--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Every Senator in this chamber is partly…" description: "\"“Every Senator in this chamber is partly responsible for sending 50,000 young Americans to an early grave... This chamber reeks of blood... it does not..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/786/george-mcgovern-3955_congressman_every-senator-in-this-chamber-is-partly_1869773.jpg" --- # Every Senator in this chamber is partly responsible for… ![“Every Senator in this chamber is partly responsible for sending 50,000 young Americans to an early grave... This chamber reeks of blood... it does not take any courage at all for a Congressman or a Senator or a President to wrap himself in the flag and say we are staying in Viet Nam, because it is…” quote by George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/786/george-mcgovern-3955_congressman_every-senator-in-this-chamber-is-partly_1869773.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/786/george-mcgovern-3955_congressman_every-senator-in-this-chamber-is-partly_1869773.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/786/george-mcgovern-3955_congressman_every-senator-in-this-chamber-is-partly_1869773.jpg) > ““Every Senator in this chamber is partly responsible for sending 50,000 young Americans to an early grave... This chamber reeks of blood... it does not take any courage at all for a Congressman or a Senator or a President to wrap himself in the flag and say we are staying in Viet Nam, because it is not our blood that is being shed.”” [George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Senators share responsibility for sending young men to die in Vietnam, using patriotism as a shield. **In simple terms:** Lawmakers partly cause young deaths, hiding behind flags. Key Takeaway Hold leaders accountable for war decisions. Themes politics war responsibility patriotism Mood urgent reflective Type historical political When to use this quote - legislative debate - anti‑war activism - historical reflection Key Concepts ethical duty military policy public trust Questions to Reflect On - How can citizens demand accountability from elected officials? - What alternatives to war were considered? A Different Perspective May simplify complex geopolitical factors. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Congressman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/congressman/) [Military](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/military/) ## Related quotes > [Every Senator in this Chamber is partly responsible for sending 50,000 young Americans to an early grave. This Chamber reeks of blood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mcgovern/every-senator-in-this-chamber-is-partly-responsible-for-sending-50/) [George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/) > [You can't go to Washington as a congressman and a senator and expect to make a difference all at once. You have to earn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-shelby/you-can-t-go-to-washington-as-a-congressman-and-a-senator-and-expect/) [Richard Shelby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-shelby/) > [ Every Congressman, every Senator knows precisely what causes inflation... but can't, \[won't\] support the drastic reforms to stop it \[repeal of the Federal Reserve… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/every-congressman-every-senator-knows-precisely-what-causes-inflation/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [That's what a Congressman or a Senator is for -- to see that too much money don't accumulate in the national Treasury.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/that-s-what-a-congressman-or-a-senator-is-for-to-see-that-too-much/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [I'll never be a senator. I'll never be a congressman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-burgum/i-ll-never-be-a-senator-i-ll-never-be-a-congressman/) [Doug Burgum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-burgum/) > [As a state senator and then a congressman, I've had the privilege of trying to do good things for people to whom I owe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-ackerman/as-a-state-senator-and-then-a-congressman-i-ve-had-the-privilege-of/) [Gary Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-ackerman/) > [Henry M. Jackson, congressman and senator from 1941 until his death in 1983, achieved far greater renown than most legislators, ran for president in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/henry-m-jackson-congressman-and-senator-from-1941-until-his-death-in/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [ \[J.F Kennedy\] was a congressman and a senator and he would go on to be president. I had that idea as a little boy,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pence/j-f-kennedy-was-a-congressman-and-a-senator-and-he-would-go-on-to-be/) [Mike Pence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pence/) > [I like him a lot but the thing about Ted Cruz is he has been an outsider ever since he has been in Washington…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-woolery/i-like-him-a-lot-but-the-thing-about-ted-cruz-is-he-has-been-an/) [Chuck Woolery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-woolery/) > [I wish I had known more firsthand about the concerns and problems of American businesspeople while I was a U.S. senator and later a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mcgovern/i-wish-i-had-known-more-firsthand-about-the-concerns-and-problems-of-2/) [George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/) > [ Leo Crowley, Harry \[Truman\]'s Foreign Economic Administrator, tells Congressmen the theory...: 'If you create good governments in foreign countries, automatically you will have better… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/leo-crowley-harry-truman-s-foreign-economic-administrator-tells/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Jack Abramoff is going to testify against some of the other weasels in Congress. A lobbyist testifying against congressmen? How many Bibles are going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/jack-abramoff-is-going-to-testify-against-some-of-the-other-weasels/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Here is your government at work. A congressman from Colorado said he wants to draft a rule that would make it unethical to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/here-is-your-government-at-work-a-congressman-from-colorado-said-he/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [You don't have to be a spiritual seeker, you can be a businessman dealing with the revolution in computers. You could be a congressman,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/you-don-t-have-to-be-a-spiritual-seeker-you-can-be-a-businessman/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [Unpleasant questions are being raised about Mother's Day. Is this day necessary? . . . Isn't it bad public policy? . . . No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-baker/unpleasant-questions-are-being-raised-about-mother-s-day-is-this-day/) [Russell Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-baker/) ## More by George McGovern > [Every Senator in this Chamber is partly responsible for sending 50,000 young Americans to an early grave. This Chamber reeks of blood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mcgovern/every-senator-in-this-chamber-is-partly-responsible-for-sending-50/) [George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/) > [I always thought of myself as a moderate liberal, a fighter for peace and justice. I never thought of myself as being all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mcgovern/i-always-thought-of-myself-as-a-moderate-liberal-a-fighter-for-peace/) [George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/) > [I was tired. I hadn't slept eight hours in two, three years. I lived on four, five hours of sleep. You can do it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mcgovern/i-was-tired-i-hadn-t-slept-eight-hours-in-two-three-years-i-lived-on/) [George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/) > [I did frequently refer to my war record in World War II, but not in any flamboyant way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mcgovern/i-did-frequently-refer-to-my-war-record-in-world-war-ii-but-not-in/) [George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/) > [It's a tough thing, to know what to do about a war that deep in your gut you feel is wrong and yet watch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mcgovern/it-s-a-tough-thing-to-know-what-to-do-about-a-war-that-deep-in-your/) [George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/) > [I'm what a normal, healthy, ideal American should be like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mcgovern/i-m-what-a-normal-healthy-ideal-american-should-be-like/) [George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/) > [I'm fed up to the ears with old men dreaming up wars for young men to die in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mcgovern/i-m-fed-up-to-the-ears-with-old-men-dreaming-up-wars-for-young-men-to/) [George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/) > [I always thought of myself as a good old South Dakota boy who grew up here on the prairie,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mcgovern/i-always-thought-of-myself-as-a-good-old-south-dakota-boy-who-grew-up/) [George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/) > [I always thought of myself as a good old South Dakota boy who grew up here on the prairie. My dad was a Methodist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mcgovern/i-always-thought-of-myself-as-a-good-old-south-dakota-boy-who-grew-up-2/) [George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/) > [Above all, being a Democrat means having compassion for others. ... It means standing up for people who have been kept down ...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mcgovern/above-all-being-a-democrat-means-having-compassion-for-others-it/) [George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/) > [I am fed up with a system which busts the pot smoker and lets the big dope racketeer go free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mcgovern/i-am-fed-up-with-a-system-which-busts-the-pot-smoker-and-lets-the-big/) [George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/) > [To those who charge that liberalism has been tried and found wanting, I answer that the failure is not in the idea, but in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mcgovern/to-those-who-charge-that-liberalism-has-been-tried-and-found-wanting/) [George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/) > [When I was a youngster growing up in South Dakota, we never referred to the national debt, it was always referred to as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mcgovern/when-i-was-a-youngster-growing-up-in-south-dakota-we-never-referred/) [George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/) > [ I still love to go back to Mitchell \[his home town\] and wander up and down those streets. It just kind of reassures me… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mcgovern/i-still-love-to-go-back-to-mitchell-his-home-town-and-wander-up-and/) [George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/) > [Truth is a habit of integrity, not a strategy of politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mcgovern/truth-is-a-habit-of-integrity-not-a-strategy-of-politics/) [George McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/) [Explore all 118 George McGovern quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mcgovern/) ## More Congressman quotes > [Unpleasant questions are being raised about Mother's Day. Is this day necessary? . . . Isn't it bad public policy? . . . No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-baker/unpleasant-questions-are-being-raised-about-mother-s-day-is-this-day/) [Russell Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-baker/) > [You don't have to be a spiritual seeker, you can be a businessman dealing with the revolution in computers. You could be a congressman,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/you-don-t-have-to-be-a-spiritual-seeker-you-can-be-a-businessman/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [Here is your government at work. A congressman from Colorado said he wants to draft a rule that would make it unethical to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/here-is-your-government-at-work-a-congressman-from-colorado-said-he/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Jack Abramoff is going to testify against some of the other weasels in Congress. A lobbyist testifying against congressmen? How many Bibles are going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/jack-abramoff-is-going-to-testify-against-some-of-the-other-weasels/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [ Leo Crowley, Harry \[Truman\]'s Foreign Economic Administrator, tells Congressmen the theory...: 'If you create good governments in foreign countries, automatically you will have better… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/leo-crowley-harry-truman-s-foreign-economic-administrator-tells/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Dan Coats, retiring senator from Indiana, a mild-mannered man, a former United States ambassador to Germany, former congressman, said of Ted Cruz he's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-shields/dan-coats-retiring-senator-from-indiana-a-mild-mannered-man-a-former/) [Mark Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-shields/) > [African American Congressman Bobby Rush wore a hoodie on the floor of Congress to make a point this week. And they threw him out.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/african-american-congressman-bobby-rush-wore-a-hoodie-on-the-floor-of/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [The sport of wrestling is a tremendous builder of the values and characteristics which are needed to succeed in any walk of life. Much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-hastert/the-sport-of-wrestling-is-a-tremendous-builder-of-the-values-and/) [Dennis Hastert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-hastert/) > [It's amazing to me that people have any interest in such a low-level sex scandal. If I were sleeping with a congressman, maybe, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-cutler/it-s-amazing-to-me-that-people-have-any-interest-in-such-a-low-level/) [Jessica Cutler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-cutler/) > [That's what a Congressman or a Senator is for -- to see that too much money don't accumulate in the national Treasury.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/that-s-what-a-congressman-or-a-senator-is-for-to-see-that-too-much/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [So, the point I'm making is, we are not going to cut spending in Washington if we think it's the job of every congressman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-demint/so-the-point-i-m-making-is-we-are-not-going-to-cut-spending-in/) [Jim DeMint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-demint/) > [Talking with most people usually involves a search for truth. Talking with congressmen is strictly special effects.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-mcdevitt/talking-with-most-people-usually-involves-a-search-for-truth-talking/) [Jack McDevitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-mcdevitt/) > [America, not Keith Ellison, decides what book a congressman takes his oath on,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-prager/america-not-keith-ellison-decides-what-book-a-congressman-takes-his/) [Dennis Prager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-prager/) > [ Now, \[Donald\] Trump has thus far gotten endorsements from illustrious group, that includes Sarah Palin, David Duke, Dennis Rodman, racially profiling birther sheriff, Joe… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hayes/now-donald-trump-has-thus-far-gotten-endorsements-from-illustrious/) [Chris Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hayes/) > [Congressmen are like diapers - You need to change them often, and for the same reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-mccloskey/congressmen-are-like-diapers-you-need-to-change-them-often-and-for/) [Pete McCloskey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-mccloskey/) [Browse all 284 Congressman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/congressman/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Every Senator in this chamber is partly responsible for sending 50,000 young Americans to an early grave... 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