“One of the things I would immediately do [as Commander in Chief ], in addition to defeating them here at home, is bring back the warrior class - Petraeus, McChrystal, Mattis, Keane, Flynn. Every single one of these generals I know. Every one was retired early because they told President [Barack] Obama things that he didn't want to hear.” KnowsWantHomePresidentClassChiefsWarriorBarackRetiredCommandersPresident Barack ObamaCommander In Chief Author:Carly Fiorina
“The war against ISIS will pose many new challenges for the next commander-in-chief. The last two presidents [George W. Bush and Barack Obama] pursued a Middle East policy that supported toppling dictators to try to promote democracy.” TryingTwoWarLastsNextPresidentChallengesDemocracyMiddlePolicyEastChiefsBarackMiddle EastDictatorPursuedIsisCommandersCommander In ChiefNew ChallengesPresident George W Bush Author:Wolf Blitzer
“As commander in chief, I will not speak to Vladimir Putin until we've set up that no-fly zone; until we've gathered our Sunni-Arab allies and begun to deny ISIS territory; until I've called the supreme leader of Iran and told him new deal - new deal. We the United States of America are going to cut off the money flow, which we can do; which we don't need anyone's permission or collaboration to do.” NeedsStatesAmericaSpeakCan DoUnitedDealsLeaderUnited StatesCuttingFlowDenySupremeChiefsZoneIranTerritoryCollaborationAlliesPermissionUnited States Of AmericaIsisCommandersPutinCommander In ChiefNew Deal Author:Carly Fiorina
“If I'm president, I'll be a commander-in-chief, not an agitator- in-chief or a divider-in-chief, that I will lead this country in a way that will create greater security and greater safety.” IfsWayCountryPresidentGreaterSecuritySafetyChiefsCommandersCommander In Chief Author:Jeb Bush
“There's a false narrative that only the political class has the wisdom and the ability to be commander-in- chief. But if you go back and you study the design of our country, it was really designed for the citizen statesman.” IfsCountryPoliticalAbilityClassStudyDesignCitizensOur CountryChiefsNarrativeCommandersStatesmenCommander In Chief Author:Benjamin Carson
“The judgment that every voter is making of every one of us [running for presidency] who has the experience, who has the vision, who has the judgment to be commander in chief. That is the most important decision for the voters to make. That's a standard I'm held to. And it's a standard everyone else is held to.” ImportantRunningDecisionVisionJudgmentStandardsChiefsVotersPresidencyCommandersCommander In ChiefImportant Decisions Author:Ted Cruz
“Every parent is wondering, how do we keep our kids safe? We need a commander in chief who does what Ronald Reagan did with communism, which is he set out a global strategy to defeat Soviet communism.” NeedsDoeKidsParentWonderSafeStrategyDefeatChiefsCommunismSovietCommandersCommander In Chief Author:Ted Cruz
“I can tell you is all nine of the people here [on debates] would make an infinitely better commander in chief than Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton.” PeopleI CanClintonDebateNineChiefsBarackCommandersCommander In Chief Author:Ted Cruz
“ISIS and Iran have declared war on America, and we need a commander in chief who will do everything necessary to keep our children safe.” NeedsChildrenWarAmericaSafeOur ChildrenChiefsIranIsisCommandersCommander In Chief Author:Ted Cruz
“The most important Bible teaching that I remembered when I was in the Navy and when I was Commander-in-Chief, was that we worshipped The Prince of Peace. Jesus Christ is The Prince of Peace. So, I considered myself, as a submarine officer, as helping to preserve the peace. And I felt the same way when I was president.” WayImportantHelpingJesusFeltPresidentChristTeachingJesus ChristChiefsPreservesRememberedOfficersNavyCommandersCommander In ChiefSubmarinesPrince Of Peace Author:Jimmy Carter
“During the debate, Palin winked, wrinkled her nose, and gave a shout-out to a third-grade class. Well, you know, that says commander-in-chief to me right there. You betcha!” KnowsWellsClassThirdsDebateChiefsNosesGradesCommandersPalinCommander In ChiefThird GradeShout Out Author:David Letterman
“If Barack Obama cannot appreciate that our troops are winning in Iraq, he should not be their Commander in Chief.” IfsShouldWinningAppreciateIraqChiefsBarackTroopsCommandersOur TroopsCommander In Chief Author:Lindsey Graham
“On the other side, you have the conservative intelligentsia - magazines like National Review, which has a big anti-Trump issue; Weekly Standard editor, conservative talk show hosts - they're mounting a big anti-Trump effort, pro-Cruz effort because they think [Donald] Trump is dangerous and he's not qualified to be commander in chief.” ThinkingShowsBigsSidesEffortIssuesDangerousTrumpStandardsConservativeMagazinesChiefsEditorsReviewsHostQualifiedCommandersTalk ShowsCruzCommander In Chief Author:Mara Liasson
“Essentially Rumsfeld wins, Cheney wins, and the CIA and State Department lose. Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld have more centralized control over intelligence, analysis, and operations than ever before. And the way they interpret the law, if the President authorizes an intelligence mission to be run covertly by the Pentagon, they don't have to tell anybody, including Congress, about it because the President is the commander in chief.” IfsWayStatesRunningLawWinningPresidentLosesIncludingCongressMissionsChiefsOperationsAnalysisDepartmentCommandersCiaPentagonCommander In Chief Author:Seymour Hersh
“Well, the most important thing a president will be is commander-in-chief. And that requires having an understanding of the complex issues on foreign policy. Foreign policy presents us often with hard choices, not black or white choices.” WellsImportantHardChoicesUnderstandingBlackPresidentWhiteIssuesPolicyImportant ThingsComplexesChiefsForeign PolicyCommandersCommander In ChiefBlack Or White Author:Marco Rubio
“Barack Obama's a terrible commander-in-chief. He is gutting our military. It's not an exaggeration.” MilitaryTerribleChiefsBarackCommandersExaggerationCommander In Chief Author:Marco Rubio
“When you're the commander in chief, you're the commander in chief on day one. You don't get like a six-month grace period. The world doesn't just stop and say, well, let's wait until the president catches up before we start challenging America.” WorldWellsAmericaWaitingPresidentChallengesGraceMonthsPeriodsSixChiefsSix MonthsCommandersCommander In Chief Author:Marco Rubio
“Donald Trump is great at the one-liners, but he's a chaos candidate and he'd be a chaos president. He would not be the commander in chief we need to keep our country safe.” NeedsCountryPresidentTrumpSafeChaosOur CountryChiefsCandidatesCommandersOne LinerCommander In Chief Author:Renee Montagne
“Through my time in the military and my deployments, I have recognized the importance of having a Commander in Chief who will not only go after those who threaten the safety and security of the American people, but who will also exercise good judgment and foresight in stopping these failed interventionist wars of regime change that have cost our country so much in human lives, untold suffering, and trillions of dollars.” PeopleHumansWarCountrySufferingSecurityMilitaryExerciseCostJudgmentImportanceSafetyDollarsOur CountryChiefsHuman LifeMy TimeRegimesStoppingCommandersForesightCommander In ChiefDeploymentGood JudgmentSafety And SecurityRegime Change Author:Tulsi Gabbard
“Donald Trump is temperamentally unfit to be president and commander-in-chief.” PresidentTrumpChiefsCommandersCommander In Chief Author:Hillary Clinton
“The president [Barack Obama] himself has said he thought part of his job was to remind the American people that being president and commander in chief is a serious responsibility.” PeopleSaidJobsPresidentResponsibilitySeriousChiefsBarackCommandersPresident Barack ObamaCommander In Chief Author:Hillary Clinton
“We cannot promote someone to Commander-in-Chief who has made the world a more violent and dangerous place with every bad judgment Hillary Clinton has made.” WorldMadeDangerousJudgmentClintonViolentChiefsCommandersCommander In ChiefDangerous Places Author:Chris Christie
“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
“The issues that I think matter, that I think resonate with the voters are, No. 1, defending our freedoms, defending the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. No. 2, lifting the boot of Washington off of the back of the necks of small businesses so that people can have jobs again, wages can come back again, fighting for the working class, you are getting hammered by Washington. And, No. 3, keeping this country safe, a strong commander in chief we can trust to keep us safe. That's what I'm looking for.” PeopleThinkingCountryMatterJobsFightingStrongClassIssuesRightsSafeConstitutionBillsChiefsNecksVotersBootsWorking ClassWagesSmall BusinessCommandersLiftingBack AgainBill Of RightsCommander In ChiefHammered Author:Ted Cruz
“I think it is appropriate when you look at the test that you have to meet to be commander-in-chief for Americans to be thoughtful about, you know, who has the experience and the approach that is best likely to work.” ThinkingKnowsLooksApproachTestsChiefsThoughtfulAppropriateCommandersCommander In Chief Author:Hillary Clinton
“The national security issues are a really good window into the character of the person that somebody wants to have as commander in chief.” WantPersonsCharacterIssuesSecurityWindowChiefsNational SecurityCommandersCommander In Chief Author:Tim Kaine
“Americans are at war with radical Islamic terrorism. We are at war with the ISIS caliphate, and what we need is a commander-in-chief who knows that, who understands that, who will give our military the resources they need to make that fight, pull our allies together - including moderate Arab nations - and hunt down and destroy ISIS and other terrorist organizations at their source.” KnowsNeedsGivingWarTogetherFightingNationsMilitarySourceResourcesOrganizationDown AndIncludingTerrorismTerroristChiefsRadicalIslamicAlliesHuntsModeratesIsisCommandersCommander In ChiefIslamic Terrorism Author:Mike Pence
“We saw more evidence that [Doanld Trump] is temperamentally unfit and totally unqualified to be commander-in-chief. He trash-talked American generals, saying they had been, quote, "reduced to rubble," that's how he talks about distinguished men and women who have spent their lives serving our country, sacrificing for us. That's how he would act as commander-in-chief.” MenCountrySawsSacrificeTrumpEvidenceMen And WomenOur CountryChiefsServingTrashDistinguishedCommandersCommander In ChiefUnqualifiedRubble Author:Hillary Clinton
“I will be as careful as I can in making the most significant decisions any president and commander-in-chief can make about sending our men and women into harm's way.” MenWayI CanPresidentDecisionMen And WomenCarefulHarmSignificantChiefsCommandersCommander In Chief Author:Hillary Clinton
“One of the things that's very troubling to voters about Donald Trump is his erratic behavior, his lack of good temperament to serve as commander in chief.” TrumpBehaviorChiefsVotersTemperamentCommandersCommander In ChiefErratic Author:Robby Mook
“It's one of the reasons [Vladimir Putin invitation to U.S] why 50 national security officials who served in Republican information - in administrations have said that Donald [Trump] is unfit to be the commander- in-chief. It's comments like that that really worry people who understand the threats that we face.” PeopleSaidReasonFacesWorrySecurityInformationTrumpRepublicanThreatChiefsAdministrationOfficialsCommentNational SecurityInvitationsCommandersPutinCommander In Chief Author:Hillary Clinton
“I trust Hillary Clinton as president and commander in chief, but the thought of Donald Trump as commander in chief scares me to death.” PresidentTrumpClintonChiefsScareCommandersCommander In Chief Author:Tim Kaine
“I think Gary Johnson would be capable of being a good chief executive and yes a commander in chief - Aleppo to the contrary, notwithstanding.” ThinkingWould BeCapableContraryChiefsExecutivesJohnsonCommandersGaryCommander In ChiefChief Executives Author:William Weld
“With Hillary Clinton as our commander in chief, our international relations will not be reduced to a business transaction. I also know that our armed forces will not become an instrument of torture and they will not be engaged in murder or carry out other illegal activities.” KnowsForceActivityRelationMurderInstrumentsClintonInternationalChiefsEngagedTortureIllegalCommandersInternational RelationsTransactionsArmed ForcesCommander In ChiefIllegal Activities Author:John R. Allen
“What we need to do is ensure that we don't create an environment that puts us on a track conceivably where the United States military finds itself in a civil military crisis with a commander in chief who would have us do illegal things.” NeedsStatesUnitedUnited StatesEnvironmentMilitaryCrisisTrackChiefsIllegalCommandersCommander In ChiefUnited States MilitaryIllegal Things Author:John R. Allen
“We need to have a commander-in-chief who knows what she is doing.” KnowsNeedsChiefsCommandersCommander In Chief Author:John R. Allen
“I was the Commander in Chief with men and women in combat. And the idea of trying to agonize in public or show weakness would have demoralized them.” MenTryingIdeasShowsWeaknessMen And WomenChiefsCombatCommandersCommander In ChiefDemoralizedWomen In Combat Author:George W. Bush
“One of the great things about the United States is that when it comes to world affairs, the president obviously is the leader of the Executive Branch, the Commander-in-Chief, the spokesperson for the nation, but the influence and the work that we have is the result not just of the president, it is the result of countless interactions and arrangements and relationships between our military and other militaries, and our diplomats and other diplomats, the intelligence officers and development workers.” WorldStatesNationsPresidentUnitedResultsLeaderUnited StatesInfluenceMilitaryDevelopmentWorkersAffairGreat ThingsChiefsBranchesExecutivesOfficersInteractionArrangementsCommandersDiplomatsCommander In ChiefExecutive BranchWorld AffairsIntelligence Officers Author:Barack Obama
“I think that the only time we will really know what then-President Trump is going to do about the set of challenges that confront him is after he has sat down with his advisers as the commander in chief, when he's looking at the threats and the intelligence from the standpoint of being the number one decider, when he's hearing from his secretary of defense, his chairman, who was the same chairman President Obama had, Chairman Joe Dunford, who is an outstanding public servant, who has led our anti-ISIL effort, on which we're making great progress.” ThinkingKnowsPresidentChallengesNumbersEffortProgressTrumpThreatHearingDefenseChiefsServantSatPresident ObamaSecretaryOnly TimeCommandersOutstandingChairmanStandpointAdviserCommander In ChiefPublic ServantsIsilGreat Progress Author:Samantha Power
“I think if Donald Trump should become commander in chief, we all want that in a leader, somebody who is able to fight back.” IfsThinkingWantShouldAbleFightingLeaderTrumpChiefsCommandersCommander In Chief Author:Robert Jeffress
“As a commander-in-chief what you do and what you say has real consequences.” RealConsequenceChiefsCommandersCommander In Chief Author:Stephanie Cutter
“My first job as commander in chief is to keep the American people safe.” PeopleFirstsJobsSafeChiefsCommandersCommander In Chief Author:Barack Obama
“As Commander in Chief, I will maintain the strongest military in the world, keep faith with our troops and go after those who would do us harm. But after a decade of war, I think we all recognize we've got to do some nation building here at home, rebuilding our roads, our bridges and especially caring for our Veterans who sacrificed so much for our freedom.” ThinkingWorldWarHomeNationsMilitaryBuildingCaringHarmDecadesChiefsBridgesStrongestTroopsVeteranCommandersRebuildingKeep The FaithNation BuildingOur TroopsCommander In ChiefOur Veterans Author:Barack Obama
“The president of the United States is the commander in chief, and the people who work with him at the National Security Council are his arm in working with the Defense Department. And, quite frankly, they have responsibility for all of the government. We are one component of the government.” PeopleStatesGovernmentPresidentUnitedResponsibilityUnited StatesSecurityArmsDefenseChiefsDepartmentNational SecurityComponentsCouncilCommandersCommander In ChiefSecurity Council Author:Chuck Hagel
“I call George W. Bush a radical because he is undertaking a fundamental transformation of our Constitutional system of government and of our longstanding policies that have been accepted for literally generations. He thinks to concentrate unaccountable power in the Executive. He thinks you alter the laws so that, as Commander in Chief, he can determine, under what he says are wartime conditions, what the laws are, which laws should be enforced, and declare by fiat what our policy should be, even abrogating longstanding international treaties.” ThinkingShouldHas BeensGovernmentLawGenerationsConditionsPolicyTransformationFundamentalsInternationalDetermineAcceptedChiefsRadicalExecutivesCommandersTreatiesUndertakingsCommander In ChiefWartimeSystems Of Government Author:Sidney Blumenthal
“Donald Trump is just unfit, unprepared, just doesn't get it, shouldn't be the commander in chief of America.” AmericaTrumpChiefsCommandersCommander In ChiefUnprepared Author:Julian Castro
“Donald Trump poses a serious threat to America, based on what he has said. He is unqualified to be president and he is unfit temperamentally to be commander-in-chief.” SaidAmericaPresidentSeriousTrumpThreatChiefsCommandersCommander In ChiefUnqualified Author:Hillary Clinton
“The only sin I think a commander in chief can make is exaggerating successes and not understanding the challenges.” ThinkingUnderstandingChallengesSinChiefsCommandersCommander In ChiefExaggerating Author:Lindsey Graham
“If you look at the way Donald Trump has treated law enforcement, if you look at the way he's treated the military, this is a man who fully understands the burden of leadership and the responsibility he has as the commander in chief.” IfsMenWayLooksLawResponsibilityMilitaryTrumpBurdenTreatedChiefsLaw EnforcementEnforcementCommandersCommander In Chief Author:Sebastian Gorka
“To win that war [with radical Islamic extremists] we need a commander-in-chief, not a professor of law standing at the lectern.” NeedsWarLawWinningStandingChiefsRadicalIslamicProfessorsCommandersExtremistCommander In ChiefIslamic Extremists Author:Sarah Palin