* “We won’t hold back from supporting capable partners in opportunistic attacks against ISIL (ISIS), or conducting such missions directly, whether by strikes from the air or direct action on the ground.”–Defense Secretary Ash Carter, in signaling a possible escalation of U.S. military action in the Middle East.
* “He refused to give up his dream of peace in the face of violence. The next step will be determined by whether you decide that Yitzhak Rabin was right, that you have to share the future with your neighbors … that the risks of peace are not as severe as the risk of walking away from it.”–Former President Bill Clinton in Israel to mark the 20th anniversary of the assassination of Prime Minister Rabin.
* “If we believe this will be the second American century, that time is on our side, that Chinese communism is a dead faith, we ought to avoid a clash and show our opposition to Beijing’s (South China Sea) excesses, if need be, by imposing tariffs on all goods made in China. China’s oligarchs will understand that message.”–Pat Buchanan, Creators Syndicate.
* “We are not going to have a House that looks like it’s looked the last few years. … Our party lost its vision.”–New Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin.
* “I’m not a performer. If they’re looking for an entertainer-in-chief, I’m probably not your guy.”–Jeb Bush.
* “While Jeb was offstage, the whole party and political environment had passed him by. He came back looking very ’90s. He’s talking about pragmatic government at a time when the drivers in his party are talking about tearing it down.”–Maureen Dowd, New York Times.
* “I still have tremendous admiration for him both as a person and what he did as governor of Florida, and I’m not going to talk bad about Gov. Bush. My campaign is not about him.”--Marco Rubio.
* “When Jeb drops out, the question is whether he backs Marco for the nomination or whether he’s too ticked off at Marco for running in the first place.”–Tony DiMatteo, former Pinellas Republican chairman.
* “The media used to present him as the smarter Bush, the more capable Bush, the Bush who should have been president. Now that’s all gone.”–Josh Voorhees, Slate.
* “Folks, we’ve got to wake up. We cannot nominate somebody that doesn’t know how to do the job.”–Ohio Republican Gov. John Kasich.
* “Republicans have enjoyed a summer of reality show politics, flirting with candidates like Ben Carson, Donald Trump and Carly Fiorina, who have almost no chance of defeating the Clinton juggernaut.”–George LeMieux, former Republican U.S. senator from Florida.
* “As long as Americans put one party in charge of the executive branch and another in charge of the legislative branch, successful governance will depend on mutual compromise.”–Bloomberg View.
* “If we use absolute values and not rates, then the following statements are both true: There are more people who are poor than ever today. But GDP is much higher today than it ever was under a Republican president, so the Obama administration economic policy is a smashing success.”–Sheldon Danziger, president of the non-partisan Russell Sage Foundation.
* “I can’t stop thinking about it. Cuba and the cruise industry are just a match made in heaven, waiting to happen.”–Frank Del Rio, CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings.
* “People will agree or disagree about casino gambling. But regardless of your position, given the stakes involved and the money that the gambling industry puts into campaigns and lobbying, the people of Florida should have the final say on whether or not to legalize casino-style gambling.”–John Sowinski, chairman of Voters in Charge, which wants to pass an amendment that would make clear that no additional gambling can be allowed in Florida without a statewide public referendum on the issue.
* “Many thoughtful citizens have grown weary of politicians demanding that a college education be primarily job-oriented training.”–Donald Eastman, president of Eckerd College.
* “Just what we needed. Another non-educator to have zero understanding of best education practices and policy.”–Cindy Hamilton, co-founder of Opt Out Orlando, on the appointment of securities lawyer Tom Grady to fill a vacancy on the State Board of Education.
* “This whole issue about the open carry law, I really don’t get that. My interpretation of that is that you’re going to be the first one to die when the shooting starts. … A large number of Americans believe they’re safe by virtue of owning a firearm. The truth is that the majority of firearms are taken away from the owners and used on them in violent encounters.”–Former Tampa Police Chief Jane Castor.
* “If we’re going to create an entrepreneurial ecosystem here, we’ve got to have the ability to move data. And our ability to move data gives us a competitive advantage.”–Mayor Bob Buckhorn, at the announcement that Google may bring its ultra-fast Internet service, Google Fiber, to Tampa.
* “It has become very scientific.”–Santiago Corrada, president and CEO of Visit Tampa Bay, on the increased need to connect digitally with prospective tourists.
* “Our urban experience in the next five years will change the skyline in ways we cannot imagine.”–Mayor Bob Buckhorn, speaking at the annual meeting of the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corp.
* “Economic development is a contact sport.”–Incoming EDC chairwoman Colleen Chappell, CEO of the Ybor City-based Chappell Roberts marketing firm.
* “The board ultimately feels like they want to take responsibility and go to the private sector and raise these dollars to offset our operating expenses for the fall.”–MOSI president and CEO Molly Demeulenaere, in turning down a $400,000 loan–and its demanding conditions–from Hillsborough County.