“People didn't have the political guts to stand up against an American war.”
War
“There is a strong tendency in the United States to rally round the flag and their troops, no matter how mistaken the war.”
WarAll Quotes by George McGovern
“My dad was a Methodist minister.”
Dad“I think it was my study of history that convinced me that the Democratic Party was more on the side of the average American.”
History“When I was a youngster growing up in South Dakota, we never referred to the national debt, it was always referred to as the war debt because it stemmed from World War I.”
War“I wish I had known more firsthand about the concerns and problems of American businesspeople while I was a U.S. senator and later a presidential nominee. That knowledge would have made me a better legislator and a more worthy aspirant to the White House.”
Knowledge“I think the country's getting disgusted with Washington partly because of the decline of civility in government.”
Government“It is not patriotic to commit young Americans to war unless our national security clearly requires it.”
War“The truth is that I oppose the Iraq war, just as I opposed the Vietnam War, because these two conflicts have weakened the U.S. and diminished our standing in the world and our national security.”
Truth“I thought the Vietnam war was an utter, unmitigated disaster, so it was very hard for me to say anything good about it.”
War“Well, we ought to be stirred, even to tears, by society's ills.”
Society“I always thought of myself as a moderate liberal, a fighter for peace and justice. I never thought of myself as being all that far out.”
Peace“I've come to realize that protecting freedom of choice in our everyday lives is essential to maintaining a healthy civil society.”
Freedom“Politics is an act of faith you have to show some kind of confidence in the intellectual and moral capacity of the public.”
Faith“I hope I live long enough to see every hungry school child in the world being fed under the so-called McGovern-Dole program.”
Hope“There is a strong tendency in the United States to rally round the flag and their troops, no matter how mistaken the war.”
War“I did frequently refer to my war record in World War II, but not in any flamboyant way.”
War“When I was in the war, I was lucky that I was in a plane and never saw the carnage close-up.”
War“I hope someday we will be able to proclaim that we have banished hunger in the United States, and that we've been able to bring nutrition and health to the whole world.”
Health“I make one pledge above all others - to seek and speak the truth with all the resources of mind and spirit I command.”
Truth“I was the guy who was constantly speaking out against the Vietnam War. I have no regrets about that.”
War