* “Relations between Russia and the United States are crucial to ensuring global security.”–Part of the New Year’s message sent by Russian President Vladimir Putin to President Barack Obama.
* “God’s hand of retaliation will grip the neck of Saudi politicians.”–Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader.
* “Europe’s open borders that facilitate free trade also assure freedom of travel to homegrown terrorists.”–Patrick J. Buchanan, Creators Syndicate.
* “As President Obama pivots into the final phase of his presidency, he seems to be heading in a new direction, toward greater candor, fewer inhibitions, no apologies. He has felt muzzled and misunderstood for much of his time in the White House. I sense a catharsis.”–Frank Bruni, New York Times.
* “The president will be focused on finishing strong on his foreign policy agenda, including implementation of the Iran deal, ratification of TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership), follow-through on the Paris climate change accord and making the Cuba normalization irreversible.”–Benjamin Rhodes, deputy national security adviser.
* “Call it a digital surge. … We need multiple concurrent offensives to retake and hold the digital battleground. … The Islamic State is already at a disadvantage: It does not own the platforms. And the values of the tech companies that build these platforms and the vast majority of people who use them are diametrically opposed to the Islamic State’s ideology of violence.”–Jared Cohen, founder and director of Google Ideas.
* “Were it not for Donald Trump, the big political story of the year would be the emergence of a new New Left–visible in the continued potency of Black Lives Matter, the turmoil on college campuses, and the appeal of an avowed socialism on the Democratic Party’s campaign trail.”–Ross Douthat, New York Times.
* “This (Donald Trump) is not a serious person, and he’s not going to be president, but he makes it harder for the likely nominee to be able to beat Hillary Clinton.”–Jeb Bush.
* “You have to surround yourself with good people. And he (Ben Carson) hasn’t demonstrated that he can do that.”–Barry Bennett, former Carson campaign manager.
* “Marco Rubio would be in much better shape if he would devote his time and energy to campaign building and infrastructure. It would boost him in early states, and sustain him through Super Tuesday. As it stands, his path to victory depends–in essence–on luck. And if anything goes worse than he expects, he’s finished.”–Jamelle Bouie, Slate.
* “If a national service program were open now to all American men and women ages 18 to 26, and if the areas of service included nonmilitary opportunities like tutoring low-income children, cleaning up urban slums, and participating in conservation projects, it could have a major impact on this country. … Young people are not needed today on farms or in factories. But they could be used in meeting unmet societal and environmental needs.”–William Byron, professor of business and society at St. Joseph’s University.
* “Just because you train that you can use force doesn’t mean you should.”–Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
* “Even the Force cannot protect ESPN.”–BTIG Research analyst Rich Greenfield, on expectations that the sports channel will become Disney’s most troubled business as consumer behavior continues to shift.
* “If you’re one of the many Americans resolved to eat healthier and lose weight in 2016, ignore the frantic activists and keep it simple. Eat more fruits and vegetables, fewer calories overall, and incorporate more exercise.”–Dr. Joseph Perrone, chief science officer at the Center for Accountability in Science.
* “The Cubans move very slowly; they don’t move quickly for anything.”–Mike Mauricio, president of Tampa-based Florida Produce, which hopes to win approval from the Cuban government to open a warehouse distribution facility in Cuba.
* “We need to be cautious. Frankly, our economy isn’t growing fast enough in this state to sustain the levels of tax cuts that we’ve had an appetite for.”–State Sen. Tom Lee, R-Brandon and outgoing Senate Appropriations Committee chairman.
* “You don’t have to have open carry to have effective public safety.”–Pinellas Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, legislative chair of the Florida Sheriffs Association.
* “We have a state that has a history of disenfranchising voters. We have to continually be on the watch for legislation that moves us backward instead of forward.”–Pamela Goodman, president of the League of Women Voters of Florida
* “We either need to demand superior performance from our students now, or employers will be forced to tell them that they are unqualified later, when they apply for work.”–Tampa attorney Rhea Law, outgoing chair of the Florida Council of 100.
* “Even though we are doing very well in the eyes of the world in a lot of areas, we don’t have enough transportation options and the longer we wait, the more expensive it becomes and the more congested it becomes.”–Mayor Bob Buckhorn.
* “There’s the old saying: ‘Demography is destiny.’ The normal narrative we hear is there are a lot of great things going on in downtown St. Pete, but that’s sort of a thin market. You have young professionals and retirees. The bigger story is young families with school-age children moving into Hillsborough County.”–Jacob Cremer, a land-planning attorney at Stearns Weaver Miller.
* “We’re going to get this done one way or the other. It’s too important for West Tampa and the west side of the Hillsborough River.”–Mayor Bob Buckhorn, who hopes to use money from Amendment I–earmarked for land purchases, restoration and conservation–to help finance Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park.