Nixon's paranoia went up a great deal after he lost in 1960, partly because he felt the Kennedys had used dirty tricks to defeat him, he felt the Kennedys were better at dirty tricks than he was in 1960. And he was probably not wrong about that. The Kennedys played hardball. And [his brother] Bobby Kennedy was probably smarter about dirty tricks in 1960 than Richard Nixon was. I say that having written a biography of Bobby Kennedy.

Evan Thomas

More Quotes by Evan Thomas
Categorized in : Top News
More Quotes From Evan Thomas
As a farmer, you learn quick: You don't get anything that you don... by Evan Thomas

As a farmer, you learn quick: You don't get anything that you don't work hard for.

Evan Thomas
farmers hard hard-work

The media, I think, wants Kerry to win. And I think they're going to portray Kerry and Edwards - I'm talking about the establishment media, not Fox - but they're going to portray - they're going to portray Kerry and Edwards as the young and dynamic and optimistic and all this. There's going to be this glow about them this summer, that is going to be worth - collective glow, the two of them, that's going to be worth maybe 15 points.

Evan Thomas
media winning thinking

American boys should not be seen dying on the nightly news. Wars should be over in three days or less, or before Congress invokes the War Powers Resolution.

Evan Thomas
dying boys war

There is a liberal bias. It's demonstrable. You look at some statistics. About 85 percent of the reporters who cover the White House vote Democratic, they have for a long time. There is a, particularly at the networks, at the lower levels, among the editors and the so-called infrastructure, there is a liberal bias.

Evan Thomas
editors white long

With grace and a keen appreciation of human nature, Nicholas Thompson has written a revealing, moving history of the Cold War through two fascinating men.

Evan Thomas
appreciation war moving

Great historians can make the discovery of the real story more exciting than the romantic myth. Stacy Schiff, a great historian as well as a wonderful writer, peels away the layers to reveal the true Cleopatraa much more interesting woman than the Hollywood version and, as it turns out, a formidable queen after all.

Evan Thomas
queens real discovery

We're understanding what Obama is. He is the great teacher. He is this guy that stands above everybody. There's some condescension in it, but he stands above everybody and says, 'Now, listen. You people have to stop blaming each other unreasonably. You have to get along here and I am going to show you the way.' It is a pretty brave role in many ways.

Evan Thomas
guy teacher people

I don't think the Republicans would appreciate the comparison, but they're exactly like the Labor Party in England in the 1970s. They're letting their extremists take them straight down. The same thing is going to happen - they had to disappear for a while and when they reinvented themselves they did it with moderates, they did it with Tony Blair.

Evan Thomas
appreciate party thinking
I mean, in a way, Obama's standing above the country, above — abo... by Evan Thomas

I mean, in a way, Obama's standing above the country, above — above the world, he's sort of God.

Evan Thomas
mean country world

Rush Limbaugh is good for the party. Drive it all the way down, take it down as low as it can go, make complete fools of themselves, because it's always darkest before the dawn, and then maybe a moderate can come in and rescue them.

Evan Thomas
party dawn way

Bush's life is that a fundamentally decent man presided over a moment when politics got meaner and rougher. '88 was the year of the handler, of bringing in political consultants who played very hard and very tough.

Evan Thomas
political men years

A Lincolnesque leader is confident enough to be humble - to not feel the need to bluster or dominate, but to be sufficiently sure of one's own judgment and self-worth to really listen and not be threatened by contrary advice.

Evan Thomas
self-worth leadership humble

Wars should be over in three days or less...and the American people must be all for it from the outset.

Evan Thomas
war peace people

I worry that Nixon would have responded precipitously, and been more likely to order a military strike, nixon's language at the time was quite interventionist and hawkish. ... That makes me worry that he might have tried to invade Cuba.

Evan Thomas
top-news
Kennedy allowed himself to be bullied by Khrushchev [in Vienna] a... by Evan Thomas

Kennedy allowed himself to be bullied by Khrushchev [in Vienna] and he regretted it.

Evan Thomas
top-news

I think it's likely he would have continued his womanizing ways and possibly he would have gotten caught and exposed.

Evan Thomas
top-news

The great mystery of Nixon was why he thought -- continued to think -- he wasn't going to get caught, same mystery for Mrs. Clinton: What makes her think she's not going to get somehow caught up in a scandal?

Evan Thomas
politics
Victory must be assured in advance. And the American public must... by Evan Thomas

Victory must be assured in advance. And the American public must be all for it from the outset.

Evan Thomas
public american must victory