H. W. Brands Quotes

Politics is not the art of the possible. It consists in choosing between the disastrous and the unpalatable.

Sometimes in this country, we don't focus a lot on people's experience and their resume. Mitt Romney would be the most experienced executive to be nominated since 1952. The fundamental task for the next president is going to be fixing things, cleaning things up, being a turnaround artist, if you will.

Politicians can't manage. All they can do is talk.

The art of politics is knowing what to do next.

Your personality as the prime minister feeds through to what you emphasise, and what you don't, how you'll handle a situation - whether you've got the combination of intelligence or instincts to adapt and to make good decisions.

If we don't have accurate information, if we are not able to tell difficult truth one to another, we will never be able to effectively design a policy for Iraq.

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.

I'm not a policy and a strategy guy. I'm - you know, the military basically supports what the president wants, the decisions that he makes.

I always felt the gifts you need as governor were more suited for my personality. I'm a good team player, but I'm not a policy wonk. In Congress, you need 218 votes to make anything happen. When you're governor, you're the CEO of the state. You establish the vision and standards for the state. You're the leader.

The most difficult issues—the toughest decisions—are the ones that invariably end up on the President’s desk.

If the President had his wife’s will and would use it rightly, our affairs would look much better.

The first essential for a Prime Minister is to be a good butcher.

[Describing her role:] It's like running a big corporation and a little country at the same time.

As president, you can't just say, 'I want this,' or, 'Do that.' A president has to lead the American people to where he wants to go, and the chief of staff needs to help him get it done.

You shut the door, you tell the boss exactly what you think. But when the door opens, the job of the vice president is to stand right next to the president and implement the policy that he's decided. And I'm prepared to do that.

Presidents have to learn how to adapt. Every president comes into the job; it's different than they expect. They must adapt.

I think what happens when you are prime minister is no day is the same and every day you are under pressure. And there is always so much happening that the days just flash by and flash into weeks.

Politics is the science of urgencies.

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

General Petraeus is not a miracle worker. He can not be successful unless the president creates greater confidence within his own team about the decisions which the president has himself made.

The quality of a leader cannot be judged by the answers he gives, but by the questions he asks.

It is a fact that governments tend to put in place policies and strategies in response to current scenarios.

In the White House, you can be on the pitcher's mound or you can be in the catcher's position. Put points on the board. Show people you can govern. Deliver on what you said you were going to deliver on.

The job of mayor and Governor is becoming more and more like the job of university president, which I used to be; it looks like you are in charge, but you are not.

The press secretary who starts to narrow down or close the president's options because he answers delicate negotiating questions no longer serves the president.