Presidential ambition is a disease that can only be cured by embalming fluid.
Interpretation
John McCain criticizes the unhealthy obsession with presidential ambition, suggesting it's detrimental to the person pursuing it.
This quote by John McCain reflects a cynical view of the relentless pursuit of presidential power, comparing it to a disease that consumes individuals. It implies that those who are overly ambitious in seeking the presidency may lose their moral compass and humanity, and that the only way to end such ambition is through a fatal conclusion, symbolized by 'embalming fluid'. This presents a stark warning against the dangers of unchecked political aspiration.
In practice
This quote can be used in a political debate to highlight the negative aspects of political ambition.
Giap was a master of logistics, but his reputation rests on more than that. His victories were achieved by a patient strategy that he and Ho Chi Minh were convinced would succeed - an unwavering resolve to suffer immense casualties and the near total destruction of their country to defeat any adversary, no matter how powerful.
Whenever America sends its citizens into harm's way, it must do so with eyes wide open.
For decades we have been living lives of abundance, with little regard for our natural resources or global health. But we are now facing hard choices in our energy policy. Future generations - my children and grandchildren, along with yours - will have to live with the decisions we make today. And so it is time for us to make some tough and - hopefully - smart choices regarding our energy use and production before it is too late.
We need a free press. We must have it. It's vital.
I appreciate our government's determination to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of the Bytyqi brothers, which Serbia's Interior Minister has rightly called 'an exceptionally serious crime,' and hope the Serbian government's pledge of full cooperation... is matched by a final accounting of their murder.
What is most troubling about Mr. Putin's aggression in Crimea is that it reflects a growing disregard for America's credibility in the world. That has emboldened other aggressive actors - from Chinese nationalists to Al Qaeda terrorists and Iranian theocrats.
You know, there is a long tradition in the U.S. of, um, promoting elections up to the point that you get an outcome you don't like. Look at Latin America in the Cold War.
All military regimes use security as the reason why they should remain in power. It's nothing original.
Bad officials are the ones elected by good citizens who do not vote.
Marijuana legalization's income may help fund education, prevention and treatment programs for harder drugs. What's clear is that the four-decade-old U.S.-backed war on drugs is not working, and that it's producing tens of thousands of dead across the hemisphere, without significant gains in reducing consumption. Experimenting with new weapons to weaken the cartels may be better than doing nothing.
Traitors who prevail are patriots; usurpers who succeed are divine emperors.
The government of Israel doesn't like the kinds of things I say, which puts them into the same category as every other government in the world.
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