* “Donald Trump convinced North Korea and China he was serious about bringing about change. We’re not there yet, but if this happens, President Trump deserves the Nobel Peace Prize.”–South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham.
* “We should not harbor any illusions; Europe is far too weak and divided to stand in for the U.S. strategically. And without U.S. leadership, the West cannot survive.”–Former German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer.
* “(Donald Trump) wants the United States to become a mercenary power, protecting only those countries willing to pay for their protection, so he can concentrate on making America great again at home. But the hard lessons learned throughout history suggest the best way for the United States to care for its own interests is by investing in the security of its allies.”–William Drozdiak, author of “Fractured Continent.”
* “We in the intelligence world have dealt with obstinate and argumentative presidents through the years. But we have never served a president for whom ground truth really doesn’t matter.”–Michael V. Hayden, former director of the CIA.
* “To abandon facts is to abandon freedom. If nothing is true, then no one can criticize power, because there is no basis upon which to do so. Post-truth is pre-fascism.”–Historian Timothy Snyder, author of “On Tyranny.”
* “Never believe the CBO (Congressional Budget Office). Very important. Never believe them.”–White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow, in rejecting CBO reports that the tax cut would raise the national debt by $1 trillion over a decade.
* “The opportunity here is not to suggest a ticket of moderates. I think that we’re speaking to what nobody else is, the ability to work together in a bipartisan way.”–Former Republican Congressman David Jolly, on the possibility he could be on a Florida Democratic gubernatorial ticket with former Democratic Congressman Patrick Murphy.
* “It’s Time to Name the Betrayers Who Voted For Gun Control.”–Title of a letter recently circulated by Marion Hammer, the NRA’s Florida lobbyist.
* “If this state can ban people from voting but can’t ban weapons on our streets, that’s sick.”–The Rev. R.B. Holmes, an organizer of the recent Tallahassee march in support of Amendment 4, the statewide citizens’ initiative to restore the right to vote to former felons in Florida.
* “Tampa has got extraordinary potential.”–Marriott International President and CEO Arne Sorenson.
* “The I-4 corridor is precisely the location where future Hillsborough County growth should occur.”–Ryan Sampson, immediate past president of NAIOP Tampa Bay, the trade organization that represents commercial real estate developers, owners and investors.
* “You can’t buy that kind of media exposure. It’s important to keep that high profile.”–Bob Rohrlack, president and CEO of the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce, on the value of having an NHL franchise advance in the Stanley Cup playoffs.