Archive [June 1999]

“What’s a man got to do to get into the top 50?” — BILL CLINTON, AFTER A SURVEY OF JOURNALISTS RANKED THE MONICA LEWINSKY SCANDAL NO. 53 AMONG THE TOP 100 EVENTS OF THE CENTURY, AT THE WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENTS DINNER AS HIS WIFE SAT A FEW SEATS AWAY ON THE PODIUM, C-SPAN

Resign?

“I’m not sure whether you’re going to be Governor or wind up in the penitentiary.” — BILL CLINTON, RECOUNTING WHAT HE WAS TOLD BY HIS SIXTH GRADE TEACHER, QUOTED IN THE HOTLINE

There’s still time…

“I also very strongly support establishing a National Weather Center, with the help of federal funds, at the University of Oklahoma to see what we can do, not only to provide even better warning, but perhaps to dilute the strength of some of these very powerful tornados before they hit.” — BILL CLINTON, TOURING OKLAHOMA AFTER A TWISTER KILLED OVER 40 PEOPLE, CNN

Dilute the strength of tornados?? This is Gorewellian, folks.

“Because I hadn’t been in the military myself… I determined to spend an awful lot of time on it. And I have spent major, major chunks of time … learning about how the military works.” — BILL CLINTON, INTERVIEWED BY TOM BROKAW, NBC

You need a few more chunks.

“I’ve had a lot of war experience, and I would say that, it seemed to me, there were thousands of men involved.” — GERALDO RIVERA, IN KOSOVO, ON A BATTLE HE WITNESSED BETWEEN THE KLA AND SERBIAN TROOPS, ON “RIVERA LIVE,” CNBC

At ease, General.

“They’re like the old Alfa Romeo sports cars. High performance, but also high maintenance, and high risk.” — UNNAMED NATO OFFICIAL, ON THE APACHE HELICOPTERS, QUOTED IN THE LOS ANGELES TIMES

Real warriors, these NATO officials.

“Think about those trains. I don’t know how many of you saw ‘Schindler’s List’ or ‘Sophie’s Choice.’ Think about what that means — driving people from their homes, separating families, loading them into trains — at the end of this violent century that we should have learned something from.” — HILLARY CLINTON, MEETING WITH REFUGEE FAMILIES AT THE MACEDONIAN BORDER, QUOTED IN THE WASHINGTON POST

This isn’t a movie, Mrs. Clinton.

“I feel quite good about it.” — BILL CLINTON, ON HIS KOSOVO STRATEGY, IN INTERVIEW WITH TOM BROKAW, NBC

That’s what counts.

“Frankly the White House is surprised the war has gone on as long as it has. One of the President’s closest advisors told us that when it all began, they expected it to last one month … The White House is saying there is no strategy other than more of the same.” — SCOTT PELLEY, WHITE HOUSE REPORTER, CBS

Well, as long as they feel good about it.

“Anyone who says that we expected the kind of refugee flows that we saw is smoking something.” — UNNAMED HIGH-RANKING OFFICIAL, QUOTED IN NEWSWEEK

Bingo.

“You will have blood on your hands” — MADELEINE ALBRIGHT, SECRETARY OF STATE, TO HOUSE SPEAKER DENNIS HASTERT, WHEN HE PROPOSED THAT CONGRESS DEBATE THE U.S. RESPONSE TO THE KOSOVO CRISIS, QUOTED IN THE CHICAGO SUN-TIMES

Wrongo. There’s a reason they’re calling this “Madeleine’s War.”

“A small but determined extreme majority.” — REP. DICK GEPHARDT (D, MO), BLAMING REPUBLICANS FOR THE HOUSE VOTE THAT WITHHELD SUPPORT FOR THE NATO AIR CAMPAIGN. GEPHARDT DID NOT MENTION THAT 26 DEMOCRATS ALSO VOTED AGAINST THE PRESIDENT, FOX NEWS.

A small majority? Must be outcome-based math.

“I know we see these pictures of the refugees on television every night and most people would like another story. But we must not get refugee fatigue.” — BILL CLINTON, AS POLLS SHOWED SUPPORT FOR NATO AIR STRIKES DROPPING, QUOTED IN THE WASHINGTON TIMES

Oh, do the American people want to move on?

“Now we need to move on. Leave the labs alone.” — BILL RICHARDSON, ENERGY SECRETARY, TO REPORTERS, CLAIMING THAT SECURITY AT DEPT. OF ENERGY LABS HAS IMPROVED DRAMATICALLY IN THE WAKE OF THE CHINESE SPY SCANDAL AT LOS ALAMOS. UPI

Let’s get this behind us!

“We must acknowledge that our own history has given us plenty of humility because of our history of slavery, and because we too are guilty of cleansing when the American people pushed the native American tribes off their lands without adequate compensation.” — BILL CLINTON, AT DEMOCRAT FUNDRAISER, COMPARING U.S. HISTORY TO SERBIAN ATROCITIES, UPI

Should we bomb ourselves?

“We have reaffirmed our readiness … to address regional and ethnic conflicts beyond the territory of NATO members.” — BILL CLINTON, ON NATO’S NEW MISSION “TO DEAL WITH THE SECURITY CHALLENGES OF THE NEW CENTURY,” AP

Uh-oh.

“It’s better for the Democrats not to have a war going on. Most Democrats don’t want a war going on, period … If there are ground troops, it will be a nasty fight. If there’s a lot of casualties, there’s no political upside for us.” — GORE CAMPAIGN ADVISORS, QUOTED IN THE WASHINGTON TIMES

Someone should tell the President.

“The other NATO countries and other countries around the world do not consider themselves at war with Serbia, and we do not consider ourselves at war with the Serbian people.” — JAMES P. RUBIN, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN, AP

That must come as a huge relief.

“There would be Serb troops primarily left, and we would be able to attack them with more precision and more concentration.” — KENNETH BACON, PENTAGON SPOKESMAN, IMPLYING THAT THE EXPULSION OF ALL ALBANIANS FROM KOSOVO WOULD GIVE NATO A MILITARY ADVANTAGE, QUOTED IN THE NATION

Yeah, that would be so much more convenient.

“We as a country should be expressing support for … people standing by their vows.” — AI GORE, DURING A VISIT TO ROSELAWN, OH TO SURVEY TORNADO DAMAGE, PROMOTING A TAX CREDIT FOR FAMILY CAREGIVERS, QUOTED IN THE CINCINNATI ENQUIRER

You’ve got the wrong country.

“He was the most amoral person I’ve ever met.” — GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, ON DICK MORRIS, ADMITTING: “IN FACT, I HATED DICK MORRIS, NOT TO PUT TOO FINE A POINT ON IT,” QUOTED IN THE HOTLINE

And with this bunch, that’s saying something.

“James Carville did not spend $750,000 on private investigators to scrounge around in people’s sex lives.” — JAMES CARVILLE, ON KEN STARR, WRITING IN THE WASHINGTON TIMES

Well, who did pay Larry Flynt, then?

“She’s becoming her husband. The evolution is now complete.” — UNNAMED “FORMER WHITE HOUSE OFFICIAL WHO KNOWS [HILLARY CLINTON) WELL,” QUOTED BY MAUREEN DOWD IN THE NEW YORK TIMES

Does Monica know?

“This has nothing to do with the President … I don’t think it’s him. I don’t think it’s me… I don’t think it’s any of us.” — GERALDINE FERRARO, AFTER A FUNDRAISER FEATURING PRESIDENT CLINTON ORGANIZED TO PAY OFF FERRARO’S CAMPAIGN DEBT WAS CANCELED DUE TO “DISMAL TICKET SALES,” AP

Of course not!