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Joe Klein

Joe Klein Quotes

Journalist

Joe Klein is an accomplished American journalist, born on September 7, 1946. He is renowned for his in-depth reporting on politics and diplomacy, having served as a senior political writer for Newsweek. He won the Pulitzer Prize for his work on the book 'The President's Club'.

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Famous Joe Klein Quotes

“George W. Bush will surely deserve that woolliest of all peace prizes, the Nobel.”

Deserve Prize Nobel

Author:Joe Klein

“We should never go to war unless we have been attacked or are under direct, immediate threat of attack. Never. And never again.”

Should Has Beens War Direct Threat

Author:Joe Klein

“Dictating to dictators doesn't work; they are congenitally delusional about their own indispensability.”

Dictator Diplomacy Delusional Dictating

Author:Joe Klein

“For the past several years, I've been harboring a fantasy, a last political crusade for the baby-boom generation. We, who started on the path of righteousness, marching for civil rights and against the war in Vietnam, need to find an appropriately high-minded approach to life's exit ramp.”

Needs Years War Lasts Past Political Fantasy Path Rights Generations Baby Approach Civil Rights Righteousness Vietnam Exit Crusades Ramp Baby Boom

Author:Joe Klein

“The two-war strategy was a product of the cold war, when we had to have the ability to fight the Russians on the plains of Europe and fight the Chinese on the Korean peninsula at the same time. That costs an awful lot of money.”

Two War Fighting Ability Products Cold Cost Europe Strategy Awful Chinese Lots Of Money Cold War Korean War Strategy Peninsulas

Author:Joe Klein

“We`re facing a very different sort of threat now, a more amorphous threat, al Qaeda, terrorism, and so on. And so the military has abandoned the two-war strategy.”

Two Different War Military Strategy Threat Terrorism Als Abandoned Al Qaeda War Strategy

Author:Joe Klein

“Bill Clinton gives the appearance of taking stands-for some sort of tax cut, some sort of welfare reform, some sort of balanced budget-but these are ploys, mirages: they exist only to undermine positions taken by the Republicans. He doesn't fight for anything substantive-except of course, re-election. ...He has fallen into the dangerous habit of lip synching the presidency: he gives the appearance of leadership, but not the substance.”

“Americans who feel the most ignored these days are not the screamers. They are the solid citizens who are sick to death of pols who play to the rant.”

Feels Play Citizens Sick These Days Ignored Rant

Author:Joe Klein

“The Democrats current crudeness is a function of their desperation, and the imminent ratification of Howard Dean, the least charming presidential candidate in recent memory, as their party chairman only serves to punctuate the problem.”

Problem Memories Party Function Democrat Currents Presidential Candidates Charming Desperation Chairman Dean Presidential Candidate

Author:Joe Klein

“I can't believe that Hillary Clinton wants the world to think that whenever she gets into political trouble, she's going to have her husband come roaring about, breaking furniture, sucking up oxygen, spewing carbon dioxide. My impression is that she's strong enough to defend herself - she certainly showed that in the recent Democratic debate. But apparently she's not strong enough to control Mr. Bill. And if that's the case, any sane voter would have to think twice before enabling this sort of circus act in the White House.”

“You can be as critical as you want of Black Lives Matter. I'm critical of him, too. But to say that they have caused shooting of police officers, I think is a bridge too far.”

Thinking Black Police Police Officer

Author:Joe Klein

“I believe, I believe that the people who voted in those primaries for Donald Trump were at least helping him along with his message of hate toward immigrants, toward Muslims.”

People Believe Helping Hate I Believe

Author:Joe Klein

“Affirmative action was always racial justice on the cheap.”

Action Justice Affirmative Action Affirmative Racial Justice

Author:Joe Klein

“Diversity has been written into the DNA of American life; any institution that lacks a rainbow array has come to seem diminished, if not diseased.”

Ifs Has Beens Seems Written Diversity Institutions Rainbow Dna American Life Diseased

Author:Joe Klein

“I'm in favour of politicians having extra-marital relationships. Oh yeah. It makes them more understanding of the flaws that the rest of us have.”

Understanding Politician Yeah Extras Flaws Favour

Author:Joe Klein

“Back in George W. Bush's second term, when diplomatic realism began to overtake foolish bellicosity, the president developed one of his patented nicknames for the two most powerful neoconservative journalists, William Kristol and Charles Krauthammer: he called them 'the Bomber Boys.'”

Two President Term Powerful Boys Foolish Journalist Most Powerful Realism Diplomatic Nicknames Bombers

Author:Joe Klein

“Bush the Elder's stature as president grows with every passing year. He was the finest foreign policy president I've ever covered and a man who defied his party on tax increases while imposing budget restrictions on the Democrats.”

Men Years Grows President Party Policy Taxes Increase Democrat Passing Passings Budgets Covered Foreign Policy Finest Elders Restriction Imposing Stature Tax Increases

Author:Joe Klein

“Ever since John Kennedy, Democrats have had a weakness for dashing younger men like Bill Clinton and Barack Obama and, I suppose, Jimmy Carter. They balance their tickets with senior statesmen - Lyndon Johnson, Joe Biden, Walter Mondale. (Al Gore was young but played ancient).”

Men Young Balance Weakness Bills Clinton Democrat Ancient Barack Als Tickets Senior Johnson Gore Jimmy Statesmen Carter Biden Dashing John Kennedy Walter Mondale

Author:Joe Klein

“In point of fact, 'Simpson-Bowles' has become a symbol, or SimBowl, rather than an actual plan, political shorthand for the process of long-term deficit reduction.”

Long Facts Political Process Term Plans Symbols Long Term Deficit Reduction Shorthand

Author:Joe Klein

“Bush promised a foreign policy of humility and a domestic policy of compassion. He has given us a foreign policy of arrogance and a domestic policy that is cynical, myopic and cruel.”

Given Compassion Policy Humility Arrogance Cynical Foreign Policy Myopic Domestic Policy

Author:Joe Klein

“Cynicism is what passes for insight among the mediocre.”

Insight Cynicism Mediocre

Author:Joe Klein

“Anonymous sources are a practice of American journalism in the 20th and 21st century, a relatively recent practice. The literary tradition of anonymity goes back to the Bible.”

Practice Century Source Tradition Journalism 21st Century Anonymity

Author:Joe Klein

“I got into journalism because I came of age in the '60s. It just seemed one way for me to get things done.”

Way Done Age Journalism One Way Things Done

Author:Joe Klein

“Novel writing should never be confused with journalism. Unfortunately, in the case of Primary Colors, a fair number of journalists confused.”

Should Writing Numbers Cases Novel Color Fairs Journalism Primaries Journalist Confused Novel Writing Primary Colors

Author:Joe Klein

“You can't get all of your news from Jon Stewart, especially since it's a comedy show.”

Shows Comedy News Comedy Shows

Author:Joe Klein

“For me, a really radical position for journalism to take is to stop being cynical. Cynicism is what passes for insight among the mediocre.”

Position Insight Journalism Radical Cynical Cynicism Mediocre

Author:Joe Klein

“Barack Obama's inspirational whoosh to the presidency in 2008 was unusual. Most campaigns are less exhilarating; indeed, they are downright disappointing - until someone wins.”

Inspirational Winning Campaigns Barack Unusual Presidency Disappointing Exhilarating

Author:Joe Klein

“For those of us who consider ourselves political moderates, life is a dispiriting slog, a sorry mix of rectitude and ineptitude.”

Political Life Is Sorry Moderates Rectitude Ineptitude

Author:Joe Klein

“I think that if you make a strong statement of principle, even if the folks disagree with you, people will respect you for it.”

People Ifs Thinking Strong Principles Folks Statements Disagree

Author:Joe Klein

“I've been described as a grizzled political veteran.”

Political Veteran

Author:Joe Klein

“Political courage requires clarity. The Obama Administration chose the tortured route of arguing the legality of the individual mandate via the interstate commerce clause for one simple reason: it did not want to take the political risk of allowing opponents to call it a tax increase. That was stupid. The Republicans were calling it a tax increase anyway.”

Political Clarity Political Courage

Author:Joe Klein

“We journalists are never so idiotic as when we analyze things that we shouldn't be analyzing.”

Journalist Analyzing Idiotic

Author:Joe Klein

“What do you do in a novel? You take recognizable characters from your own life, and you fantasize about what they're really like.”

Character Novel

Author:Joe Klein

“You know, larger than life is always better than smaller than life in politicians. And, you know, God save us from mediocrities.”

Knows Life Is Politician Mediocrity Knowing God Larger Than Life

Author:Joe Klein

“You know, larger-than-life politicians have larger-than-life strengths and larger-than-life weaknesses.”

Knows Politician Weakness Larger Than Life Life Strength

Author:Joe Klein

“I believe that poverty is often the result of inappropriate behavior - out-of-wedlock births, dropping out of school, crime and drugs - which should not be rewarded. But often it isn't, and common decency requires that we take care of the least of these.”

“I came to political consciousness with John F. Kennedy's magnificent 1961 Inaugural Address. It seemed the start of something fresh and exciting, and it was.”

Political Consciousness Exciting Addresses Magnificent Inaugural Inaugural Address

Author:Joe Klein

About the Author

Born: September 7, 1946
Known for: Journalist
Quotes: 37

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