Richard Armitage Quotations

The war we are fighting today against terrorism is a multifaceted fight. We have to use every tool in our toolkit to wage this war - diplomacy, finance, intelligence, law enforcement, and of course, military power - and we are developing new tools as we go along.

I don't know if, at the end of the day, how brave Saddam Hussein would be if he were stripped of his bodyguards and everything else.

Ive never been that cute kid that was forgiven for being naughty.

Since real spies are so good, you never really know what actual spying is. But I do think spying is a lot more dangerous than we are led to believe.

As far as this citizen is concerned, the decision to commit men and women, who are also sons and daughters, to combat is an extraordinarily important one, and not to be done to just feel good; to be done to absolutely accomplish a mission.

A terrorist is one who kills innocents for the pursuit of a political aim.

Be prepared to be bombed. Be prepared to go back to the Stone Age.

I think there was a pretty smooth hand-off from the administration of President Clinton to the administration of President Bush, particularly in the counterterrorism area. The reason I say that is because there was, for transitions, I think a stunning continuity.

Let's be clear: Neither Secretary Powell or I opposed the notion of removing Saddam Hussein by force, but we wanted to avoid the war if we could. But if we couldn't, the notion of removing Saddam Hussein from the scene seemed eminently sensible, given that you had, what, 16 or so U.N. Security Council resolutions basically saying the same thing.

Let's face it, the Obama administration was handed a pretty poor deal from the previous administration.

North Korea is not an insane nation. It is not a crazy nation.

I think insanity is the hardest thing to play.

True satisfaction and true justice, in my belief, will only come for Americans, and for that matter now for Spaniards and Turks and Saudis and Moroccans, when we put an end to terrorism.

Whenever you're out of town, no matter modern communications, you feel a little bit out of touch.

We've had Saudis and Jordanians and Pakistanis who have - and Syrians - who have been involved in armed attacks against coalition forces in Iraq.

What could be better in al-Qaeda's mind than to have India and Pakistan going at each other? What more to further their aims?

You can spend a bit of yourself when you give yourself to a character. At the end of a job, you have to remind yourself who and what you are.

I must say I've rarely been described as 'diplomat.

I think most conflicts do end with negotiated settlements; some don't, but most do.

I think what Osama bin Laden does is to take the fact that some peoples lack hope and lack opportunity, and twist it to his own ends.

Whatever I lack in talent I have in stamina.

I think, as a general matter, clearly, the United States globally supports the development of democracy and the democratic yearnings of all people.

Adults will not necessarily laugh at the same thing as their children.

I value my ability to keep state secrets.

Do people really think that about my nose? I spent my whole life hating it, so its amusing that people like it!

Iran has interest in seeing that the Shia population of Iraq basically adhere to a line that comes from Iran.

The development of weapons of mass destruction and the missiles to carry them would be a very destabilizing effect, should Iran be able to accomplish that.

There are many countries who have traditionally sponsored terrorism. Iraq is one, though it appears the majority of the terrorism committed by Saddam Hussein is on his own citizens. Iran in this regard. Syria, with their close support of Hezbollah, is noteworthy in this respect.

On the question of whether we will have missile talks about missile defense with North Korea -- right now, we are not talking with them about anything, but I suspect in the near future we will,

I would be apoplectic if I was still in the Department of State and this had happened. It kind of shows a more lackadaisical attitude than I think is warranted because we do have a close relationship.

Now, whether it is the mobile labs or weapons disguised as industry, we are finding ... that the capabilities were even more dispersed and disguised than we had thought,

Obviously this was suspected by American authorities for some time and I think it is what it is,

looks to me like somehow the multinational force didn't stay on top of this.

Secretary Clinton has dramatically changed the face of U.S. foreign policy globally for the good. But I wish she had been unleashed more by the White House.

I would not suggest the U.S. should sit down with the North Koreans bilaterally immediately after they've fired missiles - because the appearance is that you reward bad behavior. But if North Korea behaves for some period of time, I would pretty much favor direct talks.

I found it nothing to stop the trip for.

From our point of view, the fact of the matter is that all violence has got to end.

I am cautiously optimistic that the process begun by the act of statesmanship by the prime minister of India could possibly lead to a step-by-step process that would eventually resolve all issues,

There is a growing recognition about China as a power in the ascent, and there is a question out there about what China will do with their new ascension.

President Bush has made no such determination as yet. We and hopefully the international community will keep the pressure on,

I think that although we say we don't want to be the policeman of the world and et cetera, when 911 is dialed, it's the United States that has to answer the call.

I think that Vietnam, many of us who served in Vietnam thought that was very wasteful, and to what end? To what end? What were we really there for? What were we really fighting for?

You know, there's a real irony in U.S. assistance programs. First of all, I think it's misnamed. We're not so much trying to help people as we're trying to help ourselves. So let's be clear about this. So these are - in my view, they're cold calculations of national security and not aid programs.

We know that after September 11, there were still terrorists around. We do get continuing information that they're intent on causing some damage and harm to not only U.S. interests but allied interests.

We have to seize the moment, ... probe the minds of the Pakistanis and Indians to see if there is not a way to lower the temperature.

we must not forget how much is at stake here at home and around the world.

I would not suggest the U.S. should sit down with the North Koreans bilaterally immediately after they've fired missiles - because the appearance is that you reward bad behavior. But if North Korea behaves for some period of time, I would pretty much favor direct talks.

We have received a variety of messages from North Korea in recent months and it seems to me that the general thrust is that they would welcome a visit by assistant secretary (James) Kelly,

There are ways to pursue political change. In a democracy, it's through the ballot box. There are other ways, and many democracies have many different systems of democracy.

When President Bush expressed his deep disgust and regret, it wasn't just his personal reaction as a man of principle, it was also his reaction as the head of state of a country that holds itself to a higher standard both at home and in our conduct in the world.

Yes, and it's generally on. And I won't tell you what it's on,

We are prepared to meet again in the future, but only if that would serve U.S. interests.

We believe that's the best opportunity we have to get Saddam Hussein to disarm.

didn't get what information that did exist out to the public.

I very much appreciate and support the prime minister's statement,

U.S. assistance provides the Jordanian government needed flexibility to pursue policies that are of critical importance to U.S. national security and to foreign policy objectives in the Middle East.

The terrible bombing here in Riyadh today showed the wisdom of that decision.

North Korea is one of the major proliferators and it appears that they are busy proliferating again,

This is not a problem that we can turn away from, ... We must be prepared to face it. We must not let the sensible reluctance to fight drive us into wishful thinking.

absolutely delighted with the state of our relations with the People's Republic of China.

It's quite clear that there will be some actions on the part of India responding to the messages I brought

The campaign against terrorism is going to be global and it's going to be long and there's reason to expect there will be difficulties along the way.

I just don't think we had the imagination required to consider a tragedy of this magnitude.

the type of thing that gives us the enthusiasm that Iraqis are making a decision that they are going to have a future and they are going to be involved in all of the meaningful activities of the world.

The evidence of Saddam Hussein's programs is likely to be spread across many hundreds and even possibly thousands of sites in Iraq. It is going to take us months to find this material, but find it we will,

The confidence with which (the) president is moving forward seemed to indicate to me the extent to which there are tensions, and there are, they're manageable,

It's a keen reminder that enough is enough,

I'd say that, to be a good deal maker, you have to have 3 basic characteristics - timing, timing, and timing.

I'd have described myself as a Tolkien reader before this, but now I'd describe myself as a Tolkien geek.

I can't bear shopping. I can choose clothes for my characters, but not for myself. I've got no dress sense. Or I've lost it.

I have an accountant, obviously, because I'm self employed, and I use an independent financial adviser. I trust my accountant because we have worked together for a long time now.

It's hilarious to be considered a sex symbol. In school I was a beanpole with a nose I hadn't grown into. Being thought of as sexy makes one employable, but it's not going to last forever, so I try not to think about it. It's like something that exists outside of me.

I think when I close my eyes what I think is 4,500 days or so, 4,250 I guess days, was long enough to give Iraq to come into compliance with the international order. And I think to myself how many Iraqi citizens died under the brutal regime of Saddam Hussein during those 4,200 odd days, and I think to myself how many more citizens of how many nations, the United States, Israel, or any other neighbor would die if Saddam Hussein went unchecked, though I am just grieved by the sacrifice of our brave men and women, but I think ultimately the greater good is served.

I think if I had come out of drama school and been an instant Hollywood superstar, I would be taking long, leisurely holidays.

I never like to go out of character when filming starts. I fear that if I do, I might not be able to pick it up again.

It fills me with dismay sometimes when you look at the scripts that do come to you that are primarily focused on violence. There are so many other things to play around with.

I can work hard and be disciplined like a soldier, but I could never reach their level of fitness. I have a strange appreciation of soldiers. I saw myself on screen and thought, 'That body is so not hard enough to be a soldier.'

I'm probably more of a new man. I'm not particularly alpha. 'Nourish and nurture' are my watchwords as opposed to 'search and destroy'.

Well, I think finding the weapons of mass destruction is going to be quite time consuming. I know we've uncovered some documents, we'll have to exploit them, and we're going to have to blanket a country the size of California and search, I think, quite rigorously, but we'll come up with them.

The CIA estimates that Iraq probably has a few hundred metric tons of chemical weapons agents, for mustard gas, sarin, and other deadly concoctions. This is addition to an extensive capacity to produce biological weapons, including anthrax and ricin, which is fatal within 24 to 36 hours of exposure.

Today, Iraq is an immediate danger to our nation. This time, we cannot wait. We cannot wait for Saddam Hussein to take a devastating action or to transfer a weapon of mass destruction to someone else who will. After September 11th, it is simply no longer an option to sit back and contemplate an enemy - one with a stated intent to harm us, a track record and the means, and just wait for him to strike in order to protect ourselves.

The bad guys have all the fun!

U.S. assistance provides the Jordanian government needed flexibility to pursue policies that are of critical importance to U.S. national security and to foreign policy objectives in the Middle East.

I'd say that, to be a good deal maker, you have to have three basic characteristics - timing, timing, and timing.

According to the United Nations Special Commission [UNSCOM], which carried out inspections in Iraq for the better part of a decade, Iraq possesses some 25,000 liters of anthrax. This is, for the record, more than 5 million teaspoons of anthrax. And we have no idea where any of it is. Saddam Hussein has never accounted for one grain of it.

The inspectors also found Iraq had developed effective means for dispersing these materials: unmanned aerial vehicles, spray devices, special munitions. We don't know where any of it is. And the last 60 days of new inspections have turned up no additional information that could allay any concerns about this military capability.

What we said publicly is that we know that Saddam Hussein has chemical weapons, he's used them; we know about his biological weapons programs; and in the nuclear equation, left to his own devices, with no fissile material, by the end of the decade, he'll have a nuclear weapon. But if fissile material is provided to Saddam Hussein, he'll have a nuclear weapon within a year, so I'd say the year is the outside timetable.

Our President feels, and apparently many in the United Nations Security Council feel, that it is necessary to disarm Iraq before Iraq can again use weapons of mass destruction on her neighbors or she makes some liaison with terrorists who will use these weapons either against Iraq's neighbors or ourselves.

Well, the United States has said that the disarmament of Iraq is the top priority, but we have also noted that there are many other United Nations Security Council Resolutions which are on the books, including the necessity to respect the human rights of all the citizens of Iraq that we're very interested in.

Well, first of all, I have to say that Iraq has already used weapons of mass destruction against her own people and against Iranians during their long war, so we know that weapons of mass destruction are existent with the Iraqis.

Once you don't smile on film, they say, 'Let's have that bloke who doesn't smile.'

Diplomacy is much more than just talking to your friends... You've got to talk to people who aren't our friends, and even people you dislike.

I know what Twitter is; I don't use it. I don't use Facebook, so luckily, it does zero to my ego.

I'm not interested in building wealth, which is kind of naive and probably frowned on, living in America. It's something that people don't necessarily understand, but if I die poor, I die poor.

I feel like my imagination was crafted by Tolkien. He seemed to tap into that childhood intrigue of secret doors and hidden worlds.

I have a bit of pride, which is always my downfall.

Tolkien was, I believe, writing about his experience in the First and Second World Wars, where he would have spent a lot of time without any female contact. He was part of the fellowship of men who went to war, and I think, really, that's what he's writing about.

I come from very conservative parents, and we weren't particularly wealthy, but we were comfortable.

I love being grungy and dirty.

Trying to please everyone can be very hard, but, like Shrek or The Simpsons, Robin Hood manages to entertain adults and children at the same time, but in different ways.