* “It’s very important for China to lead. …The one country that has influence with Pyongyang is China, and so their leadership is absolutely critical.”–Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen.
* “What do the Israeli airport security people do that American airport security do not? They profile. They question some individuals for more than half an hour, open up all their luggage and spread the contents on the counter–and they let others go through with scarcely a word. And it works.”–Thomas Sowell, Creators Syndicate.
* “We are worried about additional documents coming out. WikiLeaks are an absolutely awful impediment to my business, which is to be able to have discussions in confidence with people.”–James F. Jeffrey, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq.
* “The U.N. functions very well for Iran and Venezuela, and every two-bit dictator who’s envious and hates the United States.”–Florida U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, incoming chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
* “She may run away with it, and that’s something everybody has to be prepared for.”–Mike Huckabee on Sarah Palin’s chances of winning the 2012 GOP presidential nomination.
* “Some Republicans have been talking honestly about cutting entitlement spending, but almost no Republican seems willing to accept tax increases as part of a bipartisan budget deal. … Ronald Reagan raised taxes 12 separate times during his presidency. But ‘No New Taxes’ has become the requisite for membership in today’s GOP.”–David Brooks, New York Times.
* “It will be interesting to see how the congressional newcomers do in an environment where things get done by wheeling and dealing. Like so many before them, they come to Congress insisting that they won’t compromise–but then they’re compromised. Ask Charlie Rangel, who came in 40 years ago–as a reformer.”–Bob Franken, Hearst Newspapers.
* “So much for Reagan’s trust but verify. Now we’ve got distrust and vilify.”–Maureen Dowd, New York Times, on GOP’s START strategy.
* “Just when globalization and technology were making the value of higher education greater than ever, and the price for lacking it more punishing than ever, America started slipping behind its peers in high school graduation rates, college graduation and global test scores in math and critical thinking. … We need better parents ready to hold their kids to higher standards of academic achievement. We need better students who come to school ready to learn, not to text.”–Thomas Friedman, New York Times.
* “What we can’t do is do nothing. Otherwise, 10 years from today, we won’t be any further along.”–TBARTA Chairman Ronnie Duncan.
* “As demand gets higher, the utilities would have to build to accommodate it. Right now, no one can predict how many people will use these cars.”–Patrick Ho, TECO’s director for corporate communications, on monitoring the demand for electric cars.
* “High-class beer, low-class beer. Beer is beer.”–Maurice Harvey, president of the Lincoln Gardens-Carver City Neighborhood Association, on the proximity and product of Cigar City Brewing’s tasting room.
* “We’re talking about the ‘Big Three’ in the state of Florida in Florida, Florida State and Miami. They’ve all won conference championships; they’ve all won national championships; and this is the level we want to compete at.”–USF football coach Skip Holtz after the Bulls’ (first) win over Miami.