* “The idea that talk is cheap will be translated to: A lack of action will be very expensive. Once people in Hillsborough County are exposed to the options — what if we do this vs. what if we do nothing at all — the debate changes.” — Political strategist Adam Goodman, currently working on behalf of the pro-transit group Moving Hillsborough Forward.
* “I’m clearly not (backing rail) because I think it’s great for my political career.” — Hillsborough County Commission Mark Sharpe, who is up for re-election this year.
* “It would be a terrific location. I have a lot of friends here in Tampa, and I must admit it would be a lot of fun coming back at the Republican convention. Whether I’m in the mix or not is a different matter.” — Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.
* “What we’re seeing with (Tampa Bay public company) corporate earnings is completely consistent with an economy emerging out of a severe and protracted recession.” — Sean Snaith, director of the University of Central Florida’s Institute for Economic Competiveness.
* “Charlie Crist has shown time and again that he cannot be trusted in Washington to take on the Obama agenda because on issue after issue he actually supports that agenda.” — Former Vice President Dick Cheney, who has endorsed Marco Rubio for the U.S. Senate.
* “The Republic Party like the Democratic Party goes through phases where it reidentifies itself. Right now this party is very conservative and there’s good reasons. I saw a bumper stick over this weekend that said, ‘If you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention.'” — Sen. George LeMieux.
* “The cost of stabilizing the financial system is likely to be significantly lower than previously expected.” — Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.
* “Investment banks such as Goldman Sachs were not simply market-makers, they were self-interested promoters of risky and complicated financial schemes that helped trigger the crisis. They bundled toxic mortgages into complex financial instruments, got the credit rating agencies to label them as AAA securities, and sold them to investors, magnifying and spreading risk throughout the financial system, and all too often betting against the instruments they sold and profiting at the expense of their clients.” — Sen. Carl Levin, D-Michigan.
* “To elect is a verb that does not apply in this case. Just confirm or ratify what has been decided by others.” — Internationally prominent, award-winning Cuban blogger Yoani Sanchez on Cuba’s recent national elections.
* “If aliens ever visit us, I think the outcome would be much as when Christopher Columbus first landed in America, which didn’t turn out very well for the American Indians. We only have to look at ourselves to see how intelligent life might develop into something we wouldn’t want to meet.” — Professor Stephen Hawking.