* “I have a sense that there’s no sense of urgency … on Iran.”–Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
* “In our region, there were some countries who miscalculated their positions, and you have witnessed what happened to them. … We should not describe as oppressive brutal actions in an enemy country while refraining from calling the same actions oppressive if they take place in a friendly country. Brutality must be called brutality.”–Iran’s president-elect, Hassan Rouhani.
* “The flight of the leaker Edward J. Snowden from Hong Kong to Moscow last month would not have been possible without the cooperation of Russia and China. The two countries’ behavior in the Snowden affair demonstrates their growing assertiveness and their willingness to take action at America’s expense.”–Leslie H. Gelb, president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations.
* “We both will benefit from an open, secure, reliable Internet. Outright cyber-enabling theft that U.S. companies are experiencing now must be viewed as out of bounds and needs to stop.”–Vice President Joe Biden, in remarks at annual U.S.-China bi-lateral talks.
* “The current national security apparatus is huge. An estimated 483,000 government contractors had top-secret security clearances in 2012. That’s a lot of Snowdens to trust with your information.”–David T.Z. Minich, author of “Tuned Out: Why Americans Under 40 Don’t Follow the News.”
* “The Government Accountability Office says border security in 2011 was about 84 percent effective. A much-discussed aspiration is 90 percent. So the $46 billion is supposed to purchase a six-point improvement.”–George Will, Washington Post.
* “I don’t intend to get involved in the politics or the specifics of policy, but I do hope there’s a positive resolution to the debate. And I hope, during the debate, we keep a benevolent spirit in mind, and we understand the contributions immigrants make to our country.”–Former President George W. Bush.
* “Low-skilled immigrants don’t directly compete with the native-born. They do entry-level work, create wealth and push natives into better jobs.”–David Brooks, New York Times.
* “We estimate a significant increase in both the population and the number of workers paying taxes in the United States as a result of these changes in legal immigration limits.”–Stephen Coss, chief actuary at the Social Security Administration.
* “The complications that induced the administration to postpone the employer mandate (how to count workers’ hours or implement reporting requirements) are just that–complications, not insurmountable obstacles. Expanded access to insurance–the fundamental goal of health-care reform–remains intact.”–Ruth Marcus, Washington Post.
* “He (President Obama) has probably done more to reduce emissions than anyone else in history, but his critics on the right and left haven’t noticed.”–Michael Grunwald, Time magazine.
* “The general bias to the market is up. You can see a clear path to economic growth in the United States.”–David Kelly, chief global strategist at JP Morgan Funds.
* “Justifiable use of deadly force is one of the most difficult areas of the law.”–State Attorney Angela Corey, a special prosecutor in the George Zimmerman trial.
* “We think we made progress with the first African-American president … but this has set us back.”–Tampa City Councilman Frank Reddick on the George Zimmerman verdict.
* “No form of government is perfect. Our elected officials sometimes fail us. Ultimately, it is our level of involvement in the political process that determines its quality.”–Former Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio.
* “We’ve got an uphill battle here.”–Dunedin Mayor Dave Eggers on the Toronto Blue Jays’ pursuit of other spring training options.
* “I do. I do, I do, I do.”–New USF St. Petersburg Chancellor Sophia Wisniewska on whether she envisions a more residential campus.
* “In my conversations with our economic development folks and Amazon’s representatives, I believe Amazon wants to be in Hillsborough County and will be in Hillsborough County.”–Hillsborough County Commission Chairman Ken Hagan.
* “We have definitely seen an increase in crystal meth. We don’t know if that’s directly related to the crackdown on pill mills, but we can tie some of that back.”–Tampa Police Dept. Sgt. Rick Mills.
* “I have nothing against individuals with money. But when it comes to subsidizing a stadium … it’s almost a conspiracy among the leagues to say we’ll work with each other to get what we want from any city in the country. And we’re too stupid to realize it.”–Tampa City Council Chairman Charlie Miranda.