Quotes by David R. Gergen

“A leaders role is to raise peoples aspirations for what they can become and to release their energies so they will try to get there.”

“Ronald Reagan is clearly to television what Franklin Roosevelt was to radio.”

“When he hung up on Nancy Reagan, thats when he crossed his final threshold.”

“I dont have any problem with a reporter or a news person who says the President is uninformed on this issue or that issue. I dont think any of us would challenge that. I do have a problem with the singular focus on this, as if thats the only standard by which we ought to judge a president. What we learned in the last administration was how little having an encyclopedic grasp of all the facts has to do with governing.”

“Weve seen the hubris. And now were seeing the scandals.”

“We know that second terms have historically been marred by hubris and by scandal.”

“How in heavens name can a nation with a $1 trillion surplus threaten so much scientific research so vital to its future?”

“Theres an old saying that you cant open a new circus until the old circus leaves town. It was just inevitable that this is going to continue to hang over their heads because the investigation continues. The Libby-Rove-Cheney story continues to have legs, and its going to continue to for some time. And the war still goes on.”

“Win or lose, he realized that it was going to be very difficult to govern and that the better part of valor was to step aside.”

“What youre seeing in the East Wing is normal turnover, and what youre seeing in the West Wing is abnormal. Its an aberration to have a team stay as long as this one has.”