* “Terrorists are being smuggled in, camouflaged as refugees. That is a fact that security authorities must always seek to recognize and identify.”–Hans-Georg Maassen, the head of Germany’s domestic intelligence agency.
* “Put simply TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership) will bolster our leadership abroad and support good jobs at home.”–President Barack Obama, after trade ministers from the U.S. and 11 Pacific Rim nations formally signed the largest regional trade deal in history–one that now awaits implementing legislation from Congress.
* “Our Chinese friends, or adversaries–take your pick–have learned a lot from us, but they’ve eschewed lectures on democracy, and their Confucian self-image is far from our own.”–Douglas McElhaney, former U.S ambassador to Bosnia-Herzegovina.
* “You can’t motivate your base and at the same time turn off moderates and independents.”–Republican strategist Matthew Dowd, on Ted Cruz’s general election strategy.
* “The business model of Wall Street is fraud.”–Bernie Sanders.
* “I would choose Trump over Cruz.”–Former President Jimmy Carter.
* “It’s high intelligence in the service of evil.”–Comedian Bill Maher on Ted Cruz.
* “Cruz is to some extent (Rick) Santorum’s second coming, but with more guile, more gall, more money and a better organization.”–Frank Bruni, New York Times.
* “In Washington, Rubio has been privately derided by senators and staff as a show-horse and a lightweight.”–David Corn, Mother Jones.
* “I would turn that (Citizens United decision) on its head if I could. I think campaigns ought to be personally accountable and responsible for the money they receive.”–Jeb Bush.
* “Some people want the country to change dramatically, but a lot of other people want someone who understands the country, understands the competing interests, and will find the illusive third way like Hillary will.”–Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, former Democratic governor of Iowa.
* “A vote in 2002 is not a plan to defeat ISIS. We have to look at the threats that we face right now.”–Hillary Clinton to Bernie Sanders.
* “Experience is not the only point. Judgment is.”–Bernie Sanders to Hillary Clinton.
* “The great majority of African-Americans have shown patience, stuck with Obama … recognizing the real limits within which he has to operate. They have bitten their tongue, not out of complacency, but out of the difficulty he had to face.”–Harvard Law professor Randall Kennedy.
* “They call them carrier surcharges and fees. They just don’t call them fuel surcharges.”–George Hoblea, founder of Airfare-watchdog.com, on fuel fees–introduced when oil prices were rising–that are still being applied, in effect, by airlines.
* “If he was an evil wizard, his power was vastly enhanced by the fact that we all moved into the castle with him.”–Author-financial reporter Diana Henriques, on Bernie Madoff, perpetrator of the largest Ponzi scheme in history.
* “I don’t think I’ve ever seen the committee treated with such contempt.”–Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., referencing the testimony of Martin Shkreli on drug-price hikes to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
* “We’re entering turbulent waters. It’s no longer like a tide coming in. It’s a nursing-shortage tsunami.”–Dianne Morrison-Beedy, dean of the University of the USF College of Nursing.
* “The piecemeal system we now have is a disgrace. It costs too much. Too many people receive no benefits at all, and it is a paper-work jungle.”–The late Congressman Sam Gibbons on the state of health care back in the 1990s.
* “We don’t have any medication, we don’t have any vaccine. And so our only weapon is prevention.”–Beata Casanas, professor in the Division of Infectious Disease at USF’s College of Medicine, on the Zica virus.
* “It’s a backdoor tax increase on citizens who often can’t afford to pay it, and you’re making intersections less safe.”–Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, who is among Florida lawmakers who want to outlaw red-light cameras statewide.
* “We beat expectations. … People will be able to see a doctor or a nurse and get the care they need. … And those who already have insurance won’t have to pick up the tab for other people.”–U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Tampa, on the more than 284,000 local residents who chose health insurance on the Affordable Care Act marketplace during the recent open enrollment period.
* “We decided it was time to reassess what our mission really is–is it brick and mortar or the children and hospitals so we can provide free care.”–James Lich, first vice president of Egypt Shriners, on the rationale for selling the 13-acre, waterfront A La Carte Pavilion site to David Weekley Homes.
* “Fan comfort and game certainty are two of the most important things for us–no rainouts.”–Melanie Lenz, Tampa Bay Rays senior vice president for strategy and development.
* “I would more or less say I’m heartbroken. I was completely shocked.”–Andy Schlauch, on the theft of a prized glass vessel at the Chihuly Collection in St. Petersburg.
* “Tony Dungy got more out of his team and players than anyone. And once he got the podium, he became the role model for guys who came after him.”–Hall of Fame coach John Madden.