Elaine Chao Quotes

The idea of being in the State Department was exciting. On the other hand, I always had in the back of my mind going into politics. If I stayed in Washington, I might end up a government hack.

I was not interested in being minister of defense or minister of foreign affairs.

I was on leave from local and regional politics, as long as I was a Minister.

People who assume I want to run for elected office may be dealing from a bad assumption.

I think I could have worked for the Clinton administration.

[Warren] Harding didn't like being a Senator; he liked being in the Senate.

Yeah, I want a job in Barack's Cabinet. How about a job, Mr. Obama? Please? Please?

I think I will serve as secretary of state as my last public position.

I have no desire to run for public office.

I never set out to work in the White House.

I haven't ruled out another run for office at some point.

Becoming a politician is the only step down I could take from being a journalist.

I was also a congressman. I had decided to run for office and had become a congressman with Queen Latifah.

I have never had a governmental position, and I will never accept such a position.

I would never run for president.

I have absolutely no interest in running for president again.

I have said that I'm not running and I'm having a great time being pres — being a first-term senator.

How could an actor become president?

I'm not into politics. I have received offers to enter politics, but I have not been tempted so far. I can't say about the future.

I'm not one of the people who have to be in public office.

I left the White House in 2007. You know, I knew when I went there that it would be for a limited period of time. I was grateful that the average tenure of a white house senior aide is 18 to 20 months. I was there for nearly seven years.

I never dreamed I would one day work at it White House.

I got to be White House chief of staff, ten years of congressman, secretary of defense, vice-president. If you're a political junkie like I obviously am - that was - every one of those was just a tremendous experience. I'm very comfortable with what I did and why I did it and how I did it. And I'll let others judge whether they liked it or not.

Elective office and public service are obviously something that have long ties with my family, and something I'm definitely interested in.

It is no secret that I believe my son, Attorney General Beau Biden would make a great United States Senator - just as I believe he has been a great Attorney General. But Beau has made it clear from the moment he entered public life, that any office he sought, he would earn on his own.