“If, in 2008, I could have not been in equities, I wouldn't have been in equities. If I could have not bet on the Seahawks in the Super Bowl, I wouldn't have bet on the Seahawks. Life and statesmanship are not lived with the benefit of hindsight.” IfsHas BeensBenefitsIf I CouldBowlsEquitySuper BowlHindsightStatesmanship Author:Bret Stephens
“In taking care with language, we take care of ourselves.” CareLanguageTake Care Author:Bret Stephens
“The presidency of Barack Obama is a case study in stupid does.” DoeCasesStudyStupidBarackPresidencyCase Studies Author:Bret Stephens
“In the Middle East there are two kinds of regimes - those that could be worse, and those that couldn't be worse.” KindTwoMiddleEastRegimesMiddle East Author:Bret Stephens
“Hillary Clinton, as awful as I find her, is a survivable event. I'm not so sure about [Donald] Trump.” EventsTrumpClintonAwful Author:Bret Stephens
“I have a very, very hard time voting for Mrs. [Hillary] Clinton.” HardClintonHard TimesVoting Author:Bret Stephens
“I have been writing about Hillary Clinton, I just actually looked this up, since 1998 when she was busy standing by when Suha Arafat was launching anti-Semitic tirades against Israel and the Jews.” WritingHas BeensStandingClintonBusyJewIsraelLaunchingAnti SemiticArafat Author:Bret Stephens
“Hillary Clinton's record in office is dreadful. Her ideas are dreadful. They will make us less safe. So, but there is no way I'm going to vote for a guy who is just totally uninformed, un-presidential as Donald Trump is.” WayIdeasGuyRecordsTrumpSafeOfficeVoteClintonPresidentialUninformed Author:Bret Stephens
“The only person who counts in the administration is the president of the United States.” PersonsStatesPresidentUnitedUnited StatesAdministration Author:Bret Stephens
“When George W. Bush decided to save the American position in Iraq by going against the advice of all of his wise men, of Jim Baker and the whole Iraq Study Group, and 90% of his administration, that was George W. Bush's decision. So we have to bear in mind that this isn't an administration we're electing. It's a person that we are electing.” MenMindPersonsWholeDecisionStudyWiseGroupsAdvicePositionBearsDecidedIraqAdministrationBakersStudy Group Author:Bret Stephens
“Who knows better than you what it means to have a commander-in-chief who lived his entire life, who lived throughout the entire Cold War, and doesn't know what the nuclear triad is? It's absolutely astonishing. And so it's terrific to have Joe Dunford and you know, perhaps John Bolton and other people in positions of trust.” PeopleKnowsMeanWarPositionColdNuclearChiefsCold WarTerrificAstonishingCommandersBetter Than YouCommander In ChiefTriads Author:Bret Stephens
“When it comes to trade, when it comes to standing up to countries like North Korea, when it comes to standing up to guys like Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump is not a conservative.” CountryGuyTrumpStandingTradeConservativeKoreaPutinNorth Korea Author:Bret Stephens
“The United States survives so long as at least one of its major parties is politically and intellectually healthy.” LongStatesUnitedPartyUnited StatesHealthyMajors Author:Bret Stephens
“I don't think the Republican Party, or I should say the Republican Party as the vehicle for modern American conservative ideas, survives with Donald Trump.” ThinkingShouldIdeasPartyModernTrumpRepublicanConservativeVehicleRepublican Party Author:Bret Stephens
“I think a Donald Trump presidency sets up an Elizabeth Warren ascendancy. And it not Elizabeth Warren, someone of her ilk. And I think that's dreadful.” ThinkingTrumpPresidencyAscendancy Author:Bret Stephens
“I think a Donald Trump presidency raises a new kind of version of conservatism which more closely resembles a kind of Father Coughlin, America first populism and nativism and isolationism, than the confident, modern, cosmopolitan, thoughtful, engaged conservatism of Ronald Reagan and Paul Ryan.” ThinkingFirstsKindAmericaFatherModernTrumpRaisesVersionsEngagedThoughtfulPresidencyConservatismPopulismIsolationism Author:Bret Stephens
“What is absolutely clear is that if Trump is the nominee, Republicans cannot win. Maybe they can't win with Rubio or Cruz or Kasich. We don't know. But what is absolutely certain is that with Hillary Clinton locking up the Democratic base, she is going to win unless she has a strong contender who is going to be able to pull - not only bring the entire Republican Party on the side, but win moderates. Donald Trump cannot do that.” WinningStrongPartyRepublicanDemocraticClintonRepublican Party Author:Bret Stephens
“The dismissal of any of these people would send a useful signal to U.S. allies that the president has the nerve - and self-awareness - to make a change.” PeopleSelfPresidentAwarenessSelf AwarenessNervesAlliesSignalsMaking ChangesNotableDismissal Author:Bret Stephens
