John Thune Quotations

I just think we need more accountability and more transparency.

I believe our flag is more than just cloth and ink. It is a universally recognized symbol that stands for liberty, and freedom. It is the history of our nation, and it's marked by the blood of those who died defending it.

Having a Christian worldview shapes my decision-making with respect to all aspects of my life. I always respect people in public life who are principled, and those principles have to be connected to something. And my faith is what serves as the anchor and directs my actions.

Because of my upbringing, I believe in things like limited government, fiscal responsibility and personal accountability. I believe in the wisdom of our founders and the sanctity of our Constitution.

We must work together to save and strengthen Social Security not just for my father's generation but also for my daughters' generation.

I've also said you don't rule any options out, because if you are in public life because you want to make a difference... obviously, you have to be open to those kind of possibilities.

Ethanol reduces our dependence on foreign sources of oil and is an important weapon in the War on Terror. By investing in South Dakota's ethanol producers, we will strengthen our energy security and create new jobs.

I think that all areas of the budget have to be scrubbed. Clearly the entitlement issues have to be reformed and that's an issue that's going to require I think some strong bipartisan cooperation and leadership.

I have a Christian worldview and so it shapes the way that I view issues. I don't apologize for that, and I don't think people of faith ought to shrink away from being in the public arena.

I think that if Republicans are given the reins of leadership in the House or Senate or both, we will have to govern in a way - at least put forward solutions whether or not the president goes along with them or not, that deal with these long-term challenges.

Chuck Swindoll is somebody who I've read a lot over the years and have used his curriculum when I've taught Sunday school classes.

I think the problem with President Obama - and I like him personally, I came into the Senate with him - is his agenda.

But what shouldn't happen is, you shouldn't have the taxpayers from states that are managing their situations well paying for those states that are not.

I don't happen to subscribe to the notion that everybody who criticizes Tom Daschle is criticizing Tim Johnson. I think that's a bit of a stretch.

There is a battle to be waged over what kind of country we are going to leave our children and grandchildren and that battle is happening now in Washington, not two years from now.

When you're the president of the United States and you know that the biggest issue facing you is this cliff that we're about ready to head over if we don't get this spending and debt situation under control, it's very irresponsible not to take the action that is necessary to fix the problem.

Let's not dismiss or attack individual ideas as being inadequate before we have had a chance to assess their positive effect as part of a whole solution.

Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, although they're not officially debt of the federal government, they are off-balance-sheet debt.

The closest I've come to being on a reality TV show is C-SPAN's live coverage of the Senate floor.

Like a lot of people, I'm interested in public service and want to do as much as I can to change the direction of this country and will give some consideration to that after midterm elections.

President Obama likes to talk about winning the future. But someone needs to tell him: You can't win the prosperity of tomorrow if you're mortgaging it to pay for the big government programs of today.

I feel that I am best positioned to fight for America's future here in the trenches of the United States Senate.

There are more than 30 states, who either by statute or constitutional amendment, have defined marriage as being between a man and a woman.

We are spending more as a percentage of our entire economy, almost 25 percent, than we have spent at any time since the end of World War II.

Absolutely. I think that this is - politics is a tough business. I describe it as a full contact sport. You have to be prepared to get in there and mix it up.

With this much clutter out there and this much money being spent on the airwaves, the candidates start losing control of the message,

This was not a good time to close a number of these installations,

We really don't know right now what's going on, on the ground over there. It changes by the hour, with respect to this constitution,

The fact he is doing this at the very time the Republican convention is going on tells me that his political situation is becoming very difficult, ... The Daschle campaign is very desperate right now.

my hope would be that the president will allow the process to work.

I have every faith that President Bush will nominate in the mold of Justices (Antonin) Scalia and (Clarence) Thomas.

I am echoing what I hear people say in South Dakota about their senator and as they travel around the country having to deal with the chief obstructionist label. And I believe that is embarrassing to South Dakota,

I believe this election, like the one two years ago, is going to be decided by a handful of votes,

Funding our rural schools is very important, but it would be inappropriate to do so by selling parts of the Black Hills.

He made a pitch for why he would be good in leadership.

What I'm hearing back home is 'My gosh, it's so confusing,

We must ensure that today's seniors' benefits are rock solid and find a solution that fixes Social Security for the next generation that is just entering the workforce.

I think a lot of the co-sponsors of it probably are less inclined because of the commission's actions.

My meeting with Judge Roberts today only furthered my high opinion of him and my confidence in his ability to serve as chief justice of the Supreme Court, ... This is a man of high moral character and sound legal judgment, who has a profound respect for the Constitution and the role he is ready to assume.

I think most people are granting her, according her, the benefit of the doubt, subject to the time she has to appear before the committee to make her case in person,

you can go too far with that. You can overreach, and it can backfire.

We can revel in this for a minute, because it's been a long, hard fight. But we need to start taking steps now to continue to work to BRAC-proof Ellsworth. In 10 years, they might come back and take another bite of the apple.

We believe there's a significant opportunity to expand and improve the base. There are some options we think could make Ellsworth really a premier base, an elite base in training. Bringing additional missions to Ellsworth is the best way to ensure its long-term operational status.

We've made the decision that we're going to win this on the merit. ... We think there is tremendous military value for Ellsworth going forward and we think we can persuade five of the nine commissioners to take Ellsworth off the list,

Today the voters of South Dakota spoke and I am enormously grateful that they have given me the opportunity to serve as their next United States senator,

We need to stop the quibbling, the partisan games, and political brinkmanship to find a solution that saves and strengthens Social Security for the future.

We need Ellsworth because of the important work people do there,

We prayed a lot about it as did a lot of other people and finally concluded that this was something that we needed to do.

(We will) look at some military construction projects that we can continue to enhance the value of that base, so we can BRAC-proof it for the future, ... There are going to be other BRAC rounds, we don't know when, whether it's five years, seven years, 10 years. They're going to come back and try and take another bite at this apple.

This was something that was incredibly deeply felt. It is an issue that unites conservatives around the country, ... There are lots of issues we disagree about, but the one unifying factor in the last several years and continues to this day is the courts.

Believe me, everyone is breathing a huge sigh of relief, ... I think we'll find a way to celebrate. Eating and sleeping will be a good start.

There's something about my Scandinavian heritage that knows that life shouldn't be easy -- life's got to be hard,

I've been on the other end of this equation. I would much rather be on this end, ... The voters of South Dakota have spoken. I am enormously grateful they have given me an opportunity to serve as their next U.S. senator.

I valued the biblical foundation I got at Biola. I was able to take classes that strengthened my faith and helped me to better understand what I believe and how to, in a practical way, apply my faith in real-world situations.

Scooter Libby did the right thing by resigning.

People believe we have to finish the job. But certainly they're war-weary, they're battle-weary.

Now, Democrats, especially Pelosi and Reid, think they have the upper hand and have an opportunity to put Republicans and the Bush administration in a difficult position and are capitalizing on it, ... But there is a certain risk here. ... People in this country have a sense of where the limits are. (Democratic leaders) are on the verge of crossing that line.

You're trying to pull together a lot of different people, a lot of different factions ... but I'm hopeful that when it's all said and done that they'll have a constitution that ultimately will be ratified by their government,

This is a significant development for our local economy. Job creation is vital to keep our economy growing and strong. I applaud John Morrell for making this significant investment in Sioux Falls.

This fight was not about me, ... This whole decision was about the merits. It had nothing to do with the politics.

This fight was not about me. It was all about the people of South Dakota and Rapid City who were impacted by the decision. This whole decision was about the merits. It had nothing to do with politics.

This argument was about the merits of this base and its relevance to our national security, ... And we believe that the BRAC commission saw it that way as well.

Although I still believe we should not be closing U.S. military facilities while at war, I commend the BRAC commission for taking an independent and objective approach to this process,

It was a tremendous sense of relief that the hard work everyone put into this paid off, really a team effort, the delegations, governor rounds, the communities impacted and really the entire state.

For conservatives, she is going to have to be very forthcoming in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee to give them the comfort level that they need, the confidence level that she is going to be a judge in the mold that the president indicated: a Scalia or Thomas.

For conservatives out there, she's going to have to be very forthcoming ... to give them the comfort level that they need.

That's something that everybody has to look at and say, 'Well, what's the end game here? If in fact she will not survive this process, what's plan B?

The issue is the future of Social Security. The program as we know it today will not last. It is headed for bankruptcy.

I'm extremely disappointed in what in my view was the secretary of Defense's poor judgment,

I'm a big, big reader of pretty much everything that Chuck Colson has written. And I consulted with him when I was making some decisions about running for the Senate in the first place.

I'm too Norwegian to get very optimistic, ... But I think we've made the arguments. We consistently are in contact with commissioners. We're hopeful.

If you're blessed enough to serve in public office, then you shouldn't just talk a good game about your values; you should cast your vote according to them.

He's faced with exactly the same decision that he had to face in 2002, ... Last time, John chose the greater challenge. It's an eerily similar decision.

I called him this morning to thank him, and I said that we need to think about adding another face to Mount Rushmore, ... He talked to virtually everybody and, as the former head of the Air Combat Command, brought tremendous credibility.

I believe it was the right decision not only for South Dakota but for America's national security interests, ... This is a good decision for America.

Her decision to withdraw out of respect for the separation of powers, one of America's greatest founding principles, was a selfless act of courage that I commend.

For that, all South Dakotans owe him a big debt of gratitude, ... I wish him and his family the very best in the future.

Social Security is an extremely complicated program.

This is partly a function of approval ratings. People pay attention [to polls] and start saying, 'Lets take a more independent tack.' It is frankly self-interest, self-preservation.

I say to my colleague from New York that if someone who has a concealed carry permit... in the State of South Dakota that goes to New York and is in Central Park -- Central Park is a much safer place.

I tell people it's like shopping for a car.People are taking candidates out for a test drive, seeing what they like.

The Obama experiment has failed

This is a great day for South Dakota, but we think it's a great day for America,

All those things are going to become much bigger issues that we're going to have to address.