citizenry that have high-speed Internet access -- considering (the United States) invented high-speed Internet access,

I don't think we can wait, ... As much as I support what we're doing in Iraq, I don't think we can say, 'North Korea, forget about it until we're done with this.'

Speaking Wednesday morning on CNN's American Morning, ... I sure was surprised that I heard about it from the media, and not from Al.

We cannot let extremists and terrorists, a small number, here in Iraq deprive the 27 million Iraqis of what they want, which is a better freer life, safer life for themselves and their children,

This is going to require some very tough leadership from you in priorities, the setting of priorities and the willingness to try to implement those.

I said, 'that sounds to me like a basic statement of human rights policy,' ... That was about it. I added, like so many others, I supported affirmative action. I've not supported quotas. I know there are some questions about whether some sorts of affirmative actions have become quotas.