Arnold Vinick quotes from The West Wing

Vinick

Making a gallon of ethanol takes almost a gallon of oil. That's like saying using tonic water as an additive reduces our demand for gin.

Vinick

I don't see how we can have a separation of church and state in this government if you have to pass a religious test to get in this government. And I want to warn everyone in the press and all the voters out there, if you demand expressions of religious faith from politicians, you are just begging to be lied to. They won't all lie to you but a lot of them will. And it will be the easiest lie they ever had to tell to get your votes. So, every day until the end of this campaign, I'll answer any question anyone has on government, But if you have a question on religion, please go to church.

Vinick

(watching Bob Russell and Matt Santos on TV) If either one of these guys had the political instincts of Jed Bartlet, I'd be 20 points behind right now.

Vinick

For in the end, the presidency is more than a simple catalog of policies pursued, crises weathered, battles lost and won. It is a stewardship, a sacred trust, a commitment to sacrifice every fiber of your being, every thought, every moment, every ... every everything, in service to your nation.

Vinick

Hey, I'm proud of my voting record. Well, most of it. I'd quit the Senate in a second if I thought it'd help us win. Now it would just look like a cheap stunt.

Vinick

Liberals who are opposed to tax cuts anyway always say you can't cut taxes until you've cut spending. I say we can lecture our children about overspending until we run out of breath or we can just cut their allowance. I'm a cut-the-allowance kind of parent.

Vinick

[who endorsed nuclear power during the debate] Every time they show that debate clip, it looks like I ran into that plant myself and spilled uranium on the floor!

Vinick

Over a 26-year career in public service, I'd probably do a lot of things differently if I could do them over again. But my job is to make the best decision I can with the information at the time. You know, if you do something for 26 years you should keep getting better at it. I'm better than I used to be because I have better information. I have more experience making tough decisions. And I have more mature judgment. And that's what I think this country needs now, more than ever. We have troops on the ground in Kazakhstan and more on the way. That's the choice that President Bartlet made to try and keep Russia and China from slipping into war there. Now, the next President is going to have to take over that situation the first hour on the job. That's the most important issue that's facing the country in this campaign. Not who said what about nuclear power 25 years ago. Or did one of us use too strong a word in a debate. The real decision Americans are going to have to make is who do they want as their next Commander-In-Chief.

Vinick

I read about that education plan you introduced in New Hampshire. That's pretty gutsy stuff.

Saw the ethanol speech.

Vinick

Well, that wasn't gutsy so much as suicidal. Or so my staff tells me... My staff is very proud.

Well, if they weren't, I was.

Vinick

You're not an ethanol fan?

Not until today.

Will you at least look at the ethanol report?

Vinick

It's a classic study of a stupid policy rammed down our throats by special interests. Makes about as much sense as building patio furniture out of corn. But sure, I'll take a look.

Bartlet

It's not up to us to decide what the voters get to use in evaluating us.

Vinick

A little odd coming from someone who wasn't completely open about his health.

Bartlet

That was a big mistake.

Vinick

Was it? What did we know about Lincoln's health when he was running: nothing. Washington? Jefferson? What about FDR's health? And when he died in office, did people say, "Gee, why didn't he tell us he was sick?" No. Did they say, "I wish I didn't vote for him"? No.

Vinick

You think a voter really needs to know if I go to church?

Bartlet

I don't need to know, but then I'm not going to vote for you anyway.

Vinick

Whatever happened to the separation of church and state?

Bartlet

It's hanging in there, but I'm afraid the constitution doesn't say anything about the separation of church and politics.

Senator, are you going to reconsider Reverend Butler's invitation to his church this weekend?

Vinick

I fully respect Reverend Butler's position. I mean, I appreciate his invitation, and... Look, I respect Reverend Butler, and I respect his church too much to use it for my own political purposes. And that's exactly what I'd be doing if I went down there this Sunday. Because the truth is, it would just be an act of political phoniness. I may be wrong, but I suspect our churches already have enough political phonies in them. I don't see how we can have a separation of church and state in this government if you have to pass a religious test to get in this government. And I want to warn everyone in the press and all the voters out there, if you demand expressions of religious faith from politicians, you are just begging to be lied to. They won't all lie to you but a lot of them will. And it will be the easiest lie they ever had to tell to get your votes. So, every day until the end of this campaign, I'll answer any question anyone has on government, but if you have a question on religion, please go to church.

Vinick

What do you know about Republican politics?

Bruno

I don't care about Republican politics.

Vinick

Well, that I believe.

Bruno

I don't care about Democratic politics, either. Okay, I do care about the Democrats. Look, they don't know it yet; you are the best thing to ever happen to them. You're moving the Republicans away from the right wing. You're not saying Democrats are not patriotic; you're just saying that your approach is better than theirs. You are making politics a fair fight again. What? You think I'm a spy? I snuck in here, I'm trying to steer you wrong?

Vinick

The thought has crossed my mind.

Bruno

I have spent the last 20 years ripping this country apart, finding wedge issues to separate the voters, you don't have to do that to win; not this time. You do this right, you can do a lot more than win. You can stop using politics to divide this country. You can show us how much we agree, instead of how much we disagree. You can put this country back together.