“I once described myself as the most optimistic man in America. Life has taught me to put my faith in the uncounted millions who may never run for office, pass a bill, or craft a sound bite, but who fight our wars and embody the ideals worth fighting for. My contemporaries have been called the greatest generation. It's not a title we bestowed on ourselves, any more than we asked for the hand that history dealt us in our youth. Now I belong to a disappearing generation, perhaps five million in all, forever bonded by the tests we faced so long ago.”
“I mean, there's always somebody in somebody's administration who jumps out early, sells a book, and goes after the guy who hired him, ... I don't know if that's good. It may be good business; it's not good politics.”
“Time has already been lost, and further delays in signing this agreement can only work to the benefit of (Yugoslav President) Slobodan Milosevic, whose aggressive policies threaten the entire region.”
“no more verbally incomprehensible; no more devoid of the vision thing; and no more the cautious pragmatist proudly displaying the virtues of tradition and the advantages of biological seniority.”
“I want again to remind everybody that Slobodan Milosevic is the problem... His troops are stepping up hostile operations in Kosovo and once the Albanian leadership signs this agreement we can turn our full attention to Belgrade,”
“[For me, it was also a good time to reflect on World War II because some of my relatives who were in Chicago lived through that awful war. As former Sen. Bob Dole also reminded me the other day, it's hard to believe it's been nearly 60 years since the end of the war.] No, ... I can't believe it.”
