4. "What they'll say is, 'Well it costs too much money,' but you know what? It would cost, about... It it would cost about the same as what we would spend. It... Over the course of 10 years it would cost what it would costs us. (nervous laugh) All right. Okay. We're going to do it. It would cost us about the same as it would cost for about... hold on one second. I can't hear myself. But I'm glad you're fired up, though. I'm glad."
Spoken by Barack Obama at a town hall meeting in Bristol, Virginia on June 5, 2008. I haven't found a complete transcript of this event, but video of the occasion confirms that the wording above is a fair representation of what Obama actually said (at about 36 minutes in). Not included in the transcription are repeated outbursts from an audience member.
5. "The reforms we seek would bring greater competition, choice, savings and inefficiencies to our health care system."
Spoken by Barack Obama in a speech on health care reform at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. on July 20, 2009:
The reforms we seek would bring greater competition, choice, savings, and inefficiencies to our health care system, and greater stability and security to America's families and businesses. For the average American, it will mean lower costs, more options, and coverage you can count on. It will save you and your family money, if we have a more efficient health care system.
(Source: Transcript provided by the White House)
6. "I bowled a 129. It's like — it was like the Special Olympics, or something."
Spoken by Barack Obama on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, March 19, 2009:
OBAMA: I have been practicing bowling.
LENO: Really.
OBAMA: I bowled a 129.
LENO: That's very good, Mr. President.
OBAMA: It was like Special Olympics or something.(Source: Video provided by Politico.com)
7. "Of the many responsibilities granted to a president by our Constitution, few are more serious or more consequential than selecting a Supreme Court justice. The members of our highest court are granted life tenure, often serving long after the presidents who appointed them. And they are charged with the vital task of applying principles put to paper more than 20 centuries ago to some of the most difficult questions of our time."
Spoken by Barack Obama during a White House press conference introducing Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor on May 26, 2009. Passage is an exact quote.
(Source: Audio recording and transcript provided by NPR.org)
8. "Everybody knows that it makes no sense that you send a kid to the emergency room for a treatable illness like asthma, they end up taking up a hospital bed, it costs, when, if you, they just gave, you gave them treatment early and they got some treatment, and a, a breathalyzer, or inhalator, not a breathalyzer. I haven't had much sleep in the last 48 hours.
Spoken by Barack Obama at a town hall meeting in Bristol, Virginia on June 5, 2008. I haven't found a complete transcript of this event, but video of the occasion confirms that the wording above is a fair representation of what Obama actually said (at about 41 min., 50 sec. in).
9. "It was interesting to see that political interaction in Europe is not that different from the United States Senate. There's a lot of, I don't know what the term is in Austrian, wheeling and dealing."
Spoken by Barack Obama at a press conference during the NATO Summit in Strasbourg, France on April 4, 2009:
It was also interesting to see that political interaction in Europe is not that different from the United States Senate. There's a lot of — I don't know what the term is in Austrian — wheeling and dealing — and, you know, people are pursuing their interests, and everybody has their own particular issues and their own particular politics.
(Source: Transcript provided by the American Presidency Project)
10. "I have made good judgments in the past. I have made good judgments in the future."
Spoken by Republican vice-presidential candidate Dan Quayle at a campaign event in 1988:
I believe that I've made good judgments in the past, and I think I've made good judgments in the future.In addition to President Obama, this quotation has been incorrectly attributed to George W. Bush, Al Gore, and Sen. John Kerry.
I haven't found a reliable citation that includes the exact date and location of the statement, but it does appear in a video montage of verbal gaffes committed by Vice-President Dan Quayle. A more coherent version was quoted by Los Angeles Times reporter Cathleen Decker in an article published Oct. 16, 1998:
Like a true believer reciting his dogma, Quayle repeatedly these days calls attention to his instincts and judgment — two issues central to his acceptance by voters.
"I think I've made good judgments in the past," he said. "I'm convinced I'll make good judgments as we go along."
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Last updated 03/13/12
