Political Scrutiny Quotes

You know, what's interesting about Washington...It's the kind of place where second-guessing has become second-nature.

Even though the press at times made me completely crazy as they followed me around the hall, and asked tough questions over and over again - now believe me, every politician feels this way - it is a necessary part of our life, and we must have a press that isn't cowed and won't be afraid of ratings if they get put to the back of the room at a press conference.

I'm a big fan of political editor Allegra Stratton.

The only accusation of Gillian Triggs with the ring of truth is that she has lost the confidence of the government - but then, so too has Tony Abbott.

Journalism is to politician as dog is to lamp-post.

In Washington, task forces work like Tylenol: they reduce the symptoms of scandal while leaving the substance untouched.

At that point, which would be around February 2002, they came and they confiscated my computer, because, they said, they were suspecting that I was communicating with certain Senate members and taking this issue outside the Bureau.

Prime Minister’s Question time is very different from anything in America. It is something that fortunately your President does not have to face.

I don't know that we do. I had thought ours worked well, but I had never examined it too closely. A lot of media people will be looking for a case that might make Texas Governor George Bush think twice about what he's doing.

I don't want to be on the bandwagon of dogging any president or anybody in positions where they have all these different constituencies.

Will there be a political backlash against British Prime Minister Theresa May, whose ruling Conservative Party is traditionally seen as 'stronger' on terrorism than its main rival, the Labour Party?

Scandal is an absolute nightmare in politics.

When evidence emerged that Clinton was a devoted mother, Margaret Carlson writing in 'TIME' found her guilty of 'yuppie overdoting on her daughter.'

Those of us and so many other stalwart critics and opponents and questioners and dissidents in conservative media were attacked for doing what those people in the mainstream media should have been doing. Do your job! Subject these political candidates to the same amount of scrutiny that you are now trying to compensate for with the incoming Trump administration!

Terrorism doesn't just blow up buildings; it blasts every other issue off the political map. The spectre of terrorism - real and exaggerated - has become a shield of impunity, protecting governments around the world from scrutiny for their human rights abuses.

In the political environment that exists today, the opposition research of the Obama campaign is looking for anything they can use to distract from the failure of the president to reignite our economy. And Im simply not enthusiastic about giving them hundreds or thousands of more pages to pick through, distort, and lie about.

Even if Koch Industries had a financial interest in the Keystone XL pipeline, what possibly could be wrong with that? Perhaps more important, under what circumstances would such an interest be worthy of a congressional inquisition?

In a way I never did with George W. Bush or Barack Obama or Bill Clinton, I will write about the actions of the Trump presidency with the working assumption that our nation must be protected both by and from the president.

I don't judge a regime by the damning criticism of the opposition, but by the ingenuous praise of the partisan.

I think the rules are going to have to change for me to ever run for public office. My checkered past will always keep me out of politics.

There is a permanent war between journalists and the political classes.

Presidents by six years have been there long enough for the media and the country to see their flaws.

You can't let a candidate run for too long. He will be dragged along, cut apart, put back together and ripped to shreds again - from both the political opponents and the media.

I'm very glad I'm not a politician. I think it's one step away from the gates of hell, being a politician. I really do. It's a nightmare.

The cloud of doubt that surrounds political figures tends to remain and never dissipate or be clarified.