World - US;Elections Best One Liners

Katie Prickert

In the 22 months since the presidential campaign began, the candidates and pundits have made statements that were stupid, precient, revealing and defining. In honor of the end of this momentous journey, TIME takes a look at some of the most memorable verbal moments of the campaign.
"You've got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy."
— Joe Biden, the day he announced his run for president, in a description of Barack Obama that drew heavy criticism (Jan. 31, 2007)
"Thanks for the question, you little jerk. You're drafted."
— John McCain, after a New Hampshire high school student asked if he was too old to run for president (Sept. 4, 2007)
"I have chosen not to put the country through another agonizing Supreme Court battle. It is time for the nation to heal."
— Stephen Colbert, host of the Colbert Report, announcing the end of his presidential campaign after South Carolina Democrats voted to keep him off the primary ballot (Nov. 5, 2007)
"You're likeable enough, Hillary."
— Barack Obama, after Hillary Clinton was asked during a primary debate about her likeability (Jan. 5, 2008)
"I just don't want to see us fall backwards, you know?"
Hillary Clinton, getting choked up when asked about campaign exhaustion on the eve of the New Hampshire primary, which she won (Jan. 7, 2008)
"My, I felt this thrill going up my leg."
— Chris Matthews, MSNBC anchor on his reaction to a speech Barack Obama gave after he won primary contests in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. (Feb. 12, 2008)
"For the first time in my adult lifetime, I'm really proud of my country."
— Michelle Obama campaigning in Milwaukee, Wisc., in a statement that drew fire from critics who accused her of being unpatriotic (Feb. 18, 2008)
"I remember landing under sniper fire. There was supposed to be some kind of a greeting ceremony at the airport, but instead we just ran with our heads down to get into the vehicles to get to our base."
— Hillary Clinton, on a visit to Bosnia in 1996, contradicting other accounts that said there was no threat of gunfire. Clinton later said she "misspoke" (March 17, 2008)
"I can no more disown him than I can disown the black community. I can no more disown him than I can my white grandmother."
— Barack Obama in his speech on race, "A More Perfect Union," delivered in Philadelphia in response to public outrage over sermons by his pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr. (March 18, 2008)
"They get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or anti-pathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations."
— Barack Obama, discussing small-town Pennsylvania voters. A blogger recorded the comment at a private San Francisco fundraiser that had been closed to the press (April 6, 2008)
"This is a mental recession. We have sort of become a nation of whiners."
— Phil Gramm, a top economic adviser to John McCain, on complaints about a declining economy (July 10, 2008)
"That wrinkly, white-haired guy used me in his campaign ad, which I guess means I'm running for President."
— Paris Hilton,in a video mocking a John McCain campaign ad that used her image to peg Barack Obama as a "celebrity" (Aug. 4, 2008)
"In the course of several campaigns, I started to believe that I was special and became increasingly egocentric and narcissistic. If you want to beat me up — feel free."
— John Edwards, in a statement admitting that he had an extramarital affair with campaign videographer Rielle Hunter (Aug. 8, 2008)
"My Social Security number is 8."
— John McCain, joking about his age on the Tonight Show four days before his 72nd birthday (Aug. 25, 2008)
"You know the difference between a pitbull and a hockey mom? Lipstick."
— Sarah Palin in her acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention (Sept. 3, 2008)
"The fundamentals of our economy are strong."
— John McCain, speaking hours before Lehman Brothers filed for the largest bankruptcy in U.S. history (Sept. 15, 2008)
"It's the longest Hail Mary pass in the history of either football or Marys."
— Barney Frank, Democratic Chairman of the Financial Services Committee, on John McCain's announcement that he was suspending his campaign to concentrate on the legislative effort to help the economy (Sept. 24, 2008)
"It's Alaska. It's just right over the border."
— Sarah Palin, explaining to CBS anchor Katie Couric why the state's proximity to Russia boosted her foreign policy credentials as John McCain's running mate (Sept. 25, 2008)
"They're not telling me anything right now. It's pretty chill."
— Levi Johnston, the 18-year-old boyfriend of Sarah Palin's pregnant daughter, Bristol, in an interview with the Associated Press about his interaction with the McCain campaign (Oct. 13, 2008)
"Senator Obama, I am not President Bush. If you wanted to run against President Bush you should have run four years ago."
— John McCain, at the third and final presidential debate (Oct. 15, 2008)