Middle East Quotes - Page 12

• God told me to smite Osama bin Laden, so I invaded Afghanistan. Then He told me to smite Saddam Hussein, so I invaded Iraq. Now He wants me to work on the Middle East problem.

  George W. Bush

  Iraq, Hussein, Want

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• The deserts of the Middle East are in need of water, not bombers.

  Golda Meir

  Water, Needs, Bombers

  Golda Meir, Marie Syrkin (1973). “A land of our own: an oral autobiography”, Putnam Publishing Group

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• Afghans excel at fighting Afghans. This is what Afghans do, even when they are not being invaded by foreign powers. They fight each other, tribe against tribe, brother against brother, half-brother against half-brother, cousin against cousin, uncle against nephew, father against son.

  Phyllis Chesler

  Cousin, Brother, Uncles

  Phyllis Chesler (2013). “An American Bride in Kabul: A Memoir”, p.115, St. Martin's Press

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• There's always trouble in the Middle East. I can't recall any time in my life when there hasn't been trouble there.

  Helen McCloy

  Trouble, Recalls, I Can

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• For too long, many nations, including my own, tolerated, even excused, oppression in the Middle East in the name of stability. Oppression became common, but stability never arrived. We must take a different approach. We must help the reformers of the Middle East as they work for freedom, and strive to build a community of peaceful, democratic nations.

  George W. Bush

  Names, Long, Community

  United Nations General Assembly Address, delivered 21 September 2004, New York, NY

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• The war with Iraq ... had to be one of the greatest non sequiturs in military history. Attacked by a gang composed largely of Islamic militants from Saudi Arabia, the United States countered by invading an unrelated country, and one of the most secular in the Middle East at that.

  Barbara Ehrenreich

  Country, Military, War

  Barbara Ehrenreich (2008). “Going to Extremes: Notes from a Divided Nation”, Granta Books (UK)

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• I mean, our disaster in Libya also unleashed enormous amounts of armaments. We are the world's leading arms dealer, arming all sides everywhere. And have we made the Middle East a more secure place? We're only making it more desperate, more catastrophic and more violent.

  Jill Stein

  Mean, World, Arms

  Source: www.justicenewsnetwork.com

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• Throughout the Middle East, there is a great yearning for the quiet miracle of a normal life.

  William J. Clinton

  Miracle, Normal, Quiet

  William J. Clinton “Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States, William J. Clinton, 1993, Bk. 2, August 1 to December 31, 1993”, Government Printing Office

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• The truth is, about the Middle East is, had there been no oil there, it would be like Africa. Nobody is threatening to intervene in Africa.

  Wesley Clark

  Oil, Would Be, Threatening

  "Gen. Wesley Clark Weighs Presidential Bid: 'I Think About It Every Day'". "Democracy Now!" with Amy Goodman, www.democracynow.org. March 2, 2007.

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• American mission in Iraq is clear: We're hunting down the terrorists. We're helping Iraqis build a free nation that is an ally in the war on terror. We're advancing freedom in the broader Middle East. We are removing a source of violence and instability and laying the foundation of peace for our children and our grandchildren.

  George W. Bush

  Children, War, Hunting

  "Transcript: President Bush‘s Fort Bragg speech". "Hardball with Chris Matthews", www.nbcnews.com. June 30, 2005.

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• If you are accused of being associated with terrorism, which could mean you are an Arab- American and you've sent e-mails to a relative in the Middle East, you should get your day in court, and I think you should get a lawyer and a trial, and I think most Americans agree to that.

  Rand Paul

  Mean, Thinking, Trials

  "Sen. Rand Paul on top congressional issues; pivotal moment in the battle over gay marriage". "Fox News Sunday With Chris Wallace", www.foxnews.com. March 24, 2013.

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• My administration has been calling upon all the leaders in the - in the Middle East to do everything they can to stop the violence, to tell the different parties involved that peace will never happen.

  George W. Bush

  Party, Humor, Leader

  "Tell it how it is - don't beat about the Bush" by Simon Hoggart, www.theguardian.com. March 8, 2003.

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• There is a proliferation of terrorism as a result of the war in Iraq. What America has created is a den for terrorists to breed in Iraq as a result of the war and to ship their ideologies and their fears and their capabilities around the world, not just in the Middle East, but in other continents.

  David E. Bonior

  War, America, Iraq

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• in the traditional family structure of Persia ... one simply cannot discard close relatives just because one does not like them; rather one has to accommodate them, make allowances and accept them, like misfortune.

  Shusha Guppy

  Family, Doe, Accepting

  Shusha Guppy (2004). “Blindfold Horse: Memories of a Persian Childhood”, p.38, Tauris Parke Paperbacks

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• Marriage, in my culture, has nothing to do with romance. It's a matter of logic. If Mr. and Mrs. Ahmadi like Mr. and Mrs. Nejari, then their children should get married. On the other hand, if the parents don't like each other, but the children do, well, this is where sad poetry comes from.

  Firoozeh Dumas

  Marriage, Children, Hands

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• God told me to strike at al Qaeda and I struck them, and then he instructed me to strike at Saddam [Hussein], which I did, and now I am determined to solve the problem in the Middle East. If you help me I will act, and if not, the elections will come and I will have to focus on them.

  George W. Bush

  Humor, Focus, Political

  "Road Map in the Back Seat?" by Al Kamen, www.washingtonpost.com. June 27, 2003.

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• I think Iran is a very dangerous country - very dangerous to Israel, to the Middle East, and also to the United States. They export terrorism. And they also have the ability to manufacture rockets and missiles.

  Dutch Ruppersberger

  Country, Thinking, Israel

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• There's a lot of people in the Middle East who are desirous to get into the Mitchell process. And - but first things first. The - these terrorist acts and, you know, the responses have got to end in order for us to get the framework - the groundwork - not framework, the groundwork to discuss a framework for peace, to lay the - all right.

  George W. Bush

  Humor, Order, People

  Comments on Middle East, www.cnn.com. August 13, 2001.

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• I assured the prime minister, my administration will work hard to lay the foundation of peace in the Middle - to work with our nations in the Middle East, give peace a chance. Secondly, I told him that our nation will not try to force peace, that we'll facilitate peace and that we will work with those responsible for a peace.

  George W. Bush

  Hard Work, Humor, Giving

  Remarks of Israel in Photo Opportunity, The Oval Office, georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov. March 20, 2001.

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• The [Libyan] rebels this week kind of hinted to the United States that they could use a little help. Right. Like, America would just blunder around the Middle East killing people without all the facts. That doesn't sound like the America I know.

  Bill Maher

  America, People, Sound

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• The United States ... has been proud of its association with the State of Israel. We shall continue to stand with Israel. We are committed to Israel's survival and security. The United States for a quarter of a century has had an excellent relationship with the State of Israel. We have cooperated in many, many fields - in your security, in the well-being of the Middle East, and in leading what we all hope is a lasting peace throughout the world.

  Gerald R. Ford

  Israel, Presidential, Survival

  United States. President (1974-1977 : Ford), Gerald R. Ford (1975). “Gerald R. Ford: Containing the Public Messages, Speeches, and Statements of the President”

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• Today, President Obama is making smart investments in clean energy - wind, solar, biofuels - as part of an all-of-the-above energy strategy that supports thousands of jobs, not in the Middle East, but in the Midwest.

  Tom Vilsack

  Jobs, Smart, Wind

  Tom Vilsack's Speech at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, www.politico.com. September 5, 2012.

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• I have a background and an understanding of what's happened in the Middle East that a lot of people don't have, because there's been no interest.

  Helen Thomas

  People, Understanding, Interest

  "History Cannot Save Bush". Interview with Amy Goodman, www.alternet.org. January 13, 2009.

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• Yes, I'm a patriotic person. For these people who disgrace the American way and burn our flag and do all of these things... I say, don't live here and disgrace my country. Go live in the Middle East and see how you like it.

  Payne Stewart

  Country, Patriotic, Usa

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• The people of the Middle East share the desire for freedom. We have an opportunity - and an obligation - to help them turn this desire into reality.

  Condoleezza Rice

  Opportunity, Reality, People

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