simple concept, sassy wording

September 13, 2005 7:57 PM

QuoteFilter: war + reelection + politics. No luck with Google.

I'm looking for a quote on the specific topic of political election in wartime. The gist is that incumbents are much more likely to win reelection while their country is at war. Of course, it's worded more elegantly by a much more respected person than myself. Google and the big quote sites haven't turned anything up.

posted by pants to Writing & Language (4 answers total)

Is it this one? Elections and politics in this country correspond with battles and war in other times and countries. Whatever of departing evils remains is sure to show itself last in the excitement of political contests. -Rutherford B Hayes
posted by Serena at 8:07 PM on September 13, 2005

Googling "no wartime president" yields a ton of sites which continue along the lines of "has ever been turned out of office," but it's not attributed in the few I looked at.
posted by callmejay at 9:27 PM on September 13, 2005

Don't tell me it's the old "You don't change horses in the middle of the stream," is it?
posted by electric_counterpoint at 9:57 PM on September 13, 2005

no, its "don't change horsemen in the middle of an apocalypse!"
posted by joeblough at 10:19 PM on September 13, 2005