John McCain: Quotes about thinking

“Diane Sawyer: Do you agree the situation in Afghanistan is precarious and urgent?
McCain: Well, I think it‘s very serious. I think it‘s a serious situation.
Sawyer: Not precarious and urgent?
McCain: Oh, I don‘t know exactly—run through the vocabulary. But it‘s a very serious situation. But there‘s a lot of things we need to do. We have a lot of work to do and I‘m afraid that it‘s a very hard struggle, particularly given the situation on the Iraq/Pakistan border.”

John McCain

Good Morning America interview, after recent news that escalating insurgency and violent incidents had left around 2,500 people dead (over 700 of them civilians) since January of the same year in Afghanistan; 21 July 2008; http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25799429/
2000s, 2008

Thinking

“I think — I’ll have my staff get to you. It’s condominiums where — I’ll have them get to you.”

John McCain

When asked in an interview http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0808/12685.html how many houses he and Mrs. McCain owned, 20 August 2008
2000s, 2008

Thinking

“I fight for the family of Matthew Stanley of Wolfeboro, New Hampshire. Matthew died serving our country in Iraq. I wear his bracelet and think of him every day. I intend to honor their sacrifice by making sure the country their son loved so well and never returned to remains safe from its enemies.”

John McCain

2000s, 2008, (2008)

Love , Family , Thinking , Fight

“Like every other 13-year-old in America, she's in love with Leonardo DiCaprio, who I think is an androgynous wimp. You know what he does throughout the whole movie Titanic?”

John McCain

He smokes.
On his daughter, in The Washington Post (8 June 1998) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/campaigns/wh2000/stories/wh060898.htm
1990s

Love , Thinking

“I think if you look at the overall record and millions of jobs have been created, et cetera, et cetera, you could make an argument that there's been great progress economically over that period of time. But that's no comfort. That's no comfort to families now that are facing these tremendous economic challenges. But let me just add, Peter, the fundamentals of America's economy are strong.”

John McCain

Interview with Peter Cook on Bloomberg TV http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/04/john_mccain_on_bloomberg_tv.html regarding economic progress during the Bush administration, 17 April 2008
2000s, 2008

Family , Thinking , Strong , Time

“You know that there’s been tremendous turmoil in our financial markets and Wall Street. And it is – it’s – people are frightened by these events. Our economy, I think, still, the fundamentals are – of our economy are strong, but these are very, very difficult times. And I promise you, we will never put America in this position again. We will clean up Wall Street. We will reform government.”

John McCain

Speaking at Jacksonville, Florida the day after the collapse of Lehman Brothers and the sell-off of Merrill Lynch, 15 September 2007 http://news.mywebpal.com/partners/680/public/news925950.html http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dc/2008/09/economic-fundamentals-strong.html
2000s, 2008

People , Thinking , Strong , Time

“General Myers seems to assume that things have gone well in Iraq. General Myers seems to assume that the American people, the support for our conflict there is not eroding. General Myers seems to assume that everything has gone fine and our declarations of victory, of which there have been many, have not had an impact on American public opinion. Things have not gone as we had planned or expected, nor as we were told by you, General Myers. And that's why I'm very worried, because I think we have to win this conflict.”

John McCain

Comments made to General Richard Myers in U.S. Senate hearings into the Iraq War http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/middle_east/july-dec05/hearings_9-29.html (29 September 2005)
2000s, 2005

People , Support , Thinking , Victory

“Q: My wife and I are expecting our first child, in April 2nd, next year. And frankly, we're scared. We're scared of an Obama presidency…
John McCain: First of all, I want to be President of the United States and obviously, I don't want Senator Obama to be. But, I have to tell you, he is a decent person, and a person that you do not have to be scared as President of the United States. Now, I just— [crowd boos] Now look, if I didn't think I would be one heck of a lot better president I wouldn't be runnin', okay, and that's the point.”

John McCain

2000s, 2008

Thinking , Personality

“I don't think I need to tell you that there are jobs that Americans will not do. I don't think I have to tell you that there are. … [audience response] Now, my friends, I'll offer anybody here fifty dollars an hour if you'll go pick lettuce in Yuma this season and pick for the whole season. [audience response] So, OK, sign up! Ok, when you sign up, you sign up, and you'll be there for the whole season, the whole season, OK, not just one day. Because you can't do it, my friend.”

John McCain

Declaring at an AFL-CIO convention in April 2006 that no Americans would be willing to do agricultural work for as little as $50/hour http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12155322/.
2000s, 2006

Thinking , Season

“I don't give a damn what the President of the United States wants to do or what anybody else wants to do. We will not waterboard; we will not torture… We will not torture people… It doesn't work, my friends. It doesn't work. If you inflict enough pain on somebody long enough, they're going to tell you whatever they think you want to hear to have it stopped… There are accomplished interrogators who can gain the confidence of the suspect and gain all the information that they could possibly want… My God, what does it say about America if we're going to inflict torture on people? It makes it hard for us to make the argument about the moral superiority of our way of our government and our way of life.”

John McCain

Regarding U.S. president-elect Donald J. Trump's intention to reintroduce the usage of torture by U.S. authorities, as quoted in "John McCain attacks Donald Trump's torture stance" https://www.facebook.com/Channel4News/videos/10154266695396939/ (21 November 2016), Channel 4 News
2010s, 2016

Life , God , Pain , People

“The day that the leadership of the military comes to me and says, 'Senator, we ought to change the policy,' then I think we ought to consider seriously changing it.”

John McCain

Speaking about Don't ask, don't tell, before students at Iowa State University — [The Washington Post, The Washington Post Company, February 3, 2010, Michael D., Shear, McCain appears to shift on 'don't ask, don't tell', http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/02/AR2010020202588.html, 2010-10-28]
2000s, 2006

Thinking , Change

“The president, comparing him to a kid in the back of a classroom, I think, is very indicative of the president’s lack of appreciation of who Vladimir Putin is. He’s an old KGB colonel that has no illusions about our relationship, does not care about a relationship with the United States, continues to oppress his people, continues to act in an autocratic fashion.”

John McCain

As quoted in "McCain: Obama's 'slouch' comment dismissive of Putin" http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2013/08/11/mccain-obamas-slouch-comment-dismissive-of-putin/, (11 August 2013), The Washington Post
2010s, 2013

People , Fashion , Thinking

“I have not been keeping up with it as much as I should have maybe, because it’s certainly—This and Paris Hilton are the kind of issues that seem to get a lot more attention than maybe some of us think they deserve.”

John McCain

On being asked whether O. J. Simpson could get a fair trial in the robbery case, in a televised interview http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20838374/ on Hardball with Chris Matthews, 17 September 2007
2000s, 2007

Thinking

“I think they put some lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig.”

John McCain

Criticizing Hillary Clinton's health-care plan as being "eerily reminiscent" of the plan she advocated as First Lady, 11 October 2007 http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/washingtondc/la-na-campaign10-2008sep10,0,311675.story
2000s, 2007

Thinking

“Sen. Obama thinks we can achieve energy independence without more drilling and without more nuclear power. But Americans know better than that. We must use all resources and develop all technologies necessary to rescue our economy from the damage caused by rising oil prices and restore the health of our planet.”

John McCain

2000s, 2008, (2008)

Health , Thinking

“By 2008, I think I might be ready to go down to the old soldiers home and await the cavalry charge there.”

John McCain

As quoted in NewsHour with Jim Lehrer http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/election/july-dec00/mccain_8-1.html (1 August 2000).
2000s

Home , Thinking

“I think one of our big problems has been the fact that many Iraqis resent American military presence. And I don't pretend to know exactly Iraqi public opinion. But as soon as we can reduce our visibility as much as possible, the better I think it is going to be.”

John McCain

As quoted in MSNBC http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6895182/ (31 January 2005)
2000s, 2005

Problem , Thinking

“We are paying a very heavy price for the mismanagement -- that's the kindest word I can give you -- of Donald Rumsfeld, of this war. The price is very, very heavy and I regret it enormously. I think that Donald Rumsfeld will go down in history as one of the worst secretaries of defense in history.”

John McCain

[Associated Press, McCain blasts Rumsfeld for Iraq war missteps, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17231371/from/RS.5/, MSNBC.com, 2007-02-19, 2007-02-20]
2000s, 2007

War , History , Thinking

“They're the government; sooner or later we are going to have to deal with them, one way or another, and I understand why this administration and previous administrations had such antipathy towards Hamas because of their dedication to violence and the things that they not only espouse but practice, so... but it's a new reality in the Middle East. I think the lesson is people want security and a decent life and decent future, that they want democracy. Fatah was not giving them that.”

John McCain

Interview with James P. Rubin http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/05/16/1029617.aspx (2006)
2000s, 2006

Life , People , Way , Democracy