Lincoln Chafee

“Let me ask you: Should only children of the wealthy have access to quality early education? Should only children of the wealthy have access to a college degree? The answer - the only answer - is: no.”

“A strong, educated middle class is what made America the greatest country in the world.”

“Trust is built with consistency.”

“The lack of fiscal responsibility is one of the main reasons I finally left my old Party.”

“In the world of diplomacy, some things are better left unsaid.”

“I remember my Republican Party as fiscally conservative, as caring about the environment.”

“I was born in 1953, so that's the Eisenhower administration.”

“I had supported Governor George W. Bush over Senator John McCain in the 2000 Rhode Island presidential primary.”

“President Obama knows that wars are not to be entered into lightly; he knows that overseas conflicts don't only do damage in the land in which they are fought, but in the land of those who fight them, as well.”

“Reform of the medical liability system should be considered as part of a comprehensive response to surging medical malpractice premiums that endanger Americans' access to quality medical care.”

“On the issues that I care deeply about - the environment, Roe vs. Wade, the war in Iraq, with no weapons of mass destruction, the tax cuts that are now leading to deficits, I've got some deep issues with the president.”

“As a former Republican, I represent a group of Americans who all too often have no one to speak for them. This group doesn't necessarily have a name. We've been called 'moderates,' but that term can be misleading.”

“Well, usually when you talk about a mandate, you're talking about an overwhelming win. I don't think by any measurement the 2004 election was an overwhelming win.”

“America stood at the summit of power, emerging from the Cold War as an economic, cultural and military force without equal.”

“In the executive branch, winning by a whisker is as good as winning in a landslide, but not so in the Senate.”

“Anger's not a good emotion.”

“American education is still the wonder of the world, and we must open the schoolhouse doors, not close them.”

“Israelis can be proud of the vibrant democracy that they have created, and I know that many Rhode Islanders share my deep appreciation for the close friendship between our two nations.”

“Students of America, working families of America: President Obama will not turn his back on you.”

“I worry about 10, 15, 20, 25 years down the road. Where are we going to be in this age of nuclear weapons, where there is no margin for error?”