In the beginning was the WORD. The babble never has stopped since. Most of what we say is forgotten. For it is truly forgettable. Some words are forgotten because they are embarrassing or awkward to remember. That is especially so in the public realm.
Yet, recalling words issuing from those who rule our lives is revelatory. It illuminates by helping to answer the question: who are these guys anyway? Here is a selection of direct quotes from the high, the mighty and the celebrity that expose what is
behind the veil of forgetfulness. Only the last few in an addendum are of dubious lineage; the first listed is not one of them. It is a quote from remarks by the always dependable Tony Blinken made on April 25 in Kiev.
Cheers
"In terms of Russia's war aims, Russia has already failed and Ukraine has already succeeded” Tony BLINKEN
“That man [Putin] must go!” Joe BIDEN
“Putin runs Russia like a crime syndicate. He reminds me of the corrupt political bosses that ran U.S. cities”
“Putin’s hyper masculine photo-ops resemble those of a teenager on Instagram” Barack OBAMA
“Dmitry Medvedev --is physically unremarkable, short and compact -- a wrestler's build" Barack OIBAMA
“I am better looking than she [Kamala] is” Donald TRUMP
"The United States shares a very important relationship which is an alliance with the Republic of North Korea" Kamala HARRIS
"GOOGLE MUST DIE ! GOOGLE MUST DIE !!"
“They trust me – dumb fucks!” Mark ZUCKERBERG
"If you want to change the way a person votes you have to change the culture the person lives within." and "to change a culture, first you have to smash the existing one then grab the pieces and mold it into the shape you want the culture to be" CAMBRIDGE
ANALYTICA CEO
“ "In politics, absurdity is not a liability” NAPOLEON BONAPARTE
“In the face of adversity, think: They don't deserve you" Christine LAGARDE
“Allowing rape victims to have abortions will lead to Women trying to get raped” Mike PENCE
“We can't all be stars because someone has to sit on the curb and clap as I go by.”
Donald TRUMP
“It’s better for the whole world to know you, even as a sex star, than never to be known at all.” STORMY Daniels
“If the slaves were never freed in the Civil War, you have to wonder, where would Obama be today. Certainly not in the White House, in the capacity that he is in , and there are some in American that think that might not be a bad thing” Ted CRUZ
“You won't hear from me again” Nicolas SARKOZY
“We have chased away the clouds, the sky is all 'rose”
Francois HOLLANDE
“My thinking is too complex for journalists to understand”
Emmanuel MACRON
“Saddam Hussein has been engaged in the development of weapons of mass destruction technology which is a threat to countries in the region and he has made a mockery of the weapons inspection process.” Nancy PELOSI
“The Iraq Survey Group has already found massive evidence of a huge system of clandestine laboratories, workings by scientists, plans to develop long range ballistic missiles" Tony BLAIR
“If God doesn't punish America, He'll have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah” Billy GRAHAM
”I think every good Christian ought to kick Falwell right in the ass” Barry GOLDWATER
“Russia is a gas station masquerading as a country” John McCAIN
“Fuck the Europeans !” Victoria NULAND
“Capitalism is based on self-interest and self-esteem; it holds integrity and trustworthiness as cardinal virtues and makes them pay off in the marketplace, thus demanding that men survive by means of virtue, not vices”
Alan GREENSPAN-
“My philosophy is to make money.” Rex TILLERSON, statesman
“Just between you and me, shouldn't the World Bank be encouraging more migration of the dirty industries to the LDCs (lesser developed countries)? I think the economic logic behind dumping a load of toxic waste in the lowest wage country is impeccable
and we should face up to that.... I've always thought that underpopulated countries in Africa are vastly under polluted; their air quality is vastly inefficiently low compared to Los Angeles or Mexico City” -
Lawrence
SUMMERS, humanist
“Some may argue that I am constraining the role of the university. They would suggest that even if teaching and idea generation are its primary functions, the university can still be a force for social justice advocacy that holds societies to account.
I find this a dangerous view.” Lawrence SUMMERS on protesting American complicity in genocide.
“The Fed Is Open” (2008) Ben BERNANKE
“The number one problem in today’s generation and economy is the lack of financial literacy” Alan GREENSPAN
“The only useful financial innovation over the past 30 years is the ATM”
Paul VOLCKER
“When I look out the window at my backyard, I can't think of anything interesting to ask. I mean, it's green, it's growing-but nothing occurs to me that any concentrated effort of thought could possibly enlighten. Whereas in economic, statistical, or
mathematical kinds of things, I can think lots of questions” Lawrence SUMMERS, philosopher
“What far Left – we can’t even get support to import pharmaceuticals from Canada” AOC
“I like computers. I like the Internet. It's a tool that can be used. But don't be misled into thinking that these technologies are anything other than aspects of a degenerate economic system” Jerry BROWN
“Knife crime devastates communities” Theresa MAY
“I actually think I think better in high heels…. I was in the Commons recently and saw a young lady wearing a nice pair of shoes. I said I liked them and she said my shoes were the reason she became involved in politics” Theresa MAY
“I wear heels, and it's not for a fashion statement - it's ammunition" Nikki HALEY
“My friends, as I have discovered myself, there are no disasters, only opportunities. And, indeed, opportunities for fresh disasters” Boris JOHNSON
“If I didn’t kick his ass every day, he wouldn’t be worth anything” HRC
“That's the good thing about being President, I can do whatever I want" Barack OBAMA
“We will, in fact, be greeted as liberators” Dick CHENEY
“This is an impressive crowd—the haves and the have mores. Some people call you the elite—I call you my base."
George W. BUSH
"Hell, these are Marines. Men like them held Guadalcanal and took Iwo Jima. Baghdad ain't shit” Marine Major General John F. KELLY
“If a helo spotted a peasant in black pajamas who looked remotely suspicious, the pilot should circle and fire in front of him. If he moved, his movement is evidence of hostile intent, and the next burst is not in front, but at him. Brutal?” Capt. Colin
POWELL
"I come in peace. I didn’t bring artillery. But I’m pleading with you, with tears in my eyes: If you fuck with me, I’ll kill you all."
"Find the enemy that wants to end this experiment (in American democracy) and kill every one of them until they’re so sick of the killing that they leave us and our freedoms intact."
"Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet."
General ‘Mad Dog’ MATTIS
“Our defense has solidified and our offense is on a roll” (Afghanistan) John BRENNAN
“Due process and judicial process are not one and the same, particularly when it comes to national security” Eric HOLDER
“We’ve turned the Corner” All 18 American commanders in Afghanistan
“We believe that we can win, they can win if they have the right equipment, the right support” General Lloyd AUSTIN
“Putin is using the Olympics like Hitler did in 1936” Boris JOHNSON
“Viewing the Presidential debates is like watching people frolic on the Titanic 15 minutes before it sank” Maria SAKHAROVA
“Stopping US assistance to the Saudis in Yemen could increase civilian casualties, jeopardize cooperation with our partners on counterterrorism, and reduce our influence with the Saudis — all of which would further exacerbate the situation and humanitarian
crisis.” ‘MAD DOG’
"The Middle East is obviously an issue that has plagued the region for centuries"
Barack OBAMA
“There really is no such thing as society” Margaret THATCHER
“AOC is a Russian agent of influence” Hillary CLINTON
“For 738 days, Ukraine has been fighting back against Putin – a battle global democracy cannot lose” AOC
“If you want to know what an unfolding genocide looks like, open your eyes.” March 24
[AOC doubles down calling the situation in Gaza a genocide - ABC]
“Vice-President Harris is working tirelessly to secure a ceasefire in Gaza and bring the hostages home.” August 19
[Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s decision to lend her credibility to the Biden-Harris administration’s false narrative around Gaza was a stinging slap in the face -The Nation]
“How To Have Sex In A Canoe” NYT Feature Essay
“Move fast and break things. Unless you are breaking stuff, you are not moving fast enough.”
“A squirrel dying in front of your house may be more relevant to your interests right now than people dying in Africa”
“I updated my grilling app, iGrill, today and it now has Facebook integration that lets you see what other people are grilling right now around the world. Awesome!” Maharishi ZUCK
“We are totally open kimono with regulators.” Jaime DIMON
“Voting Tory will cause your wife to have bigger breasts and increase your chances of owning a BMW M3.” Boris JOHNSON
“One of the hardest parts of my job is to connect Iraq to the war on terror" George W. BUSH
“These days, insomnia is very common – don’t lose any sleep over it” Renowned Psychiatrist
Apocryphilia
Bill CLINTON "Jeffrey? Jeffrey Who?"
Elon MUSK “Drive fast enough, and all accidents happen behind you”
Former Texas Governor Rick PERRY “I’m a polymath ….I can Divide as well as Multiply”
DEUTSCHE BANK “The Laundry Is Open”
HSBC “24/7/365”
Mohammed bin-SALMAN “Bad Day At Black Rock”
Naomi OSAKA ‘Love me. or leave me and let me be lonely”
Jeremy CORBYN “Nobody Loves You When You’re Down & Out”
Emmanuel MACRON “I want a girl, just like the girl who married dear old Dad”
MB “MISSION ACCOMPLISHED”
Michael Brenner