Politiquotes of the Week: June 13
Obama and Romney go tit-for-tat on the economy.
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It's the Economy - President Obama set off a firestorm last Friday when he said "the private sector is doing just fine," and Republicans are still dining out on the statement. As he tries to hone his economic message, rival Mitt Romney is traveling the nation accusing the president of being out of touch. It's been a rough week for Attorney General Eric Holder, too, as GOP lawmakers on Capitol Hill are calling for his resignation. —Joyce Jones(Photos: AP Photo/Nati Harnik; Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
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Barack Obama - "The private sector is doing just fine," said President Obama at a press conference Friday, which Republicans say shows he's unqualified to fix the nation's ailing economy.(Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
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Mitt Romney - "For the president of the United States to stand up and say 'the private sector is doing fine' is going to go down in history as an extraordinary miscalculation and misunderstanding by a president who is out of touch. And we're going to take back this country and get America working again," said Mitt Romney at a campaign event in Council Bluffs, Iowa.(Photo: AP Photo/Nati Harnik)
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Barack Obama - "It’s absolutely clear the economy is not doing fine," Obama told the press during a meeting with President Benigno Aquino of the Philippines after he addressed the press Friday. "That's the reason I had a press conference. That's why I spent yesterday, the day before yesterday, this past week, this past month and this past year talking about how we can make the economy stronger. The economy is not doing fine. There are too many people out of work."(Photo: Kevin Dietsch-Pool/Getty Images)
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Mitt Romney - "I got a copy here of [Obama's] to-do list from his desk. You see, I was able to sneak that out," said Romney in Iowa. "And there were a few things that are missing. Missing is: Lead a real recovery. Missing is: Reduce the deficit. Missing is: Save Medicare and Social Security. Missing is: Help small business."(Photo: AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
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Barack Obama - "It's like somebody goes to the restaurant, orders a big steak dinner, martini, all that stuff, and then just as you're sitting down, they leave and accuse you of running up the tab. That's what they do," said Obama about the economic crisis he inherited from his Republican predecessor.(Photo: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)
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Van Jones - "We went from having a crush to feeling crushed," said former White House green czar Van Jones, describing how the Democratic base is feeling about Obama in a keynote speech delivered at the Netroots Nation conference last weekend. (Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
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John Cornyn - "With regret, you've left me with no choice but to join those who call for you to resign your office. Americans deserve an attorney general who will be honest with them," Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) told Attorney General Eric Holder during a contentious hearing on the controversial Operation Fast and Furious, a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives program intended to track illegal guns.(Photo: REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst)
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Eric Holder - "With all due respect, senator, there is so much that is factually wrong with the premises that you started your statement with, it's almost breathtaking in its inaccuracies," said Attorney General Eric Holder in response to accusations made by Sen. John Cornyn about his handling of Operation Fast and Furious. Holder also added he has "no intention of resigning."(Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
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Allen West - "Some say I push too hard," says Rep. Allen West (R-Florida) in his first re-election campaign ad. "My response: I'm just getting started." (Photo: Courtesy Allen West for Congress)