“To do my duty, I must obey God.” Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore, on refusing a federal court order to remove the 5,280-pound monument of the Ten Commandments he installed in the state Supreme Court lobby.
“You know, everybody makes mistakes when they are president.” Former president Bill Clinton, on faulty intelligence included in President George W. Bush’s State of the Union message.
“The problem is, most politicians think their lives are more interesting than they actually are.” Publishers Weekly editor Charlotte Abbott, on why campaign biographies don’t sell.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t think I was going to talk about ‘man on dog’ with a United States senator. It’s sort of freaking me out.” An Associated Press reporter, to Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, who said the definition of marriage has never included homosexuality, “man on child, man on dog or whatever the case may be.”
This is just a message to the troops to say that here in the Capitol, we are not happy." Ohio Rep. Bob Ney, on ordering the replacement of the word “French” with “freedom” on all House menu items, hence “freedom fries” and “freedom toast”.
“There are known knowns. These are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we know we don’t know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we don’t know we don’t know.” Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, clarifying U.S. policy on the war on terror at a Pentagon briefing.
“He looks French.” An unidentified White House adviser, criticizing presidential hopeful Sen. John Kerry .
“This hasn’t been a good week for social conservatives.” American Center for Law and Justice legal director Jay A. Sekulow, on the Supreme Court’s decisions on affirmative action and gay sexual conduct .
“Did he rape me? No. Did he humiliate me? You bet he did.” Anonymous woman, one of several women who accused California gubernatorial candidate Arnold Schwarzenegger of groping them.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we got him!” Paul Bremer, the United States administrator in Iraq, on catching Saddam Hussein.
“Instead of having one [Osama] bin Laden, we will have 100 bin Ladens.” Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, predicting that the U.S.-led war on Iraq would drive more Muslims to anti-Western militancy.
“We will, in fact, be greeted as liberators.” Vice President Dick Cheney, on invading Iraq.
“What surprises me, what amazes me, is that it seems the military people were expecting to stumble on large quantities of gas, chemical weapons and biological weapons.” Retiring U.N. chief weapons inspector Hans Blix, on the hunt for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
“On my good days, I feel like maybe we’re at least doing something worthwhile for these people. There aren’t many good days. On my bad days, I feel like getting my machine gun and opening up on every one of them.” Lori, a 21-year-old private, during the battle for Baghdad.
“Bring them on.” President George W. Bush, taunting the Iraqi groups waging a guerrilla war against U.S. and British troops.
“When we first got here, it was black and white. Now everything is gray.” Sgt. 1/c William Sanchez, on postwar Iraq.
“There were times when I was worried. All these pills are powerful enough to kill an elephant, never mind a man.” Wilma Cline, on supplying conservative talk-show host Rush Limbaugh with the painkillers he was addicted to.
“The Columbia is gone. There are no survivors.” President George W. Bush, on the loss of the space shuttle 200,000 feet above Texas.
“We’re a superpower with a Third World grid.” Bill Richardson, governor of New Mexico and former Energy secretary in the Clinton administration, on the blackouts that crippled parts of the U.S. Midwest, the Northeast and southern Canada.
“Hong Kong will take your breath away.” An ad, commissioned before the SARS outbreak, that the Hong Kong tourist board says it regrets
“I just held her, held her all the way home.” Ed Smart, on being reunited with his daughter Elizabeth, who was abducted from their Salt Lake City home.
“I feel sad, which is not a typical emotion for me.” Martha Stewart, on the fraud and obstruction-of-justice charges she faces.
“I was able to first snap the radius, and then within another few minutes snap the ulna at the wrist, and from there I had the knife out and applied the tourniquet and went to task.” Colorado climber Aron Ralston, on how he cut off his forearm with a pocketknife after being pinned under a boulder for five days.
“I killed so many women I have a hard time keeping them straight.” Gary Ridgway, the former truck painter long suspected of being the Green River Killer, owning up in court to 48 murders.
“I did not assault the woman who is accusing me. I made the mistake of adultery.” L.A. Laker Kobe Bryant, on being accused of raping a 19-year-old concierge at a Colorado spa.
“If they’re all so brilliant and I’m such an affirmative-action hire, how come they didn’t catch me?” Former New York Times reporter Jayson Blair, who plagiarized and falsified stories, on his former bosses.
“It looked like hell, or what I pictured hell to be.” San Diego County resident Jodi Hamilton, on the fire that raged through her community without warning, killing several of her neighbors.
“It’s not that big of a deal. So a girl got her head split open.” A student involved in the brutal hazing among high-school girls in a Chicago suburb.
“Why can’t you share your bed? The most loving thing to do is to share your bed with someone … It’s very charming. It’s very sweet. It’s what the whole world should do.” “King of Pop” Michael Jackson, admitting to sleeping in bed with several children who were not his own.
“I’ll do what men do, and she should do what women do.” PGA golfer Fulton Allem, on Annika Sorenstam, the first woman in 58 years to compete on the PGA Tour. She outgolfed him on the first day of play of the Colonial tournament. Sorenstam shot 71; Allem shot 75.
“I’m happy for anyone who finds romance.” Bruce Willis, on ex-wife Demi Moore’s relationship with 25-year-old actor Ashton Kutcher.
“Dude, he’s never going to have another friend.” Chicago resident Meredith Voegtle, on Steve Bartman, a Cubs fan who deflected a foul ball from a Cubs outfielder, possibly keeping the team from the World Series.
“She couldn’t type.” Former Kennedy press aide Barbara Gamarekian, describing Marion (Mimi) Fahnestock, the 19-year-old intern, now 60, who admitted to having had an affair with President John F. Kennedy.
“I’m white and she’s Puerto Rican. That’s what’s underneath, although nobody says it because it’s not politically correct.” Actor Ben Affleck, on his belief that the media fascination with him and Jennifer Lopez is race-related.
“Is this chicken, what I have, or is this fish? I know it’s tuna. But it says chicken. By the sea.” Singer Jessica Simpson, on Chicken of the Sea brand tuna fish.
