* “The Arab states are no longer just whispering their desire for the United States to militarily take out Iranian nuclear facilities. The United Arab Emirates’ ambassador to Washington said so openly three weeks ago.”–Charles Krauthammer, Washington Post.
* “It is a very significant facility for us.”–State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley on the recently shut down, heavily-fortified U.S. consulate in Juarez, Mexico. The U.S. consulate in Juarez is the only place that processes immigrant visas in Mexico.
* “Obama would be well pleased if he could have someone resembling what he recalls hearing bout Bob Dole or Howard Baker, Republican Senate leaders who mostly opposed Democratic presidents but made common cause with them on certain national and international issues.”–David Broder, Washington Post.
* “Whenever you have lower (hotel room) occupancy, guest satisfaction goes up.”–Mark Schwartz, director of the hospitality and travel practice at J.D. Power and Associates, on the positive impact of lower rates and less-crowded pools, elevators and lobbies.
* “The process of change is well under way. The U.S. is the largest Spanish-speaking country in the world, with the exception of Mexico. It means–and I am completely convinced of this–that the first Hispanic President has already been born.”–Author and Noticiero Univision anchor Jorge Ramos on the implication of Hispanics as the largest U.S. minority.
* “I hate to say this, but how are they any better than a pimp?”–Alabama football coach Nick Saban referring to the less-than-scrupulous soliciting of players by agents.
* “Voters are obviously wary of offshore oil drilling given what’s happened in the Gulf.”–Quinnipiac University pollster Peter A. Brown on QU poll results that show 72 percent of Florida voters support Gov. Charlie Crist’s proposal to put an oil-drilling ban to a referendum vote.
* “In the face of such stunning (HCA) managerial incompetence, how could any decide (Rick) Scott was qualified to run a lemonade stand, let alone the nation’s fourth-largest state?”–Steve Forbes.
* “Come on down and show me that you mean it.”–Florida Rep. Alcee Hastings, urging President Obama to do more for Democratic senatorial candidate Kendrick Meek, whom the president has endorsed.
* “(The Rays) up to now have been a team that the Yankees haven’t been able to money-whip into submission the way they do every other small-payroll team in the sport.”–Mike Lupica, New York Daily News.