Dennis Ross Quotes

The Obama administration rarely demonstrated the ability to shift gears and change policy in its first year. Even in the face of historic events such as the continuing demonstrations against Iran's regime, it stuck devotedly to prior plans.

Roosevelt was the one who had the vision to change our policy from isolationism to world leadership. That was a terrific revolution. Our country's never been the same since.

I hope they're going to learn, and as a result of our response, that it isn't going to work. They're not going to change our life, they're not going to have us throw out our Constitution, and they're not going to chase us out of the Middle East.

Bob Gates understands the difficulty of going to war. This is a man who spent almost his entire life working for the government.

I do think it's fair to say that there are times when President Obama has not been engaged enough with the Middle East.

I don't want to come to Washington to be just another vote. I want to lead on issues that are important.

The crises in North Korea, Iran, the Middle East, show how quickly things can change and how they can go wrong. We must be prepared. And right now the Army is not.

The government would have preferred not to take a stand, but the constant presence of the Israeli-Arab conflict on our television screens made it an issue that could no longer be avoided.

Outside events can change a presidential campaign, a president, and the history of the nation: the Iranian hostage crisis, the bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut, the downing of the helicopter in Mogadishu, Somalia, the suicide attack on the USS Cole, and, of course, the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Grasping the realities of the Middle East is never easy. This is not primarily because they change quickly, but because so much time, effort, and money is spent to prevent reality from breaking through.

On foreign policy, President Obama has kept our nation safe from terrorism and restored our standing in the world. When it comes to one of our closest allies - Israel - President Obama has been resolute.

When you're out of office, you can be a statesman.

So with the end of the Cold War, it became increasingly obvious that there was no basis upon which any decision was being made, not in the White House, and certainly because of that, not in the Congress.

My friends all say I'm going to be Secretary of State. But I don't see how that would be much different from the job I have now.

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned, it seems, to direct the Middle East policy of the Obama administration.

People just want to hear some common sense... and I bring to bear the experience in local government and state government and national government - I was the first woman in history on the Senate Finance Committee - not to mention the diplomatic international experience.

I loved what I did. I could've been secretary of state for ever.

Clinton saw himself much more as the steward of alliances and of consensus that moved in the right direction. He didn't see himself as someone who could change the overall thrust, I think, of global policy.

It is the President alone who must make the major decisions of our foreign policy.

No American President should ever take any option off the table.

American foreign policy towards Egypt, even before the Arab Spring, was tentative. When the Muslim Brotherhood moved against the NGOs—many of whom were American, President Obama, instead of raising Hell, raised questions.

Just because you change administrations doesn't mean you have to change [foreign] policy.

Internal [domestic] changes always precede the change in the foreign policy of a nation.

Our system does not know how to bring strength and intellect into the front rank of politics and government...

Under my leadership, the government will strive for peace and will not miss an opportunity to bring about regional change.