Scott McClellan Quotes

It's one of the few regrets of my presidency - that the rancor and suspicion between the parties has gotten worse instead of better. There's no doubt a president with the gifts of Lincoln or Roosevelt might have better bridged the divide, and I guarantee I'll keep trying to be better so long as I hold this office.

The challenges our state faces must be met with the best solutions and ideas we can muster - and good ideas and good people reside on both sides of the aisle.

Unfortunately, you know, working in a spirit of cooperation and respect requires someone else to reach back, and I don't think that's happened and it's been disappointing because the debate in our country has become so rancorous.

Good governance requires working toward common ground. It isn't easy.

We cannot agree on everything but we must agree on the framework.

We want to move forward in a bipartisan fashion to solve our problems.

I have long-since said that working... together and accomplishing things in a bipartisan way doesn't mean compromising your values.

The idea that two political parties can't come together to get a mission done is foreign to me - and unacceptable.

You've got to reach a hand of friendship across the aisle and across philosophies in this country.

I think too many of the politicians in Washington have forgotten simple ideals like solving problems and helping neighbors. The Washington game is more about scoring points or sticking it to the other guy.

I see good ideas on the Republican side as well as the Democratic side. You have to return civility and statesmanship to governance. If you don't do that, it doesn't matter what portfolio of issue you're pushing, nothing is going to get done.

One can go to war alone, but you can't build peace alone.

The Republicans are coming - make nice.

In a divided government, you can't just say, 'It's my way or the highway.'

I think there are so many problems in the world today, we have to figure out how to fix them rather than point fingers at each other.

I haven't given up on working... across the aisle on issues and maybe it'll take an election or two for that to fully ferment, maybe it you know sometimes it takes awhile for people to realize what the best path is.

If the parties get too close together they lose their identities, if they get too far apart you're not going to get a whole lot done because you almost always need to have some folks on the other side of the aisle to accomplish anything.

Folks are really tired of this rabid division between Republicans and Democrats. Folks want people to come together and solve the problems and the challenges of America.

Now is the time to show maximum responsibility. It is not the time to pay off old scores nor for sterile partisan recriminations. It is time to re-establish a climate of calmness and mutual respect.

It's not about division. It's not about politics. My concern is how do we come together?

I think if you're going to get anything done in the Senate, you have to be on the same sheet of music. If you don't get people on the same sheet of music it comes out pretty horrible.

I'm a believer in bipartisanship.

It is time for us to turn a corner and come together, put our differences behind us and focus on the future.

Costa Rica believes in building bridges, in looking for solutions to problems, and not clinging to positions.

Leadership has a harder job to do than just choose sides. It must bring sides together.