* “The war’s on trial. I’m not putting the war on trial, but the war is on trial.”–John Henry Browne, attorney for Army Staff Sergeant Robert Bales, the alleged murderer of 17 Afghan civilians.
* “Development does not work unless local people own it. If local people haven’t decided to do what it takes, it won’t happen.”–World Bank President Robert Zoellick.
* “Find new models, with patience, and in a constructive way.”–Pope Benedict XVI’s advice to Cubans.
* “The dominant power of the 21st century will depend on human capital. The failure to produce that capital will undermine American security.”–Council on Foreign Relations task force co-chaired by former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Joel Klein, former chancellor of New York’s school system.
* “Ours for the most part is a system of pleas, not a system of trials.”–U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony M. Kennedy.
*”It’s a very good time to be Anthony Kennedy, there’s no doubt about that. You have a court with four conservatives and four liberals and that leaves only one vote in play.”–CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin on the impact of the Supreme Court’s swing vote on the blockbuster Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act case.
* “A decreasing number of primary and secondary schools are teaching any foreign language. That’s one sign of a continued disengagement between Americans and a planet they have such a big impact on–and that they could gain so much from engaging more closely with.”–Charles Kenny, senior fellow, Center for Global Development.
* “We in the mainstream media shouldn’t distort the (Medicare) argument by the careless use of language. Voucher proposals would ‘overhaul’ Medicare, ‘transform’ it or ‘convert’ it. They wouldn’t ‘end’ or ‘privatize’ it. Words matter. Let’s keep the debate honest.”–Robert Samuelson, Washington Post.
* “Some people will feel sad about it and nostalgic about it. But we have a better tool now.”–Jorge Cauz, president of Encyclopedia Britannica, which is discontinuing its reference books to focus on its online encyclopedias and educational curriculum for schools.
* “If I had another choice, I’d never have played (football), at all, in my life. … It would be golf or tennis.”–Detroit Lions’ Hall of Famer Lem Barney, who says he now knows he had at least seven to eight concussions in his 10-year career.
* “This deal that somehow we’ve got to be mad and puffed up, it’s interfering with our ability to think. We need to be around people who disagree with us; nobody is right all the time.”–Former President Bill Clinton, speaking at the Straz Center last week.
* “After months of dragging his feet on supporting weak front-runner Mitt Romney, Jeb Bush today held his nose and gave Romney an unenthusiastic nod–much like the GOP electorate across the country.”–Florida Democratic spokeswoman Brannon Jordan.
* If he does get asked, it will be very hard to say no. … You get the feeling with Marco, he’s not planning on growing old in the U.S. Senate.”–Ana Navarro, Republican fundraiser and friend of Sen. Marco Rubio, on Rubio’s prospects for a vice presidential nomination.
* “By every account, what we accomplished, especially when combined with the successes of 2011, is astounding. In my 12 years in the Florida Legislature, I have never seen the Senate take on more big-picture ideas or influence the landscape of Florida with more transformative changes to public policy.”–Florida Senate President Mike Haridopolos.
* “I am so sorry.”–Former gubernatorial candidate Alex Sink referencing her close loss to Rick Scott to the Suncoast Tiger Bay Club.
* “I’m willing to be the boyfriend that causes the divorce.”–Hillsborough County Commission Chairman Ken Hagan on the possibility of proactively reaching out to the Tampa Bay Rays.
* “The progress the University of Tampa has made in the past 25 years, in academics, athletics and the entire college experience, has been impressive. I’m pleased to support such a fine institution and future generations of its students.”–Vince Naimoli, who is paying for a new (turf) athletic field at UT.
* “Shame on JD Alexander for what he did.”–Mayor Bob Buckhorn.