David Gregory Quotations

What's positive is moving from a place of growing in faith to really feeling more grounded in faith, to understand that faith is hard, that I'll stumble, that I'll make mistakes, that I'll sin. But, that's part of being on a faith path; it's part of being a human being.

When the American people look at the political process play out, they hear all the spinning and all the doctrinaire language, and they still walk away with the belief that they're not being represented in Congress, that there's no trust in the executive branch.

Let's just be clear here. The vice president of the United States accidentally shoots a man, and he feels that it's appropriate for a ranch owner who witnessed this to tell the local Corpus Christi newspaper and not the White House press corps at large, or notify the public in a national way.

Elections are about choices. They're about distinguishing one from the other. There is a political element to that, and of course it has to do with policy, as well.

We all have something to offer. It's so important to be able to step out of our comfort zone and share the benefit of our experience with others who are trying to find their way. You can make a real difference and have real impact. I haven't experienced anything more satisfying than that.

President Bush deliberately did not apologize for things and that’s because advisers around him, including those there, felt that the press corps would jump on that and down his throat in a way that he couldn’t recover from. So, especially on the war he was very careful on that line.

House Speaker Pelosi worried about the opposition, the tone of it, perhaps leading to violence as it did in the 70s. Theres more recent examples of anti-government violence - occurring even in the mid-90s. Do you worry about that?

Scott, that's not the answer to the question. Come on. You're totally ducking and weaving here.

My father-in-law was a nuclear-submarine captain. My father was in the military.

One thing I do believe is I'm a believer in the presence of God. I believe that God is close. Whether it's in joy, pain or personal failure, I believe that God is close. That much I feel in my life.

On Sundays, I'm up at five and in the office by six. After the show, around midday, I flip the switch, and it's all family. Our kids play sports, so we're running around.

I don't know that I believe that God is in control of everything that happens. As a Jew, I believe that we have free will and we are responsible for our actions. But I guess it's something I'm still probing.

I'm a journalist; I love doing interviews, and I hope that will continue.

I have never been more terrified in my life than when Dick Cheney whipped out that gun. I was sure I was a goner.

I find myself very drawn to the experience of church. I love to be in a surrounding that's so welcoming. People come shake your hand. That's not always the case in most synagogues I've been in. I also find more of an emphasis on how to live and grow as a person. And I have to say, I'm very inspired by Jesus.

Growing up in the San Fernando Valley, I grew up around a lot of Jews. I grew up culturally Jewish, ethnically Jewish, but without real belief and without a strong faith.

I don't think you mess around when you talk about tales of valor.

Kelly O'Donnell at the White House for us this morning. Kelly thanks very much.

I think that there's a strain in journalism that believes that anyone who surrenders him- or herself to faith and to belief necessarily checks reason and rationality at the door.

I think a lot of Jews make Israel the centerpiece of their Judaism. It becomes the centerpiece of their Jewish existence and of their faith. I have always felt that that's not for me.

My wife loves 'Scandal,' and I'm hooked on 'Homeland.' Sometimes I ask news makers, off the record, what rings true about those shows and what's ridiculous.

I will yell. If you want to use that podium to try to take shots at me personally, which I don't appreciate, then I will raise my voice, because that's wrong.

I think she is doing a fantastic job at trying to drag the chemical industry into the 21st century, yet retaining a pragmatism which her role demands.

It does not seem that much different, ... it doesn't look like a few boys dotted about a number of girls - it's a good mix.

While you can be permanently replaced, you technically can't be fired. The strikers have the first opportunity to take the job of replacement workers who might quit.

We are committed to raising our children as Jews. I knew that it had to start with me at a greater level, at a deeper level, if it was going to be a meaningful example to them.

You have suggested she should and even might even step aside. Why?

This strike therefore does not put workers at risk for fines or sanctions, but effectively mounts increased pressure on the employer, as Queens is a conduit point to and from Manhattan.

This was basically a vote of no confidence for Roger Toussaint. It undermines his credibility back at the bargaining table.

Whatever you think of George W. Bush, he left office with his faith intact, and I respect that.

I set up playdates, and I'm a morning greeter for the car-pool line. I also make albums with the family photos. When the kids get older and go on their way, we'll have all those pictures to revel in.

I've covered Israel just as I cover other politics.

I've never seen anything like this. We are really in new territory. Union militancy and resolve was much greater and deeper among the rank and file than anyone had anticipated, including the union president, Mr. Toussaint.

It would be an interesting move on the union's part.

Offensively, we have to move the football on them. We haven't in the last few years. And that will be tough. They are big and physical.

So what we're involved in here is a trade-off, and the value of the trade-off depends on how much you think conditions at the bottom will get worse, and how many extra jobs you'll get. And I think the evidence on the balance is very murky. It's not a clear case at all.

As a journalist, I've always treaded carefully about being Jewish and caring a lot about Israel and having that not become too big of an issue that could affect my journalism. But I also don't think it's essential to my Judaism, as I think it might be for some other people.

As a Jew, I recognize the importance of Israel historically, liturgically: its place in our history and in our sacred texts. I fully recognize and appreciate that. I just think that, for me, a sole focus on Israel gets in the way of the pursuit of a relationship with God and a more spiritual existence within Judaism.

You're totally ducking and weaving here. We don't care if some ranch owner called the local paper.

This gives all of the opportunities now to the companies and to the replacement workers, and it makes it very, very grim for strikers.

A lot of employers would say it is too easy at the moment for unions to be able to put themselves in a position where they can take protected industrial action and, once it is occurring, too difficult to bring it to an end,

This partial strike is a very smart move by the workers, as it places a great deal of pressure on the employer. Private bus lines, currently under transition to become fully under the public transportation sector, have no strike prohibitions attached to them.

There's been an attempt to put reporters on the spot and question the motivation of reporters. It is irritating, and I for one think it's an attempt by the White House to change the focus from what is a legitimate question to what the talking point is. It's an effort to cast the media as out for red meat.

As much as I miss the work, I don't miss NBC. I don't miss being there. It was just the wrong atmosphere for me.

For American workers, it's an unrelentingly grim scenario,

Don't accuse me of trying to pose to the cameras. Don't be a jerk to me personally when I'm asking you a serious question.

Don't accuse me of trying to pose to the cameras.

It's, it's really been grim. I mean they realize that this is probably the biggest political crisis they've faced in the President's tenure. I think what they're trying to create now after two weeks is a level of engagement and urgency that the President created after three days, just three days after the 9/11 attacks. It's a major challenge.

It was a good interview, a good 'get.' I wished I had gotten it.

I'm in the business, as a journalist, of asking tough questions.

I'm very grateful for the experience at NBC.

I'll calm down when I feel like calming down. You answer the question.

In terms of the larger union movement, especially folks beyond the New York metro area, there is sort of this patina or the hero effect of now being a labor martyr, a contemporary sort of Mike Quill.

I don't think there's any reason in journalism not to approach stories we cover with humility, empathy, compassion, and intellectual openness. I mean, I think those are just important human traits. I don't think that precludes scrutiny, negativity, where it's appropriate.

The guy in the subway, the rider, wants some sense of resolution. If this stays in limbo much longer, the danger starts to creep back onto the scene of wildcat job actions, and nobody wants to see that happen.