So that was Reagan's political problem. As a rancher in California, he was an environmentalist himself. But the President of the United States doesn't control everything that happens in Washington. Brian Mulroney More Quotes by Brian Mulroney More Quotes From Brian Mulroney There are so many demands on your time, on your resources, and on the prestige of the government. Brian Mulroney demand prestige government Once you articulate an agenda, you have to follow it. Brian Mulroney agendas I can see now a vision emerging how Canada is going to profit in the future from our Arctic resources without destroying the environment on which it is all based. Brian Mulroney canada environment vision The biggest trading partner of the United States is not West Germany or Japan, it's right here. Brian Mulroney west-germany japan united-states First, President Reagan was not enthusiastic. But I built up a relationship with him in other areas and then persuaded him that this was important to us and to me, and that we had to at least be in the process of looking at this seriously. Brian Mulroney important president relationship Every cabinet minister gets a mission statement from the Prime Minister. Brian Mulroney ministers prime cabinets The Conservatives over the years have done a great deal, from Sir John A, to Diefenbaker, and others. Brian Mulroney deals done years And look, I was a big, brassy guy who won and won big. I did what I wanted. Brian Mulroney bigs guy looks It's my responsibility, and entirely my fault, Of course I regret it. It's the kind of locker-room conversation we all use, but as prime minister I shouldn't have used it. Brian Mulroney regret responsibility conversation If everything is very important, then nothing is important. Brian Mulroney then nothing everything important You accumulate political capital to spend it on noble causes for Canada. If you're afraid to spend your capital, you shouldn't be there. Brian Mulroney your you canada political We created the Cabinet Committee on the Environment to review the environmental implications of all government initiatives. I think what made us successful was the fact that it was a sustained approach. We did something new every year. Brian Mulroney new think environmental government And, of course, the fact that Maurice Strong, a Canadian, was in charge made it important for us to pull up our socks and become leaders in this field. Now, here is a field we should be a leader in! Brian Mulroney socks important strong leader My second biggest mistake in life, for which I have no one to blame but myself, is having accepted payments in cash from Karlheinz Schreiber for a mandate he gave me after I left office... My biggest mistake in life, by far, was ever agreeing to be introduced to Karlheinz Schreiber in the first place. Brian Mulroney paying-taxes mistake trying
