“If we don't stop extending our troops all around the world in nation-building missions, then we're going to have a serious problem coming down the road.”

—  George W. Bush

Quotation is from the October 3, 2000 Presidential debate with Al Gore, but is taken out of context. Bush was paraphrasing Colin Powell and Norman Schwarzkopf:
The other day, I was honored to be flanked by Colin Powell and General Norman Schwarzkopf, who stood by my side and agreed with me. They said we could, even though we're the strongest military, that if we don't do something quickly, we don't have a clearer vision of the military, if we don't stop extending our troops all around the world in nation-building missions, then we're going to have a serious problem coming down the road. And I'm going to prevent that. I'm going to rebuild our military power. It's one of the major priorities of my administration. http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2000/debates/transcripts/u221003.html
Attributed, Misquotations

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update June 3, 2021. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "If we don't stop extending our troops all around the world in nation-building missions, then we're going to have a seri…" by George W. Bush?
George W. Bush photo
George W. Bush 675
43rd President of the United States 1946

Related quotes

George W. Bush photo

“[the U. S. mission in Somalia] Started off as a humanitarian mission and it changed into a nation-building mission, and that's where the mission went wrong. The mission was changed. And as a result, our nation paid a price. And so I don't think our troops ought to be used for what's called nation-building.”

George W. Bush (1946) 43rd President of the United States

Presidential debate, October 11, 2000 http://www.debates.org/?page=october-11-2000-debate-transcript
2000s, 2000

Pu Tze-chun photo

“We will seek military assistance from other countries, but it is up to each nation to decide themselves, whether they will dispatch troops. However, we have the resolute determination to defend our nation and protect our homeland. Our armed forces will not back down, and will carry out their combat missions to the death.”

Pu Tze-chun (1956) Taiwanese admiral

Pu Tze-chun (2017) cited in " Military can defend islands, officials say http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2015/10/30/2003631277" on Taipei Times, 30 October 2015

George W. Bush photo

“Now comes our time of testing. Our measure is taken, not only by what we have and use, but what we build and leave behind. And nothing this generation could ever build will matter more than the means to defend our nation and extend our peace.”

George W. Bush (1946) 43rd President of the United States

1990s, A Period of Consequences (September 1999)

Kingoro Hashimoto photo

“Follow the road behind the Emperor. We must build the world for Japan's sake, heaven ordered Japan to achieve this great mission.”

Kingoro Hashimoto (1890–1957) officer of Imperial Japanese Army and politician

Quoted in "The China Monthly Review" - Page 47 - East Asia - 1917

David Duke photo

“What we really want to do is to be left alone. We don't want Negroes around. We don't need Negroes around. We're not asking— you know, we don't want to have them, you know, for our culture. We simply want our own country and our own society. That's in no way exploitive at all. We want our own society, our own nation….”

David Duke (1950) American White nationalist, white supremacist, writer, right-wing politician, and a former Republican Louisiana …

Interview with Evelyn Rich (March 1985)

Malcolm X photo

“America has a very serious problem. Not only does America have a very serious problem, but our people have a very serious problem. America's problem is us. We're her problem. The only reason she has a problem is she doesn't want us here.”

Malcolm X (1925–1965) American human rights activist

Statement in Detroit, Michigan (10 November 1963).
Attributed

Margaret Thatcher photo

“In my lifetime all our problems have come from mainland Europe and all the solutions have come from the English-speaking nations across the world.”

Margaret Thatcher (1925–2013) British stateswoman and politician

Speech to Scottish Tories in 1999 http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Did+they+REALLY+say+that%3F+AS+A+SHORTLIST+IS+COMPILED+OF+THE+YEAR%27S...-a0109790331
Post-Prime Ministerial

Lal Bahadur Shastri photo

“There comes a time in the life of every nation when it stands at the cross-roads of history and must choose which way to go. But for us there need be no difficulty or hesitation, no looking to right or left. Our way is straight and clear—the building up of a socialist democracy at home with freedom and prosperity for all, and the maintenance of world peace and friendship with all nations.”

Lal Bahadur Shastri (1904–1966) The second Prime Minister of the Republic of India and a leader of the Indian National Congress party

First broadcast as Prime Minister, on 11 June 1964 http://lbsim.ac.in/about-shastriji.aspx?mpgid=2&pgid1=10&pgidtrail=11

Donald J. Trump photo

“You're going to have a deportation force, and you're going to do it humanely and you're going to bring the country -- and, frankly, the people, because you have some excellent, wonderful people, some fantastic people hat have been here for a long period of time. Don't forget, Mika, that you have millions of people that are waiting in line to come into this country and they're waiting to come in legally. And I always say the wall, we're going to build the wall. It's going to be a real deal. It's going to be a real wall. There was a picture in one of the magazines where they had a wall this tall and they were taking drugs over the wall. They built a ramp over the wall and the truck was going up and down. They were using it like a highway; the wall is like a highway. It's not going to happen. It's going to be a Trump wall. It's going to be a real wall. And it's going to stop people and it's going to be good. But your friend Thomas Friedman called me and said, hah, there should be a big door. I said going to be a big door. I love the expression. There's going to be a big beautiful nice door. People are going to come in and they're going to come in legally. But we have no choice. Otherwise, we don't have a country. We don't even know how many people. We don't know if it's 8 million or if it's 20 million. We have no idea how many people are in our country. And then you see what happened with Kate in San Francisco. You see what happens with all of the things going on, all of the tremendous crime going on. It costs us $200 billion a year for illegal immigration right now. $200 billion a year, maybe $250, maybe $300. They don't even know. We're going to stop it. We're going to run it properly and we're going to stop it.”

Donald J. Trump (1946) 45th President of the United States of America

On his immigration plan (2015 November 11)
2010s, 2015

Greta Thunberg photo

“For 25 years, countless of people have stood in front of the United Nations Climate Change conference asking our nations’ leaders to stop the emissions. But clearly this has not worked, since the emissions just continue to rise. So I will not ask them anything. Instead, I will ask the people around the world to realize that our political leaders have failed us, because we are facing an existential threat and there is no time to continue down this road of madness.”

Greta Thunberg (2003) Swedish climate change activist

School Strike for Climate: Meet 15-Year-Old Activist Greta Thunberg, Who Inspired a Global Movement https://www.democracynow.org/2018/12/11/meet_the_15_year_old_swedish, Democracy Now! (11 December 2018)
2018, "School Strike for Climate" (December 2018)

Related topics