So if you happen to bump into a Democrat candidate, you might want to ask this simple question: What's your plan? If they say they want to protect the homeland, but oppose the Patriot Act, ask them this question: What's your plan? If they say they want to uncover terrorist plots, but oppose listening in on terrorist conversations, ask them this question: What's your plan? If they say they want to stop new attacks on our country, but oppose letting the CIA detain and question the terrorists who might know what those plots are, ask them this question: What's your plan? If they say they want to win the war on terror, but call for America to pull out from what al Qaeda says is the central front in this war, ask them this question: What's your plan?...The truth is, the Democrats can't answer that question. Harsh criticism is not a plan for victory. Second-guessing is not a strategy.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Bush challenges Democrats to provide concrete plans for counterterrorism rather than opposing specific measures like the Patriot Act.
- In plain terms
- Opponents of security measures should offer their own plans to stop terrorism instead of just criticizing.
- What can you take from it?
- Criticism without a plan is not a strategy for victory.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What constitutes a viable counterterrorism plan?
- How should critics contribute to policy?
Another view
The quote frames opposition as ineffective without proposing alternatives.
More from George W. Bush
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