There is no plausible theory under which the record of the Pentagon Papers can be interpreted as relating to the national defense.
The public is strongly in favor of the Kyoto Protocols, so strongly in favor that a majority of Bush voters thought that he was in favor of it. They are simply unaware.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Chomsky suggests that public support for environmental treaties is misaligned with political actions, revealing a disconnect between voters and their leaders.
In this quote, Noam Chomsky highlights a significant gap between public opinion and political reality, particularly regarding the Kyoto Protocols, which aimed to combat climate change. He points out that even those who vote for leaders against such environmental measures often mistakenly believe their leaders support them, indicating a lack of awareness and understanding of the policies and their implications.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a speech advocating for greater transparency in political leadership.
More from Noam Chomsky
All quotes →The 'free-floating intellectual' may occupy himself with problems because of their inherent interest and importance, perhaps to little effect.
If you're teaching today what you were teaching five years ago, either the field is dead or you are.
There are very few people who are going to look into the mirror and say, 'That person I see is a savage monster;' instead, they make up some construction that justifies what they do.
The Republican Party has become overwhelmingly so extreme that it's hardly a traditional political party anymore.
There is still much debate about whether torture has been effective in eliciting information - the assumption being, apparently, that if it is effective, then it may be justified.
Similar quotes
The abortion cases produced an enormous amount of mail to my chambers, vastly more than to the other chambers, I am sure. I sometimes thought there wasn't a woman in the United States who didn't write me a letter on one side or the other of that issue.
My fellow Americans, all of us in this grand hall and everybody watching at home, when we vote in this election, we'll be deciding what kind of country we want to live in. If you want a winner-take-all, you're-on-your-own society, you should support the Republican ticket. But if you want a country of shared opportunities and shared responsibility, a we're-all-in-this-together society, you should vote for Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
Political experience is political inefficacy.
Our democracy is not a product but a continual process. It is preserved not by monuments but deeds. Sometimes it needs refining; sometimes it needs amending; sometimes it needs defending. Always, it needs improving.
I don't think it's at all weakening of the system if people with the same last name put themselves forward to the electorate, when their experiences, their character, and in my case, gender, may be different.
The preeminent obstacle to peace is Israel's colonization of Palestine.