Chuck Grassley Quotes

[George W. Bush] has balls. And he's a leader. Unfortunately his balls and leadership are in the service of shitty ideas. We need his balls on someone who thinks right.

The important thing is that we recognize our President's leadership, that he is not saying: I am going to walk away from this. He is saying: I am going to do the right thing.

When you see how the President makes political or policy decisions, you see who he is. The essence of the Presidency is decision-making.

One of the things that you learn, having been in this [President's] office for four years, is the old adage of Abraham Lincoln's. That with public opinion there's nothing you can't do and without public opinion there's very little you can get done.

The American people on the ground need a clearer, stronger, Lyndon B. Johnson-type voice from their president. Obama has that voice. It has to be used.

The greatest presidents have been those who demonstrated astute judgment in times of crisis - often despite the advice they were getting.

You cannot be the leader of the free world and sit on the sidelines and tweet and think you're going to get the job done.

I will not stand idly when anyone gets in the way of the national interest and tries to block the national vision. From where I sit, I can tell you, a president is always as strong as she wants to be.

Don't get me wrong: I would love to be president.

The true statesman is the one who is willing to take risks.

I don't think anybody has that crystal ball but the president.

You can make tough decisions that I believe voters for years have asked us to do.

I respect the office of the president.

There never is a good time for tough decisions. There will always be an election or something else. You have to pick courage and do it. Governance is about taking tough, even unpopular, decisions.

Given the daunting challenges that we face, it's important that president elect Obama is prepared to really take power and begin to rule day one.

Without political will, nothing moves forward.

A man who understands the power of the Presidency, who understands the potential of the Presidency, can get almost anything accomplished.

The presidency is not about easy choices.

President [William Howard] Taft is an amiable man, completely surrounded by men who know exactly what they want.

The President is an idiot.

Responsible men will not encourage the enemy to hold out in anticipation of a more generous settlement. Responsible men will recognize that we can have only one President at a time.

The important thing is the boldness of the President. He will lead opinion and not follow it. He does not want war but will not shrink from it.

The Executive Branch, when they put the point on the spear, can get things done.

Energy in the executive is a leading character in the definition of a good government.

The President sets the policies and Congress does not. Our lawmakers in Washington ratify and implement what the President wants, but if he is a strong leader and can hold his own party together, even with the majority of the opposition against him he usually can win over enough members of Congress to carry what legislation he really feels is essential.