Accountability of Leaders Quotes

To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public. Nothing but the truth should be spoken about him or any one else. But it is even more important to tell the truth, pleasant or unpleasant, about him than about any one else.

If one meets a powerful person - Adolf Hitler, Joe Stalin or Bill Gates - ask them five questions: 'What power have you got? Where did you get it from? In whose interests do you exercise it? To whom are you accountable? And how can we get rid of you?' If you cannot get rid of the people who govern you, you do not live in a democratic system.

Hand in hand with freedom of speech goes the power to be heard, to share in the decisions of government which shape men's lives.

A statesman is judged by results. If his policy fails he goes. It may be unfair, but there is a kind of rough justice about it.

We need to ask our policy makers and those we elect to office who are supposed to make decisions to give us the evidence of the facts that are behind the decisions that we make. We should be skeptical.

I'd rather go after the people who are the guardians or what we're doing - the news people and the politicians and that sort of thing. I always feel like those should be my targets, not really entertainers. That's just my personal opinion.

Alas, our rulers are not gods, but puny, fallible men, like the kings who constantly forget their parts, and we common men should be their prompters.

The shaming of Washington, insofar as it is even possible, is a very noble pursuit.

The citizens of any particular country must be assigned the primary responsibility for judging their own leaders. The potential for abuse is simply too great, when judges wander across national borders.

If those to whom power is delegated do well, they will be respected; if not, they will be despised.