Memorable Words of Politicians

In the old days -- the time of our parents and grandparents -- politicians said memorable things like "We have nothing to fear but fear itself" (FDR) and "You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life." (Winston Churchill).

What do our generation's politicians give us? Well....

"I haven't committed a crime. What I did was fail to comply with the law."
--Mayor David Dinkins of New York City, answering accusations that he failed to pay his taxes.

"They gave me a book of checks. They didn't ask for any deposits."
--Congressman Joe Early, at a press conference to answer questions about the House Bank scandal.

"I was under medication when I made the decision not to burn the tapes."
--President Richard Nixon

"Outside of the killings, Washington has one of the lowest crime rates in the country."
--Mayor Marion Barry of Washington, D.C.

"The Holocaust was an obscene period in our nation's history... this century's history.... We all lived in this century. I didn't live in this century."
--Dan Quayle, then Indiana senator and Republican vice-presidential candidate during a news conference in which he was asked his opinion of the Holocaust

"The streets are safe in Philadelphia. It's only the people who make them unsafe."
--Frank Rizzo, ex-police chief and mayor of Philadelphia

"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we."
--President George W. Bush