Political Protocol Quotes

The Vice President has two duties: To daily inquire about the health of the President and to attend the funerals of third world dictators, neither of which interest me.

I am polite and I usually always consult them [Congressional leaders]. I don't ask their permission. I just consult them.

Presidents have a right to certain prerogatives, including the expectation of a certain deference. He's the president; this is history. But we seem to have come a long way since Ronald Reagan was regularly barked at by Sam Donaldson, almost literally, and the president shrugged it off.

Although I wasn't invited to shake hands with Hitler, I wasn't invited to the White House to shake hands with the President either.

I don't believe the President of the United States should debate with anybody.

Mr. Roosevelt, when you are in Washington as long as I have been, you will learn that the President of the United States calls on nobody.

Once you're president, you can't go anywhere without causing trouble. President Obama shows up in China, he's chewing gum, they go crazy. A big stink because the president's chewing gum. And you think, the Chinese are so easygoing about human rights. What's the problem?

I have been opposed to ceremonies at the White House. It gives the impression that the court is subordinate to the executive, which I think is quite wrong.

I mean no snub but presidents don't usually march.

The White House Chief of Staff must always remember that he is staff and not chief.

Campaign behavior for wives: Always be on time. Do as little talking as humanly possible. Lean back in the parade car so everybody can see the president.

I think the Social Office is really the office where East meets West. For those that don't know, the East side is typically the First Lady's side of the house. The West side is typically the President's side of the house.

Usually, you know how politicians are. Whenever they are around, you will see at least 10-15 people by their side. But with Kamal Haasan, that's not the case.

The president of the United States should not be tweeting.

I have never commented on a caucus issue or a shadow Cabinet issue, and I'm not about to start now.

Just imagine: I, a Premier, a Soviet representative, when I came here to this city, I was given a plan - a program of what I was to be shown and whom I was to meet here. But just now, I was told that I could not go to Disneyland. I asked, 'Why not?' What is it, do you have rocket-launching pads there? I do not know

I literally touched down in Kosovo and the president, prime minister and mayor were waiting for me to get off the plane. Apparently that's unheard of. They don't wait for nobody.

Nixon is finding out there are no tails on an Eisenhower jacket.

This was discussed many times at different levels, and the problem was that it was a prince, a member of the imperial family. If it had been a Prime Minister, it would have been different. Our attitude toward empires was you know what. Absolutely negative. We did not know who could meet him because Stalin could not meet with him.

There is hardly a member of Congress who can make up his mind to go home without having dispatched at least one speech to his constituents; nor who will endure any interruption until he has introduced into his harangue whatever useful suggestions may be made touching the four-and-twenty States of which the Union is composed, and especially the district which he represents.

When you're told to go brief a United States senator on a covert operation, you go do it. And you trust the information isn't going to leak.

They asked me to go in front of the Reagans. I'm not used to going in front of President Reagan, so we went out behind the Bushes.

Ford was warm and friendly. He wouldn't embarrass a Cabinet member.

Presidents do not go off on leave without telling the country.

One lesson you better learn if you want to be in politics is that you never go out on a golf course and beat the President.