Jonathan Alter Quotes

The president of the United States actually has to be able to walk and chew gum at the same time.

I'm not a professional politician, I'm a problem solver.

Effective Presidents are those who can achieve a balance between purpose and prudence.

We need a president with tremendous intelligence, smarts, cunning, strength and stamina.

The first requirement of a statesman is that he be dull.

A statesman wants courage and a statesman wants vision; but believe me, after six months' experience, he wants first, second, third and all the time - patience.

Leaders of the future will have to be visionary and be able to bring people in - real communicators. These are things that women bring to leadership and executive positions, and it's going to be incredibly valuable and incredibly in demand.

Statesmanship is harder than politics. Politics is the art of getting along with people, whereas statesmanship is the art of getting along with politicians.

A statesman who keeps his ear permanently glued to the ground will have neither elegance of posture nor flexibility of movement.

You don't need to know who's playing on the White House tennis court to be a good president.

It is important to have a President who not only understands, but enjoys complexity

When you are President you have to get something done, and that often means compromise.

He [President Warren G. Harding] is a kind, companionable fellow to go with on a fishing expedition or to play cards with; but he is not the man to have as President or leader.

When you're President you have to make a lot of tough decisions. You have to keep lining them up and making them.

The nation needs"a president with brains; one who can make a plan and carry it out.

Good political leadership for me involves getting the big decisions right - however difficult, however controversial, however potentially divisive and then being able to take people with you.

It is not enough that a President should be patriotic and high-minded in his intentions and wise in his purposes; he must also be efficient in carrying them out.

No matter what you may think about her politics or her record, Hillary Clinton understands that this is not reality television; this is reality. She understands the job of president. It involves finding solutions, not pointing fingers; and offering hope, not stoking fear.

The verdict on Prince Metternich will soon be out: An excellent diplomat and a bad politician.

Politics is the art of realizing what there is to realize.

I think that shows a level of maturity and understanding that I think bodes well for getting to the bottom of this. But it is really up to you and your staff, on behalf of the American people, to take on that challenge.

No real-world human being brings to the U.S. presidency the range of attributes necessary for full success in the job.

The art of politics is knowing what to do next.

A president, like a college freshman, can't know in advance which questions he'll have to answer or what topics he'll have to master. He has to be flexible, supple, and responsive. He has to be comfortable with multiple-choice.

I am endlessly fascinated that playing football is considered a training ground for leadership, but raising children isn't. Hey, it made me a better leader: you have to take a lot of people's needs into account; you have to look down the road. Trying to negotiate getting a couple of kids to watch the same TV show requires serious diplomacy.