*”President Karzai has never said to me that the United States was colluding with the Taliban. I don’t know what caused him to say that today. It’s categorically false. We have no reason to be colluding with the Taliban.”–Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, commander of the U.S.-led military coalition.
*”At this challenging time of President Hugo Chavez’s passing, the United States reaffirms its support for the Venezuelan people.”–President Barack Obama.
* “Here are some representatives that we greet and value.”–Newly sworn-in Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, referencing by name Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., former Massachusetts congressman William Delahunt and the Rev. Jesse Jackson who were in attendance at the funeral of Hugo Chavez.
* “I look at what’s happening right now, I wish I were there. It kills me not to be there, not to be in the White House doing what needs to be done.”–Mitt Romney.
* “Businesses and consumers have begun to look away from the histrionics and the battles going on in Washington. They’re beginning to realize that organic growth in the private economy is beginning to pick up speed.”–Bernard Baumohl, chief global economist at the Economic Outlook Group.
* “I’m not saying yes. I’m just not saying no.”–Jeb Bush.
* “Books written by people thinking about being president are nearly as weightless as the press release, but because they take the shape of a respected medium, they claim more attention.”–John Dickerson, Slate.
* “Jeb Bush’s clear discomfort with his own book reminds me of Charles Barkley complaining about what was in his memoir.”–John Podhoretz, author and editor of Commentary magazine.
* “I’m not an entertainer. Classical music is a science. … You’re dealing with pure sound.”–The late Van Cliburn.
* “Business leaders want people who read books, know things about history and politics, spot flimsy arguments and write well.”–Mark Bauerlein, Emory University English professor and author of The Dumbest Generation.
* “Too many people are looking at public office as an opportunity for private gain instead of public service.”–Florida Senate President Don Gaetz, R-Niceville.
* “This is the best deal going in health care today.”–U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Tampa, in urging Florida legislators to expand Medicaid.
* “I oppose the Washington plan, and I want a Florida plan.”–Sen. Joe Negron, R-Stuart, chairman of the Florida Senate committee that voted against Medicaid expansion.
* “You can’t just buy teachers with $2,500. Our members are going to look to see where the governor stands on charter schools, on the trigger, on merit pay. Then we’ll decide whether to support him.”–Jeff Wright, the Florida Education Association’s director of public policy advocacy.
* “Think about it: You can go to Iran, to Syria, to the Sudan. But you can’t go to Cuba.”–Al Fox, anti-embargo activist and president of the Alliance for Responsible Cuba Policy Foundation.
* “I think this confirms the economy is, indeed, rebounding.”–Hillsborough County Property Appraiser Bob Henriquez, commenting on the projection that property values for tax bills in the county are expected to grow by about 3 percent.
* “Fred Karl dedicated his entire career to good causes and to the betterment of this city, this state and this country. He put his heart and soul into everything he did. He was 100 percent honest.”–Former Tampa Mayor Dick Greco.
* “To try to convince the big national retail companies that downtown is ready to have you, it’s a tough sell. But we’re certainly a lot closer. Five years ago, I couldn’t even get them to return my calls.”–Downtown Tampa residential developer Ken Stoltenberg.
* “Everybody is replaceable. The cemetery is filled with people who thought they were indispensible, mayors included.”–Mayor Bob Buckhorn.
* “We want to be average in attendance and well above average in on-field performance.”–Tampa Bay Rays’ owner Stu Sternberg.