* “Jeane Kirkpatrick was right years ago to make the distinction between authoritarian dictatorships and totalitarian ones. The totalitarian ones are both sicker and harder to dislodge. Gadhafi’s unhinged narcissistic oddness seems to be the key to his longevity. So remember: If you’re going to be a tyrant, be a wacko. It’s safer.”–David Brooks, New York Times.
* “It’s easy to start a war but hard to end one. It’s as simple as that. It’s easy to get in but hard to get out. … America is scheduled to leave Iraq this December, of course, but everyone seems to be waiting for Nouri al-Maliki’s government to request an extension.”–Peggy Noonan, Wall Street Journal.
* “But the country is doing so badly, I wish there was someone in the Republican field I thought would be incredible because that’s what we need right now. … Part of the beauty of me is that I’m very rich.”–Donald Trump on speculation that he might join the list of GOP presidential hopefuls.
* “The idea that you can take incremental steps in the media business is over. You have to take some big steps and you have to take some risks.”–USA Today publisher Dave Hunke.
* “Gov. Scott’s early performance is such that Florida’s very much in play. Most people in Florida are kind of down the middle and if you swing too far one way or another, you pay a price for it. This tea party iteration of the Republican Party is not Florida, and it’s not going to be successful in the long run.”–Florida Democratic chairman Rod Smith.
* “Frankly, I think the governor was wrong on this. And that’s not just my opinion. That’s the opinion of folks in Tampa and Orlando, including a lot of Republicans up there.”–President Barack Obama commenting in Miami about Gov. Rick Scott’s rejection of $2.4 billion in federal funds to build the Orlando-to-Tampa high-speed rail line.
* “This idea of selling Florida as the cheapest state–well, that’s what we’ve got now. To drive it (costs) down at the expense of young people’s education is wrong. Florida is a beautiful place to live. But it is a fragile place, and we have to keep investing in the things that will retain that high quality of life.”–Former Gov. Bob Graham.
* “I’d like to see how smart (Boston Red Sox general manager) Theo Epstein is with the Tampa Bay payroll. You got Carl Crawford ’cause you paid more than anyone else, and that’s what makes you smarter?”–Baltimore Orioles manager Buck Showalter.
* “I’m an optimist, so I believe we will have some movement this year. Does movement mean it becomes a fait accompli? No. Movement means we’ll have progress. We have a ways to go to even get to having a ways to go.”–Tampa Bay Rays’ owner Stu Sternberg on the team’s ongoing stadium saga.