* “We are there (Mideast) to deter aggression. President Trump does not want war.”–Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, during his meeting with commanders of U.S. Central Command and U.S. Special Operations Command at MacDill AFB.
* “Trump seems to inhabit a fantasy world in which his abandonment of the Obama nuclear deal with Iran, along with sanctions and bellicose tweets, will force Iran to roll up its nuclear program. Instead, Trump’s tactics have, quite predictably, led Iran to lash out.”–Nicholas Kristof, New York Times.
* “The very people–in some cases, literally the very same people who lured us into the Iraq quagmire 16 years ago–are demanding a new war, this one with Iran.”–Tucker Carlson, Fox News host.
* “It’s 21st-century gunboat diplomacy. We’re showing the adversary we can inflict serious costs without actually doing much. We used to park ships within sight of the shore. Now, perhaps, we get access to key systems like the electric grid.”–Robert M. Chesney, University of Texas law professor, on the shifting legal basis for digital operations–notably the targeting of the Russian grid.
* “Americans want reliable energy that they can afford. Fossil fuels will continue to be an important part of the mix.”–EPA chief Andrew Wheeler.
* “The carbon tax is an example of how to use market forces to save the planet.”–William L. Holahan and Charles Q. Kroncke, co-authors of “Economics for Voters.”
* “History has proven time and again that when we give politicians the power to set the value of money, they do it badly and the consequences can be catastrophic.”–Peter Conti-Brown, the author of “The Power and Independence of the Federal Reserve.”
* “We’ve been on defense for 47 years, and it’s not working.”–Sen. Elizabeth Warren, on Roe v. Wade.
* “However the I-4 Corridor breaks is how you win Florida, ” and we won’t take any vote there for granted.”–Ellie Hockenberry, Republican National Committee spokeswoman.
* “If the governor and Legislature would just pay attention to what the voters ask of them, citizen initiatives wouldn’t be necessary.”–Paula Dockery, former Republican legislator–now NPA–from Lakeland.