Carl Levin Quotes

As many people have chronicled, the decision to fight in Vietnam was a years-long accretion of step-by-step choices, each of which could be rationalized at the time. Invading Iraq was an unforced, unnecessary decision to risk everything on a 'war of choice' whose costs we are still paying.

The issue of what my role in the - in persuading the Bush administration to go to war has been greatly exaggerated.

So to recap: we may or may not be going to war with Iraq because Saddam may or may not have weapons of mass destruction, which he may or may not use, or pass to other terrorists groups with whom he may or may not have links.

War is always a very blunt instrument and almost always produces uncertain results.

We wanted this war and now we've got it, and I'm not sure that we know what to do with it.

There have been only 268 of the past 3,421 years free of war.

By Rice's own standards, the war was well underway by the time he took office. He was a war president the moment he took the oath. But did he act like one?

The United Nations passed so-called sanctions again on North Korea, and they've said they 'will exercise their preemptive right to a nuclear attack.' I don't think this ought to be taken kindly.

One cannot wage war under present conditions without the support of public opinion, which is tremendously molded by the press and other forms of propaganda.

War is regarded as nothing but the continuation of state policy with other means.

War is just one more big government program.

War involves in its progress such a train of unforeseen circumstances that no human wisdom can calculate the end; it has but one thing certain, and that is to increase taxes.

I was never informed in advance about the start of the war or about foreign political developments.

Going to war against Iran - whether one calls such a move 'surgical' or 'total' - would be an extremely serious undertaking; with worldwide economic, military, diplomatic and human ramifications in both the short- and the long-term.

Genius, scholar, and war hero though he is, you have to admit - or maybe you should think about admitting - that George Bush might have rushed things a little in invading Iraq.

There are consequences if you act militarily, and there's big consequences if you don't act.

Well, I asked him who would start the war first.

I want to tell you that I think this war is a great mistake.

It is easy to get into war, not so easy to get out.

So we are disappointed that some of our closest allies, including Canada, have not agreed with us on the urgent need for this military action against Iraq.

All wars are planned by old men in council rooms apart.

The military don't start wars. Politicians start wars.

I am strongly of the opinion that the war ought not to have taken place and that we ought not to have become parties to it, but once in it the whole future of our nation is at stake and we have no choice but do the utmost we can to secure success.

The United States, as the world knows, will never start a war.

By invading Iraq, the President has undermined the War on Terrorism.