“Bill Clinton was not a symbol. People did not invest in him their idea of what America should be or, worse, their pride in what they thought America had become. There was no great moral self-congratulation in having elected a president from Arkansas.” PeopleShouldIdeasSelfAmericaPresidentMoralPrideBillsClintonSymbolsCongratulationsArkansas Author:Charlie Pierce
“Two-thirds of the Iranian people would like to be reconciled with the West. They don't like the fanaticism of the governing religious council. It's the only place in the world where the last six elections have been won by the more progressive candidate, two for president, two for the mayors, two for the parliament. So most people there are sympathetic to the world we Americans want to build, whether we're Republicans or Democrats. On the other hand, almost everybody there wants them to have nuclear power. They see it as a status symbol, and a sense of their own security.” PeopleWorldWantHas BeensTwoHandsLastsPresidentReligiousSecurityRepublicanSixThirdsElectionWestDemocratNuclearSymbolsCandidatesProgressiveParliamentCouncilGoverningFanaticismSympatheticMayorsPlaces In The WorldIranianNuclear PowerStatus Symbol Author:William J. Clinton
“Mitterrand had a sense for symbols, and he was the first Socialist president since 1958. He wanted to show that there is historical continuity, a connection with the great figures of French history.” FirstsShowsWantedPresidentFiguresConnectionsHistoricalSymbolsSocialistContinuity Author:Francois Hollande