A Conservative is a fellow who is standing athwart history yelling 'Stop!'
William F. Buckley, Jr.Read
One can't doubt that the American objective in Iraq has failed - different plans have to be made. And the kernel here is the acknowledgement of defeat.
Interpretation
The United States' goals in Iraq have not been achieved, and new strategies must be developed that accept this reality.
William F. Buckley, Jr. points out that the American efforts in Iraq have not met their intended objectives, highlighting the need for a reassessment and new plans moving forward that recognize the current situation as a defeat. This admission is critical for learning from past mistakes and adjusting future actions to better align with reality.
In practice
This quote could be used in a discussion about foreign policy during a political debate.
A Conservative is a fellow who is standing athwart history yelling 'Stop!'
Even if one takes every reefer madness allegation of the prohibitionists at face value, marijuana prohibition has done far more harm to far more people than marijuana ever could.
I'd rather entrust the government of the United States to the first 400 people listed in the Boston telephone directory than to the faculty of Harvard University.
One must bear in mind that the expansion of federal activity is a form of eating for politicians.
I would like to take you seriously, but to do so would affront your intelligence.
You cannot paint the Mona Lisa by assigning one dab each to a thousand painters.
The problem is not that the U.S. economy won't be able to take care of its citizens - it is that taking away benefits, creating intergenerational warfare, and scapegoating will make for very difficult and bad politics. This is a tragedy that we can see coming. Early action would be relatively painless.
The money in politics is a cash cow for the media.
I recognize the Republican Party as the sheet anchor of the colored man's political hopes and the ark of his safety.
Congress is where Americans are supposed to have our big, messy political fights. That's because the people who make the laws need to be hired and fired by the people. Don't like the laws? Fire the lawmakers.
Socialism easily accepts despotism. It requires the strongest execution of power -- power sufficient to interfere with property.
In the end, that's what this election is about. Do we participate in a politics of cynicism or a politics of hope?
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