18 Quotes by Norm Ornstein

I don't expect a lot that are forced by the president.

What makes this different is it's not just a few bad apples. It's that people at the top decided to build in a kind of systemic corrupt process. That is different from what we had before.

I think he's going to fall back on what he didn't want to do, what he swore he wouldn't do, but almost all second-term presidents do, which is being in a kind of caretaker status.

We now have a situation where billions of dollars of federal funds are allocated not on the basis of where it is most needed and can be spent most effectively, but according to who's sloshing the (campaign contribution) money around so they can get the earmarks.

We're not talking about Mother Teresa here who gets caught for turning right on a red light in a state that doesnt allow such a thing, ... The history of Tom DeLay in Congress is that he's pushed every envelope. It is often the case that powerful people get their comeuppance because of something that a lot of people would see as a technicality.

This week, I think, makes our case ... that Congress is not the deliberative body it is supposed to be.

The spectacle of a mayor and a governor throwing mud at each other while the city and the area were floundering was not a pretty one. That's another area where it's going to take some time and some historians to figure out whether he was let down by the government or not. On the other hand, his anger at those with a higher place on the hierarchy is an understandable one.

After 40 years, the verdict is still out.

Any spate of news stories from now on about corruption in contracts, etc., will hurt - people will resist a major taxpayers' commitment if they think much of it will be wasted or lining the pockets of miscreants, ... That perception, unfortunately, has been reinforced by the delegation request, which editorials have called 'Louisiana looting.' The delegation needs to change its tone and strategy when it comes to getting aid. The other danger is that over time, as other disasters occur, aid becomes zero sum.