Gail Collins Quotes

Michelle has had to grapple with Hilary Clinton's legacy as First Lady... Michelle Obama never wants to be seen as the kind of First Lady who is overly involved in the West Wing.

Almost all first ladies have had tremendous power on personnel issues, whether the public realized it or not, whether it was Barbara Bush or Nancy Reagan or whoever.

Nancy Reagan was the Personnel Director of the White House.

The First Lady has a lot of power. I hope Hillary Clinton realizes that.

Historically, the most favorably viewed figure in any administration is the first lady, regardless of her husband's popularity. That is largely because first ladies avoid the political fray and are ritualistically presented as a warm, human presence in the White House.

The Presidents job, is not to wield power himself, but to lead attention away from it.

I feel like when I really did my research, I both came to hate Nancy Reagan more.

What is wonderful to see is how incredibly affectionate and physically affectionate Nancy Reagan was, you know? She was so on her guard, she was threatened by just about everybody.

I have very little respect for Nancy Reagan. There is something about her that is very petty.

Remember, the Congress doesn't get as many opportunities to make an impression with the public.

Todd Palin's frequent presence in the governor's office led some in Juneau to call him the 'Shadow Governor.' But it had never been clear, at least to the public, what roles he played.

Through his mastery of storytelling techniques, he has managed to separate his character, in the public mind, from his actions as president. He has, in short, mesmerized us with that steady gaze.

I don't know Laura Bush. But she seems to be calm, and she has a sparkle in her eye, which is good. But I don't know that she's ever had a real job - I mean, since she's been grown up.

You'll notice that Nancy Reagan never drinks water when Ronnie speaks.

I am genuinely independent of the big monied men in all matters where I think the interests of the public are concerned, and probably I am the first President of recent times of whom this could be truthfully said.... But where I do not grant any favors to these big monied men which I do not think the country requires that they should have, it is out of the question for me to expect them to grant favors to me in return... The sum of this is that I can make no private or special appeals to them, and I am at my wits' end how to proceed.

I'm not wild about the term “first lady.” I'd just like to be called Laura Bush

No White House staff person wants to conflict with the First Lady who goes home and has the ear of the President all night.

In my experience, endorsements by public officials, they don't count for anything.

Nancy Reagan sort of downplayed that, you know - but she was quite successful. At the time she married Ronald Reagan, I think she was keenly aware that [Reagan's first wife] Jane Wyman's career had eclipsed Ronald Reagan's, so she was very determined not to have that happen.

My Turn is the distilled bathwater of Mrs. Reagan's life. It is for the most part sweetish, with a tart edge of rebuke, but disappointingly free of dirt or particulate matter of any kind.

The way I read Billy Carter's testimony, he was a model citizen himself until the voters went and ruined his life by making his brother President.

[Nancy Reagan] took that career, that obviously mattered to her, and just tucked it away in a box, because she thought, "That's over with now. I'm going to make wifehood my career."

I think Nancy Reagan felt so judged all the time and she felt so unlovable.

Solyndra will be remembered in the history books as a sad hallmark of a newly installed administration that felt it was above the rules, lusting for positive headlines rather than focused on delivering results.

I understand what's going on in people's minds, and I think the political leaders better be asking themselves 'why is it, that Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Bernie Sanders and maybe even others are having the impact that they are having?'