* “If you’re willing to set higher, more honest standards than the ones that were set by No Child Left Behind, then we’re going to give you the flexibility to meet those standards.”–President Barack Obama.
* “There’s no such thing as coronations in presidential politics.”–Mitt Romney.
* “The Romney campaign is better at dismantling than mantling. They’re better at taking opponents apart than building a compelling candidate of their own.”–Peggy Noonan, Wall Street Journal.
* “Obama’s presidency has been ambitious and it’s been polarizing, but in terms of the policy it has produced, it’s been much closer to the market-based approach of Clinton than the forthright reliance on government of LBJ. … And the GOP, in closing ranks against almost every major initiative Obama has attempted, has taken away most of his opportunities to be truly liberal. The fight to get to 60 votes in the Senate has ensured, over and over, that Obama must aim his legislation at either the most conservative Democrats or the most moderate Republicans.”–Ezra Klein, Washington Post.
* “My message to the people of Canada is don’t cut a deal with the Chinese, help is on the way.”–Newt Gingrich in condemning the U.S. Administration for not approving the $7 billion Keystone XL pipeline.
* “Since 2001, the United States has waged war in three nations, and some Republicans appear ready to bring the total to five, adding Iran and Syria. GOP critics say Obama’s proposed defense cuts will limit America’s ability to engage in troop-intensive nation-building. Most Americans probably say: Good.”–George Will, Washington Post.
* “I would not look to the United States Constitution if I were drafting a constitution in the year 2012.”–U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
* “You can make something look like a savings on paper. We’re not saving money. Absolutely not.”–State Sen. Paula Dockery, R-Lakeland, describing analysis of those advocating a massive expansion of Florida prison privatization.
* “Draconian.”–USF President Judy Genshaft’s reaction to the university’s state funding being slashed by nearly 60 percent.
* “It’s a personal matter. I’m praying for him.”–State Sen. Jim Norman, commenting on federal charges of failure to file income tax returns against his chief of staff, Ben Kelly.
* “It’s a game-changer.”–Mayor Bob Buckhorn’s characterization of USF’s Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation (CAMLS), which is scheduled for a grand opening next month in downtown.