* “(Putin’s) not a Marxist. In fact, it’s been speculated that he may be the world’s richest man. But he is the man the KGB made him.”–Jonah Goldberg, National Review.
* “The Pacific Ocean is big enough to accommodate both China and the United States.”–Chinese President Xi Jinping.
* “The (President Trump) Asia trip left me feeling that we’re watching an American retreat, accompanied by a shiny brass band.”–David Ignatius, Washington Post.
* “In national security this administration is an empty suit. It doesn’t make decisions. It doesn’t set priorities.”–Sen. John McCain.
* “I think the fruits of our labor are going to be incredible, whether it’s the security of the world or whether it’s trade.”–President Donald Trump’s assessment of his first Asian tour.
* “We will put on hold all our communications with this American administration.”–Senior Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat, in response to announced plans by the Trump administration to close the Palestinian diplomatic office in Washington.
* “In all of my testimony, I can only do my best to answer all of your questions as I understand them and to the best of my memory. But I will not accept, and reject, accusations that I have ever lied. That is a lie.”–Attorney General Jeff Sessions, in recent testimony before the House Judiciary Committee.
* “Trump is immune to the laws of political physics because it’s not his job to be a politician. It’s his job to burn down the system.”–Washington crisis management expert Eric Dezenhall.
* “We have tremendous natural resources, from coal to natural gas to oil, to generate electricity in a very cost-effective way. We should celebrate that and be good stewards.”–EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt.
* “I did not support (Trump for president) in part because of the way that all of these reports about how he was treating women. … But those allegations remain very disturbing.”–Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine.
* “The legalities of the Alabama race may be at an impasse, but it would be good to see Republican women in the state lead a charge and insist on someone else. Find another conservative. There are plenty in Alabama. I put it on the women because Republican men there right now are lost. They are busy playing to every stereotype every bigot ever held about them.”–Peggy Noonan, Wall Street Journal.
* “Unless the risk of clearing cryptocurrency is isolated and segregated from other products, a catastrophe in the cryptocurrency market that destabilizes a clearing organization will destabilize the real economy.”–Thomas Peterffy, founder and chairman of Interactive Brokers LLC.
* “More and more, innovation that happens from the top down tends to be orderly but dumb. Innovation that happens from the bottom up tends to be chaotic but smart.”–Curtis Carlson, CEO of SRI International.
* “We’ve been very, very busy. What’s great is the word is getting out, and people aren’t waiting until the last minute to sign up.”–Melanie Hall, executive director of the Family Healthcare Foundation in Tampa, on reports that Floridians are signing up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act at record rates this year.
* “I’m pleading to my brothers. You know this guy. Brothers, don’t let this happen again. It could be your family next.”–Tampa city councilman Frank Reddick, the only black member, appealing for help in solving the murders in the racially-mixed neighborhood of Southeast Seminole Heights.
* “We don’t know exactly what we’re going to do, except we’re going to restore it.”–Carolyn Wilson, president of the Wilson Co., which bought downtown Tampa’s historic Kress block for $9 million.
* “That is a pivotal block in our urban transformation.”–Mayor Bob Buckhorn on the significance of the Kress block sale.
* “Went down fighting. Fascinating man…servant-scientist-artist.”–Retired sports broadcaster Dick Enberg on the passing of Dr. Ferdie Pacheco.
* “I know that’s the solution that everyone in baseball would like to see–a new stadium for the Rays in that (Tampa Bay) market. That would be a win-win for everybody.”–Stan Kasten, president of the Los Angeles Dodgers.