Robert Beckel Quotes

A presidential debate is a job interview. And voters look for certain traits in people applying to be president.

There are so many different ways to lead. The most important thing is to be genuine. To have people around you trust you, trust in what you stand for and who you are. And I think that if people watch you day in and day out and believe in your motives and they believe that you set a high standard for yourself.

I think experience is a terribly overrated idea when it comes to thinking about who should become president.

John isn't qualified to be vice president. He doesn't have the intellect. He doesn't have the stature. He doesn't have the honesty. He doesn't have the character that it takes.

Likability shouldn’t be what we are voting on, but never-the-less, it matters.

No matter what name we give it or how we judge it, a candidate's character is central to political reporting because it is central to a citizen's decision in voting.

I don't see a candidate on the scene right now, but it is going to have to be a candidate that people can look at as a leader and not as a man or a woman.

Sincerity and competence is a strong combination. In politics, it is everything.

When I want to choose to work with someone, you know, I definitely have to do some research on their background and how they were raised as people.

It is true that integrity alone won't make you a leader, but without integrity you will never be one.

The hardest thing about a presidential election is how to win without proving that you are unworthy of winning.

A flawed candidate with a strong character versus a strong candidate with a flawed character.

I am honest and sincere in my desire to do well, but the question is whether I know enough to accomplish what I desire.

The most important thing about a candidate is not their promises - those hardly ever get delivered anyway. It's about how they would respond to unpredictable future events. And that's about their character.

If I cannot trust someone's judgment, I cannot ask others to do so, and I would not place him at the head of my political operation.

Rather a man with 50 per cent ability and 100 per cent character than a man with 100 per cent ability and 50 per cent character.

It is not fit the public trusts should be lodged in the hands of any, till they are first proved and found fit for the business they are to be entrusted with.

All these boundaries - Africa, Asia, Malaysia, America - are set by men. But you don't have to look at boundaries when you are looking at a man - at the character of a man. The question is: What do you stand for? Are you a follower, or are you a leader?

Presidents can be judged by the company they choose to keep.

It has been my honor to support and work with President Barack Obama, a man who has brought courage and character to the presidency. President Obama's strength of character leads him to do the right thing, even when it isn't the easy thing.

If something happened along the route and you had to leave your children with Bob Dole or Bill Clinton, I think you would probably leave them with Bob Dole.

I judge people based on their capability, honesty, and merit.

I am sure Mr Heath thinks he is honest but I wish he didn't have to have his friends say it so often.

You can trust Charlie Crist.

Leadership can't be fabricated. If it is fabricated and rehearsed, you can't fool the guys in the locker room. So when you talk about leadership, it comes with performance. Leadership comes with consistency.