I would have been glad to have lived under my wood side and to have kept a flock of sheep rather than to have undertaken this government.

I decided I ought to pick a project that would not be controversial that would not really cost the government a lot of money.

I think its rather peculiar. It's not in keeping with our founding documents our founding vision. But I'd guess you'd have to ask the Obama administration why they purged all this language from their platform. There sure is a lot of mention of government so I guess I would put the onus on them to answer why they did all these purges of God.

We are all representatives of the American people. We all do town hall meetings. We all talk to our constituents. And I've got to tell you the American people are engaged. And if you think they want a government takeover of health care I would respectfully submit you're not listening to them.

I want anyone who believes in life liberty pursuit of happiness to succeed. And I want any force any person any element of an overarching Big Government that would stop your success I want that organization that element or that person to fail. I want you to succeed.

People forget... that we structured it so that the government or the people would be repaid with a really good rate of return. And as it turns out that aspect of TARP that's what happened.

It would be foolish to suggest that government is a good custodian of aesthetic goals. But there is no alternative to the state.

What is government itself but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? If men were angels no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary.

I would not give half a guinea to live under one form of government other than another. It is of no moment to the happiness of an individual.

We all hoped in 2001 that we could put in place an Afghan government under President Karzai that would be able to control the country make sure al-Qaeda didn't come back and make sure the Taliban wasn't resurging. It didn't work out.