Richard Armitage Quotes & Sayings

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

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

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? — Richard Armitage

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? — Richard Armitage

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. — Richard Armitage

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

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. — Richard Armitage

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

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. — Richard Armitage

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. — Richard Armitage

I value my ability to keep state secrets. — Richard Armitage

Unfortunately, my love life is nil. I'm working too much - but I would like to settle down at some point. — Richard Armitage

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. — Richard Armitage

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. — Richard Armitage

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. — Richard Armitage

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. — Richard Armitage

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. — Richard Armitage

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'. — Richard Armitage

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. — Richard Armitage

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. — Richard Armitage

The problem with me is I read everything, but it's only the bad stuff that stays with me. It's weird, you only need to be told something once and it stays with you. — Richard Armitage

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. — Richard Armitage

I'm the only honest person in Washington. — Richard Armitage

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. — Richard Armitage

Be prepared to be bombed. Be prepared to go back to the Stone Age. — Richard Armitage

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. — Richard Armitage

You have to remove your human sentiment when it comes to greed and the accumulation of wealth. — Richard Armitage

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

But finding these 16 warheads just raises a basic question: Where are the other 29,984? Because that is how many empty chemical warheads the U.N. Special Commission estimated he had - and he has never accounted for. — Richard Armitage

I did mega-training with ex-military men. I'd be in the gym for two hours after a 12-hour day on Spooks, and it was so hardcore I'd throw up. I stuffed myself with food and drank protein shakes to bulk up. I used to be a dancer, but I had to strap my weak ankles every day and strengthen my wrists so I could hold a machine gun. My body just wasn't up to it. — Richard Armitage

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. — Richard Armitage

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

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. — Richard Armitage

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. — Richard Armitage

There is no sign, not one sign, that the Iraqi regime has any intent to comply fully with the terms of Resolution 1441, just as it has failed to comply with previous U.N. Security Council resolutions. The international community gave Iraq one final opportunity to disarm peacefully, and that opportunity has run its course. Dr. Blix [Chief U.N. Weapons Inspector] told us on Monday that there has been no progress toward credible, verifiable disarmament. — Richard Armitage

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. — Richard Armitage

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. — Richard Armitage

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. — Richard Armitage

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. — Richard Armitage

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

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

North Korea is not an insane nation. It is not a crazy nation. — Richard Armitage

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. — Richard Armitage

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. — Richard Armitage

The bad guys have all the fun! — Richard Armitage

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

I must say I've rarely been described as 'diplomat.' — Richard Armitage

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. — Richard Armitage

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. — Richard Armitage

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. — Richard Armitage

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. — Richard Armitage

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. — Richard Armitage