* “There you have Egypt today–a four-way power struggle between the army, the rising Islamist parties, the smaller liberal parties and the secular youth of Tahrir Square. All of them will have a say in how this story plays out.”–Thomas Friedman, New York Times.
* “After years of cold-war competition over the Middle East and North Africa, it is now France and Turkey that are vying for lucrative business ties and the chance to mold a new generation of leaders in lands that they once controlled.”–Soner Cagaptay, senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
* “Our invitation to the IAEA to come to Iran proves that our nuclear activities are transparent, that we have nothing to hide and that our approach with the IAEA is based upon goodwill.”–Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast.
* “It is apparent time and again that U.S. ratings agencies (notably Standard & Poor’s) pursue very much their own goals.”–German Vice Chancellor Philipp Roesler.
* “As one prominent party strategist laughingly reminded me this week, Ronald Reagan allowed a dozen tax increases by some counts and measures; put Sandra Day O’Connor, an eventual disappointment to conservatives, on the Supreme Court; and signed the Simpson-Mazzoli immigration reform act, which gave amnesty to three million illegal immigrants. The liberal in Obama must be green with envy.”–Frank Bruni, New York Times.
* “Capitalism has unleashed more human potential than any other system in history. But we need a tax system that essentially takes very good care of the people who just really aren’t as well adapted to the market system but are nevertheless doing useful things in society.” Warren Buffett.
* “Quelle horreur! One of the uglier revelations about President Obama emerging from the Republican primaries is that he is trying to turn the United States into Europe. … Look out: another term of Obama and we’ll all greet each other with double pecks on the cheek.”–Nicholas D. Kristof, New York Times.
* “My goal as president will be to create a Cuban Spring that is even more exciting than the Arab Spring.”–Newt Gingrich.
* “Romney faces a serious problem, and it is one that dogged Al Gore. Voters do not connect with him.”–William McKenzie, Dallas Morning News.
* “(Ron) Paul won’t quit before the Republican convention in Tampa. His goal is to have the second-most delegates, a position of leverage from which to influence the platform and demand a prime-time speaking slot–before deigning to support the nominee at the end. The early days of the convention, otherwise devoid of drama, could very well be all about Paul.”–Charles Krauthammer, Washington Post.
* “The arguments in favor (of a Hillary Clinton vice presidency) are as simple as one-two-three. One: It does more to guarantee Obama’s re-election than anything else the Democrats can do. Two: It improves the chances that, come next January, he will not be a lame duck with a gridlocked Congress but a rejuvenated president with a mandate and a Congress that may be a little less forbidding. Three: It makes Hillary the party’s heir apparent in 2016.”–Bill Keller, New York Times.
* “The bottom line is that job growth was expected to rebound significantly after the recession and its aftermath, independent of any governor’s actions. There’s no evidence his (Gov. Rick Scott) policies are creating jobs.”–Alan Stonecipher, Florida Center for Fiscal and Economic Policy analyst.
* “If defending social services does not make you a conservative, then call me a liberal, because you cannot eliminate poverty by chasing the poor out of the city. They are our responsibility.”–Miami’s Republican Mayor Tomas Regalaso.
* “St. Petersburg’s walkability and wide range of entertainment and services is driving buyer demand.”–Smith & Associates Real Estate owner Bob Glaser on why Smith is opening a major office–staffed by about 50 agents–near downtown St. Pete.
* “We can’t tell airlines where to put their new airplane, but we need to control the message. …In a sense, it’s a good time to be meeting airlines that have orders for new airliners in the next few years.”–TIA CEO Joe Lopano.