James Baker Quotations

The only reason why I negotiated with these guys was simply because they didn't try to avoid the issue, they got hold of us right way, ... They clearly didn't understand when they went out of bounds the risk that was involved to other people. I think in looking backward, they understand they put other people at risk with their behavior and this was a way to settle this thing.

I disagree. By proposing to proceed in such a way, we will be doing the right thing, both politically and substantively. We will occupy the moral high ground.

I don't believe that the people of America want this national election turned over to lawyers and court contests, ... I can certainly understand the pain and frustration of losing an election so very, very narrowly, but it is time to honor the will of the people. It is time to let the orderly process of transitioning go forward.

From our standpoint at least, it was a win.

What do we change to see that this never happens again?

Hurricanes Floyd and Irene were cruel reminders that hurricanes can produce tragic loss of life and devastating economic disruption from inland flooding beyond a hurricane's damaging wind, storm surge or tornadoes.

Ladies and gentlemen, at some point -- at some point -- there must be closure,

Our studies show that, averaged across all users, the utilization is less than 1 percent of the total capacity.

Our autumn programming promises to be our strongest line-up to date. We're confident that Sky One continues to bring the best from the US with 'Weeds' set to mirror its emphatic US reception from audiences and critics alike, 'Threshold' exhibiting the potential for an 'X-Files' style cross-over success and returning series 'Nip/Tuck' and 'The 4400' continuing to captivate audiences.

I think the Supreme Court is going to have the final say with respect to judicial action with respect to this election, ... Fox News Sunday.

We haven't seen a normal winter for the past three years because of El Nino and La Nina, but those conditions have disappeared and we're going back to what we've seen more normally in the past 10 or 20 years,

We are aware that there have been some complaints filed in terms of pre-election activities by way of efforts to buy votes, ... We're not sure of the significance of those.

We have already lost something like 10 percent of our reefs. Two-thirds of them are under great stress, and we expect that if we don't do something we may lose another 30 percent in the next 10 to 20 years.

There are no uniform, objective standards here. It's all subjective,

We wouldn't be in this position if the Gore campaign had been willing to accept the results of the recount in Florida, ... They want these recounts to be in counties where they have these large margins. We don't think that's fair.

We would like to see this process completed in a very transparent, open, judicious way, ... We are quite confident this is the way the process has been conducted so far.

When is it going to happen? Probably during the seasonal peak, which is August to mid-October.

We think this ruling is inconsistent with Florida law, federal law and the United States Constitution. We have no alternative but to appeal to U.S. Supreme Court for relief, ... We have already put in motion a process to do that.

Both sides should agree to accept the vote count of all the counties at the statutory deadline,

The Gore campaign strategy is crystal clear, ... Keep conducting selective recounts. Keep filing selective lawsuits, keep making false charges that divert attention, and keep refusing to accept any deadline until the results change.

The Gore campaign ought to agree with us that we will go with the automatic recount, ... They should say, 'OK, we will stop all these shenanigans. We will stop calling for recounts.'

The Gore campaign is asking for a third recount here. We can go into Wisconsin, we can go into Iowa and start recounting,

The Gore campaign has refused to achieve finality unless they achieve the result they are seeking,

While we are disappointed ... they specifically noted we are free to return to the federal courts to present our constitutional challenges to the selective and subjective manual recount process at an appropriate time in the future,

We will vigorously contest the efforts for a manual recount in Florida.

We will then withdraw our lawsuit, and we both agree to accept the results of the overseas ballots, ... That what's best for the country, that is what's reasonable.

We're very optimistic that nanotechnology can markedly improve cancer therapy.

We currently have a sustained operational atmospheric observing system that has enabled us to dramatically improve atmospheric weather forecasts. We have invested in operational ocean observing systems in the Pacific that have enabled us to provide successful El Nio-based seasonal atmospheric forecasts. This report calls on us to take the next step and expand the operational systems to the global ocean.

At some point, there must be closure. At some point, the law must prevail and the lawyers must go home, ... We have reached that point. ... I can understand the pain and frustration of losing an election so very, very narrowly, but it is time to honor the will of the people.

At some point, the law must prevail and the lawyers must go home. We have reached that point,

Did we break the law or not ... it's real concerning to me and real concerning to the public.

It would not, as (U.S. Supreme Court) Justice Scalia says, remove a cloud, it would create a cloud because ... the recount is being done in an unconstitutional way as far as we are concerned, and it's being done in a way that changes the rules after the game has been played.

I understand personally that it is frustrating to lose presidential elections by narrow margins.

Some will argue, as was done in 1990, that going for United Nations authority and not getting it will weaken our case,

Normal rainfall is not going to alleviate the drought. This could go on for a long time,

Anyone who thinks we can effect regime change in Iraq with anything less than this is simply not realistic,

This is going to be a cold winter. Be ready for more.

This decision vacated the Florida Supreme Court ruling. In so doing, it instructed the Florida court to consider and resolve both of the grounds we raised in our appeal.

Although the United States could certainly succeed, we should try our best not to have to go it alone, and the president should reject the advice of those who counsel doing so,

A manual recount of the whole state of Florida is crazy,

It seems to me that those actions send very conflicting signals,

It's not that I believe he's trying to avoid it,

That's something we're looking at as part of this change. I think if the audience values our content more and more, then in an evolving universe... you're going to set a price against that. There's an argument that there is an opportunity to explore there.

Every one of the recommendations in our report, whether they are recommendations to the Congress or recommendations to the states, are designed to improve confidence in our system of federal elections.

The average number of intense storms is two. We predict we're going to have more than two -- three or more of these intense hurricanes.

There was a significant lift in sales that went on for a good few months there.

Sky1 continues to bring the best from the US with Weeds mirroring its emphatic US reception from audiences and critics alike, Threshold exhibits the potential for an X-Files-style cross-over success and returning series Nip/Tuck and The 4400 are set to captivate audiences,

I haven't watched any of it. I've been in meetings.

In that one group of four, three of those have paid.

In a digital entertainment world, more and more viewers look to be immersed and involved in content. Interactive TV is a key element of Sky customers' viewing experience, and a vital part of the rapidly converging digital content jigsaw.

Because the proposed change raises both significant legal and practical issues, the administration at this time is not prepared to support it.

I don't think the legitimacy argument washes. I think that whoever wins this election, provided that they do so in a constitutional way and in a fair way, is going to have the country rally behind them, whether that's Vice President Gore or Governor Bush.

If you're not gonna pull the trigger, don't point the gun.

Sometimes you move publicly, sometimes privately. Sometimes quietly, sometimes at the top of your voice.

I understand personally, ... that it is frustrating to lose presidential elections by narrow margins.

Machines are neither Republicans nor Democrats and therefore can never be consciously or even unconsciously biased,

You don't need to know who's playing on the White House tennis court to be a good president

This is what happens, when, for the first time in modern history, a candidate resorts to lawsuits to try to overturn the outcome of an election for president

Sometimes an active policy is best advanced by doing nothing until the right time - or never.

Who could not be moved by the sight of that poor, demoralized rabble, outwitted, outflanked, outmanoeuvered by the U.S. military? Yet, given time, I think the press will bounce back.

You talk to your enemies, not just your friends.

Never let the other fellow set the agenda.

WE MADE A MONSTER OF HITLER, A DEVIL. THAT IS WHY (THEREFORE) WE COULD NOT AFTER THE WAR SAY OTHERWISE. WE HAD PERSONALLY MOBILISED THE MASSES NEVERTHELESS AGAINST THE DEVIL. THUS WE WERE FORCED AFTER THE WAR, TO PLAY ALONG WITH THIS DEVILS' SCENARIO. WE COULD NOT POSSIBLY HAVE MADE OUR PEOPLE CLEAR (TO THEM) THAT THE WAR WAS ONLY AN ECONOMIC PREVENTATIVE MEASURE!

When you have energy companies like Shell and British Petroleum, both of which are perhaps represented in this room, saying there is a problem with excess carbon dioxide emission, I think we ought to listen.

And now, once again, they have more votes, even after the application of a very loose standard for manual recounts of dimpled ballots,

The Department of Justice has been studying Sen. DeWine's proposed legislation. Because the proposed change raises both significant legal and practical issues, the Administration at this time is not prepared to support it.