* “There is no talk about rebuilding the U.S.S.R.”–Russia Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, in qualifying his proposition that former Soviet nations reunite as an “Eurasian Union.”
* “God forbid, if there is ever a war between Pakistan and America, then we will side with Pakistan.”–Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai.
* “With what’s happening in the world, you have to feel very proud.”–Argentina President Cristina Fernandez after her landslide reelection victory.
* “Our political system prefers rhetorical fairy tales to unpleasant budget realities.”–Robert Samuelson, Washington Post.
* “If we persist in treating politics as a three-ring circus, we just might find ourselves with nothing but clowns.”–Frank Bruni, New York Times.
* “We tend to underestimate the political power of places. Then Tahir Square comes along. Now it’s Zuccotti Park… Kent State, Tiananmen Square, the Berlin Wall: We clearly use locales, edifices, architecture to house our memories and political energy. Politics troubles our consciences. But places haunt our imaginations.”–Michael Kimmelman, New York Times.
* “Tax policy isn’t just about how to raise revenue anymore. Liberals see it as a way to punish the greedy and redress the iniquities of capitalism. Conservatives see tax increases as an assault on the enterprising class perpetrated by arrogant central planners. A tax rate could be seen as just a number signifying an expense, but now it’s a marker in a culture war.”–David Brooks, New York Times.
* “It’s apparent that the United States needs more high-skill immigrants–job creators rather than job seekers.”–Michael Barone, The Washington Examiner.
* “Schooling after the second grade plays only a minor role in creating or reducing gaps. It is imperative to change the way we look at education. We should invest in the foundation of school readiness from birth to age 5.”–James Heckman, Nobel Prize-winning economist at the University of Chicago.
* “Basically, what you do is you build relationships.”–Gov. Rick Scott on the strategy behind going on trade missions, including the recent seven-day trip to Brazil.
* “Either he is ignorant or prejudiced, neither of which are qualities for him to serve on this committee.”–Sen. Rene Garcia, R-Miami, rebuking comments by Sen. Alan Hays, R-Umatilla, that voters should be screened for citizenship before legislators draw a congressional district favoring Hispanics.
* “I understand why things were put in place post 9/11. I think there may be other ways to mitigate the security issues and at the same time open up what I think is one of the most valuable pieces of real estate in downtown Tampa.”–Mayor Bob Buckhorn on working with port director Richard Wainio on a plan to open the cruise ship docks to the public.