Richard A. Clarke Quotes

I think the American people believe in stopping and preventing terrorism pretty much at any cost.

We are in a war on terrorism. We need to conduct that war and take it to the terrorists, not here at home.

Fighting terrorists does not require half a trillion dollars worth of conventional and nuclear forces.

In 2001, terrorism was fought in a completely different way.

I know the pain of having to deal with terrorism. And that's why, after 9-11, I was one of the first to join the international coalition to fight terrorism.

America decided we were going to stand by and let Americans die at the hands of terrorists a long time ago.

We can fight the War on Terrorism in other places around the world or we can fight it here in America. The right choice is to fight those terrorists where they are.

We have an obligation to go after Al Qaeda wherever they are.

The primary goal of the War on Terror is to prevent an attack from happening.

Because of what happened on 9/11, a lot of our resources, our money and our people were dedicated to the terrorism fight.

We will kill bin Laden. We will crush al Qaeda. That has to be our biggest national security priority.

The September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon prompted a fundamental shift in the American government's approach to Islamic terrorism.

I don't think there's any question that America is safer as a result of the bin Laden operation.

I believe the war on terror is the vital discussion of this decade and of our generation, probably. To win the war on terror, you need a good offense and a good defense. On defense, I regret to say, basically, this administration has not come close to doing what is necessary.

The central role in the fight against terrorism is with national authorities.

We must fight and win the battle against terror overseas so we never have to fight it here at home.

Obviously, the death of Usama Bin Laden marked a strategic milestone in our effort to defeat al-Qa'ida. Unfortunately, Bin Laden's death, and the death and capture of many other al-Qa'ida leaders and operatives, does not mark the end of that terrorist organization or its efforts to attack the United States and other countries.

American credibility in the war on terrorism depends on a strong stand against all terrorist acts, whether committed by foe or friend.

The country was not focused on terrorism before September 11th.

To win the war on terror, we must know who our friends are and where our enemies are hiding. We can't continue fighting terrorism using the same foreign policy blueprints that were in place before September 11th.

On September 11, 2001, we thought we were going to be attacked many, many times between then and now. We haven't been. I believe we had a president who made the right decision at the right time... to put us on offense against terrorists.

President George W. Bush's aggressive war on Islamic terrorism produced a 100 percent perfect track record of keeping the United States safe from another attack. The result has been increased security for the American people, who, in turn, have become complacent about the true nature of the threat.

There isn’t any doubt that in fighting the War on Terrorism you increase the power and scope of government, and it becomes more intrusive.

A campaign against terrorism requires checks on ”over stretch” and a viable exit strategy.

The campaign against terror [in Pakistan] is a campaign for enduring freedom.