11627 quotes by journalists for you to enjoy

The foundations of modern civil-rights law are exceptionally secure. Conservative judges nibble around the edges sometimes, and people still debate the constitutionality of affirmative-action programs. But almost no one seriously argues about the basic meaning or legitimacy of core civil-rights protections. Benjamin Wittes

Liberals have been overselling the threat to reproductive rights for decades. Benjamin Wittes

Rights Liberals Threat Been Decades Reproductive

I generally favor permissive abortion laws. Benjamin Wittes

Abortion Favor Laws Generally Permissive

In the world of President Trump, we really want people who aren't going to lie. We want people who can sit in front of a congressional committee for hours and, however mad they may make us, never give us reason to doubt that they are telling the truth as they see it. Benjamin Wittes

Truth Lie People World Sit Doubt President President Trump Mad Telling Telling The Truth See Give Never Hours Make However Trump Committee Front Going May Want Us Really Congressional Reason Who

I'm an unabashed apologist for strong national-security authority. That's why I might be more alarmed by Trump. Benjamin Wittes

Strong More Trump Authority Might Why

If you believe, as I do, that the scope and range of presidential authority is great, that puts a lot of weight on the civic virtue and decency of the individual who holds the office. Benjamin Wittes

Great You Decency Believe Virtue Presidential Range Civic Individual Weight Puts Scope Lot Office Authority Holds Who

The reason the FISA standard is constitutional is that the government is supposed to use FISA surveillance not for criminal investigations but for counterintelligence probes pursued under the president's authority to conduct foreign policy. Benjamin Wittes

Government President Criminal Constitutional Pursued Investigations Counterintelligence Supposed Policy Foreign Foreign Policy Conduct Surveillance Authority Use Standard Reason

I understand that a lot of people who use phrases like #resistance have found my work valuable. But my job is to look at difficult problems of national security in ways that may be useful to policymakers and the public. Benjamin Wittes

Work People Problems Valuable Job National Difficult Ways Security Phrases Like Look Policymakers Understand Lot National Security May Public Use Useful Who Found Resistance

Eric Holder is a decent man. Benjamin Wittes

Man Eric Decent Decent Man Holder

We should never again have an attorney general capable of saying virtually nothing as the law of major intelligence programs and the integrity of his department's work in overseeing these programs are assailed over a protracted period of time. Benjamin Wittes

Work Saying Time Integrity Intelligence Law Nothing Programs Virtually General Never Over Major Attorney Attorney General Period Protracted His Overseeing Department Again Capable Should

We should stop thinking of Snowden, to the extent that we ever were, as a hero. We should stop thinking of him as a whistleblower. Benjamin Wittes

Hero Thinking Him Were Snowden Stop Should Ever Extent

Good intelligence analysis, after all, is all about discrimination between what's important and what's not. Benjamin Wittes

Good Intelligence Important Analysis About Between Discrimination After

It is possible for great nations to rot from within. Benjamin Wittes

Great Possible Great Nations Within Nations Rot

I have fiercely criticized both the Bush administration's counterterrorism policies and the Obama administration's - and fiercely defended both as well. Benjamin Wittes

Obama Administration Criticized Both Counterterrorism Well Policies Bush Fiercely Defended

In any long string of letters, one can find countless anomalies that will seem like convincing proofs of hidden meaning to the mind that wants to believe that the text is somehow special. Numerological tricks, for example, can demonstrate that William Shakespeare wrote the 'King James Bible.' Benjamin Wittes

Bible Mind Will King Example Long Believe String Hidden William Tricks Find Seem Somehow Shakespeare Countless Like For Example Wrote Demonstrate Text Any James Wants Meaning Convincing Special Letters

Once upon a time, science, philosophy, and theology were disciplines largely undifferentiated from one another, and proving the existence of God was a fairly commonplace intellectual exercise. But as the scientific method became increasingly refined, particularly through the nineteenth century, science and religion grew apart. Benjamin Wittes

God Time Religion Science Increasingly Once Nineteenth Philosophy Nineteenth Century Through Particularly Fairly Another Became Exercise Disciplines Scientific Scientific Method Method Were Existence Intellectual Refined Proving Grew Apart Commonplace Century Theology Largely

The quickest way to detect a cult is to sniff for doublethink. The cult seeks control over its membership not by providing a coherent theological system but by providing the opposite: an unstable theology infinitely malleable to the needs of the cult's top echelon and uninterpretable at all times to anyone below that level. Benjamin Wittes

Needs Control Top Way System Membership Detect Seeks Unstable Over Cult Opposite Providing Malleable Quickest Way Sniff Times Infinitely Anyone Theological Theology Level Coherent Below

It used to be that what was going to be written on my tombstone was 'Benjamin Wittes, former 'Washington Post' editorial writer,' or 'Benjamin Wittes, who wasn't even a lawyer.' Now it's just, like, 'Benjamin Wittes, who's a friend of Jim Comey's.' Benjamin Wittes

Post Lawyer Jim Writer Written Like Editorial Friend Going Just Former Used Who Even Washington Washington Post Now Tombstone

While I oppose the death penalty as a policy matter, in a legal culture in which we reserve the right to execute people for relatively routine street crimes, it seems quite absurd for the justice system to get squeamish about executing the operational masterminds of Sept. 11. Benjamin Wittes

Death Justice Legal Culture People Matter Oppose Crimes Relatively Penalty System About Seems Absurd Execute Executing Policy Operational Death Penalty Get Quite Which While Sept Reserve Street Routine Right

Fame - anyone who says he doesn't like it is crazy. Bennett Cerf

Crazy Says He Like Fame Famous Anyone Who

Once, when a British Prime Minister sneezed, men half a world away would blow their noses. Now when a British Prime Minister sneezes nobody else will even say 'Bless You'. Bernard Levin

Quotes by Journalists