* “Russians will continue down the road of privatization and diversification away from oil, not because they like to, but because they will be forced to.”–Ivan
Tchakarov, chief economist for the Russian investment Bank Renaissance.
* “Frighteningly simplistic.”–Retired Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal’s assessment of the U.S. view of Afghanistan before the war.
* “The direct exposure of the U.S. financial system to the countries under the most pressure in Europe is very modest.”–Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.
* “They don’t want Organization Man. They want Braveheart. … It’s exciting to have charismatic leaders. But often the best leaders in business, in government and in life are not glittering saviors. They are professionals you hire to get a job done.”–David Brooks, New York Times, noting that for many Republicans Mitt Romney doesn’t fit the presidential-candidate mold.
* “The weird celebrity culture that Fox News creates around conservative politicians can make Republican presidential campaigns feel like cable news auditions.”–Ross Douthat, New York Times.
* “I am confident that the public is watching us very closely to see if we can show this country that this democracy can work.”–Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., co-chairman of the 12-member, deficit-cutting super-committee.
* “From computing to music to journalism, (Steve) Jobs changed the way the world did its business and leisure.”–Edwin J. Feulner, president of The
Heritage Foundation.
* “At its heart, “Moneyball” isn’t about baseball. It’s not even about statistics. Rather, it’s about challenging conventional wisdom with data.”–Cade Massey, assistant professor, Yale School of Management.
* “As African-Americans, they (President Barack and Michelle Obama) are extraordinary in the most ordinary way: They are a married couple raising their children together.”–Stanford law professor Ralph Richard Banks, author of “Is Marriage for White People?”
* “It shocks me that they don’t have this information at their fingertips.”–State Sen. Mike Fasano on being told that information from the State Board of Administration on a pension fund (Starboard Value and Opportunity) would take time and cost more than $10,000.
* “I believe once you stamp yourself as something like Atlantic City, Las Vegas, I think you change your identity. That’s why I don’t think Florida is right for this.”–State Sen. Jim Norman’s take on proposals to bring destination casino megaresorts to Florida.
* “He should be paid as well as the top tier airport CEOs in the country. He is simply that good.”–Hillsborough County Aviation Authority Chairman Steve Burton in reference to a proposed pay raise for TIA Chief Executive Joe Lopano.
* “I was hopeful it would go this quick. It went viral.”–Debra Koehler, president of Sage Partners, whose Metro 510 apartment project leased nearly half its 120 units in less than two weeks on the market.
* “That’s great news. I think there were some significant privacy issues associated with the use of drones over America’s back yards. And in many cases our downtowns are now our back yards.”–John Dingfelder, ACLU senior staff attorney for mid Florida, on the decision by TPD not to pursue “unmanned aerial vehicles” for next year’s GOP convention.
* “If I were Commissioner John Morroni, I think I would plead temporary insanity and make a motion to bring it up and reconsider it again.”–Former Pinellas County Commissioner Sallie Parks criticizing Morroni for voting against fluoride in the water after previously supporting it.