* “Syria today is not about choosing between two sides but rather about choosing one among many sides. It is my belief that the side we choose must be ready to promote their interests and ours when the balance shifts in their favor. Today, they are not.”–Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
* “Right now, the Obama Administration is trapped by its client state the way that great-power patrons often are. Because our aid to Egypt is our most obvious leverage over its military, and because we can really only pull that lever once, Washington is afraid to follow through and do it.”–Russ Douthat, New York Times.
* “Unconventional monetary policy is still needed in all places it is being used, albeit longer for some than for others.”–International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde.
* “Most presidents strive for a smooth, quiet transition that doesn’t put markets on edge. Now, we have this knock-down, drag-out fight.”–Economist and author David Jones on the public speculation about either Federal Reserve Vice Chairwoman Janet Yellen or former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers succeeding Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke.
* “I don’t see that my majority opinions are going to be undone. I do hope that some of my dissents will one day be the law.”–U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
* “The rhetoric is all about efficiency. The reality is all about higher prices.”–Karen Ignagni, CEO of America’s Health Insurance Plans, on the trend of hospital mergers.
* “This is the time. This might be the last off-ramp for us to stop Obamacare before it gets so enmeshed in our culture that it’s impossible to change.–Heritage Foundation president Jim DeMint speaking against the Affordable Care Act at a recent Tampa town hall meeting.
* “Ted Cruz may be a very good politician, but he certainly doesn’t know anything about health care. … He’s a slick spokesman and God help us if he ever does get to be anything more than the senator from Texas.”–Howard Dean, former Democratic governor of Vermont.
* “The Republican Party is in a constant struggle between its ego and its id, and the id has mostly won out lately.”–Democratic consultant David Axelrod.
*For some of the rodeo clowns clamoring for impeachment around the country, Barack Obama’s real crime is presiding while black.”–Maureen Dowd, New York Times.
* “Higher education should not be a luxury. It is an economic imperative that every family in America should be able to afford.”–President Barack Obama.
* “E-cigarette use is growing rapidly. There is still a lot we don’t know about these products, including whether they will decrease or increase use of traditional cigarettes.”–Thomas Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
* “This will be the most important vote on land conservation and the environment in our lifetime.”–Will Abberger, director of conservation finance for the Trust for Public Land, on a proposed 2014 amendment to Florida’s constitution that would guarantee for the first time a state source of funding for land preservation and related environmental programs.
* “The thing that keeps me interested is that every single day I read another headline about something else this governor has done that is ridiculous and stupid and not in the best interest of Floridians. I can’t tell you how angry I am that the people of Florida have to endure this failed leadership.”–Alex Sink, former CFO of Florida and 2010 Democratic gubernatorial nominee.
* “Project Sunburst had the potential to be recognized globally as a government transparency innovation. The basic promises of the project have not been kept.”–Dan Krassner, executive director of Integrity Florida, an independent government watchdog group, on the status of Gov. Rick Scott’s email transparency system.
* “Our commitment (to the Common Core curriculum standards) is strong because it is the best decision for the future of our state and most importantly, the future of our students.”–Interim state Education Commissioner Pam Stewart.
* “Funding for Visit Tampa Bay needs to be addressed quickly. We are going to be left in the dust.”–Lou Plasencia, Hillsborough Tourist Council member and Chairman/CEO of The Plasencia Group.
* “Everything that we purchased we are putting to good use. Not only is it benefiting law enforcement, but the citizens of Tampa Bay for years to come.”–Tampa Police Chief Jane Castor on the crowd control and security equipment purchased with a federal grant for last summer’s GOP convention.
* “It’s (economic development) a long process, and it has to do with positioning and perceptions. The RNC (picking Tampa for a convention site) helped in an extraordinary way when it came to that.”–Rick Homans, president of the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corp.
* “(Mexicans) are rapidly becoming the core faith group in the Catholic Church in the United States.”–Bishop Robert Lynch, Diocese of St. Petersburg.