A biography for Joe Sestakhasn’t been written yet.
“I want to restore U.S. leadership within a rules-based liberal world order that collectively holds nations accountable for their illiberal behavior, whether in foreign or domestic spheres.”
“When there's no light at the end of the tunnel, it's hard to keep things going.”
“We must end semi-automatic weapons that are used for war. We don't want those in the streets of America and that's why I've got to go to the people on this, not just the elected representatives and Senate, just like I did in my district.”
“I have seen how payday lenders and check cashing outfits set up in towns around military bases to take advantage of young service members, whose starting salaries are barely over $20,000 per year.”
“Certainly, the JCPOA was not a perfect agreement. It did not deal with the threat from Iranian missiles, or their support for violent extremism. And it contains a 'sunset clause,' meaning it expires after a decade. But it was accomplishing the one goal it set out to achieve: stopping Iran from developing nuclear weapons.”
“How do you govern by captaining the ship? How do you win without the trust of the crew?”
“Launching a ground war against Iran would require hundreds of thousands of troops for a 'regime change followed by nation-building' operation, as we attempted in Iraq. Iran has a much more modern military, more than double Iraq's population, and almost four times the landmass.”
“Executive privilege is nowhere to be found in the Constitution, and thus is a very limited principle.”
“I'm a guy that verifies before he trusts.”
“The way forward in the Middle East, as it has been around the world and throughout history, is communication. There must be direct talks between the Israelis and Palestinians, mediated by the United States.”
“There are too many who have not shared in the benefits of this economy.”
“I fought for the rule of law in America.”
“I don't look at Israel through the prism of running an election.”
“Warfare has changed so dramatically.”
“For far too long we have continued to mark our military prowess by the size of our forces: believing that numbers of ships, planes, and brigades is what most matters - just like during the Cold War.”
“I believe in national service, where you can join AmeriCorps or the military.”
“Nobody under 40 carries a comb.”
“Amateurs do tactics, experts do logistics, as we learn in the military.”
“The United States must ensure that Iran does not attain nuclear weapons, as this poses a direct threat to our interests, including Israel, and would in all likelihood provoke a regional arms race.”
“I understand the challenge with student loans. But what about the labor force, the enlisted men and women, so to speak, of ships. Those who work with their hands and their minds. We need to do what we do in the military, is we train and retrain.”