22 Quotes by James Carafano

Some states, such as Florida, are much better prepared than others. It's kind of a no-win for FEMA. The better job a state does, the less FEMA has to do.

This is the equivalent of a comet hitting the planet. Of all the things that are in the world, why are we fixated on this one thing. Scanning containers full of sneakers for a 'nuke in the box' is not a really thoughtful thing.

You can't make a million people happy. There's going to be a lot of debates. I don't think you can minimize the role Congress is going to play in what kind of legislation they formulate to guide the reconstruction. There will be enormous pressure to do something quickly. It's all new virgin territory, and it'll be tough to craft an optional strategy.

There's a lack of adult leadership on both sides.

Everybody can say everything came out of the QDR. You have the right to be skeptical.

In many ways, this is a test of our national capacity, ... If we can't do this 24-7-365, we aren't doing our job for preparedness.

In terms of the physical resources the federal government brings to bear, the Corps of Engineers is going to be there a long, long time, ... Certainly, OSHA (Occupational Health and Safety Administration) will be engaged because of the safety issues, and cleanup will be enormous. EPA is going to be involved.

He's stuck it out when lesser men would walk away. I don't care what you call that, hubris or whatever. I truthfully think just changing the captain on the ship wouldn't have made any difference. If anything, it may have slowed things down because at least that captain knows the mistakes he made.

Sometimes the enormity of war overwhelms the truth that all great struggles are just the sum of individual stories. Each is more than just the story of one soldier's service and sacrifice. Their service ripples across their families, friends and their communities. Memorial Day reminds us it is the noble sacrifice of many that makes us who we are.