Edward Kennedy Quotes

• For me, a few hours ago, this campaign came to an end. For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die.
• If we set the precedent of limiting the First Amendment, in order to protect the sensibilities of those who are offended by flag burning, what will we say the next time someone is offended by some other minority view, or by some other person's exercise of the freedom the Constitution is supposed to protect?
• We cannot simply speak out against an escalation of troops in Iraq, we must act to prevent it...There can be no doubt that the Constitution gives Congress the authority to decide whether to fund military action, and Congress can demand a justification from the president for such action before it appropriates the funds to carry it out.
• But don't you realize, that's where I sail.
• Come out of the rose garden.
• Dad, I'm in some trouble. There's been an accident and you're going to hear all sorts of things about me from now on. Terrible things.
• For two years, terrorist cells have been spreading like cancer cells. Any doctor who let that happen would be guilty of malpractice.
• Frankly, I don't mind not being President. I just mind that someone else is.
• Hello? Hello?!? Is this what we are debating here? (Senate floor comments during the 2005 Bankruptcy bill debate. Has been replayed numerous times on conservative Talk Radio programs.)
• Integrity is the lifeblood of democracy. Deceit is a poison in its veins.
• It's now clear that from the very moment President Bush took office, Iraq was his highest priority as unfinished business from the first Bush Administration. His agenda was clear: find a rationale to get rid of Saddam.
• No matter how many times the Administration denies it, there is no question they misled the nation and led us into a quagmire in Iraq.
• One of the few positive results of the Vietnam War is the irresistible momentum it gave Congress thirty-four years ago to pass legislation lowering the voting age to 18.
• Shamefully we now learn that Saddam's torture chambers reopened under new management, U.S. management.
• She [Vickie, his wife] was the most beautiful rose of all.
• The Constitution does not just protect those whose views we share; it also protects those with whose views we disagree.
• The President's handling of the war has been a toxic mix of ignorance, arrogance, and stubborn ideology. No amount of Presidential rhetoric or preposterous campaign spin can conceal the truth about the steady downward spiral in our national security since President Bush made the decision to go to war in Iraq.
• The war in Iraq itself has not made America safer and has not made the world safer.
• There is no doubt that Saddam Hussein's regime is a serious danger, that he is a tyrant, and that his pursuit of lethal weapons of mass destruction cannot be tolerated. He must be disarmed. (27 September 2002)
• There was no imminent threat. This was made up in Texas, announced in January to the Republican leadership that war was going to take place and was going to be good politically. This whole thing was a fraud.
• Thus, the controversy about the Moral Majority arises not only from its views, but from its name - which, in the minds of many, seems to imply that only one set of public policies is moral and only one majority can possibly be right.
• Today, we say the only thing we have to fear is four more years of George Bush.
• We have known for many years that Saddam Hussein is seeking and developing weapons of mass destruction. (27 September 2002)
• We want to support our troops because they didn't make the decision to go there... but I don't think it should be open-ended. We ought to have a benchmark where the administration has to come back and give us a report.
• Well, here I don't go again.
• Ted Kennedy says that our policy in Iraq is adrift. Hmmm. Maybe like a car adrift in the water after it has gone over a bridge?
• Teddy Kennedy was the weak kitten in the litter, never able to measure up to his brothers. ... One problem Teddy has always had was keeping it in his pants - even when other people are around.
• Well don't throw anything now, because we're not talking about philosophy or party. The finest legislator I ever worked with was Ted Kennedy. He had a magnificent staff, he even had a parliamentarian on that staff of his. So when you were in the legislative arena and you were bringing your lunch and staying late, you wanted to get Ted on your side or least use some of his expertise. I would go to him sometimes early on and say look, you'll have to trust me, what the hell do I do right now to move this bill? Boy I'll tell you he had ways to do it and as you can see he uses those skills on issues in which I was totally on the other side. I can't remember them all there were so many. We were never on the same side. But he is a legislator.
• When did Ted Kennedy become Jabba the Hutt? He's huge! You're a Kennedy, not a Macy's Day float!! Bring him down, we're voting! No sir, I said 'no' to the Krispy Kreme!!

edward kennedy