QuickQuotes.

Praise Given for a Courageous Vote Against the Hurricane Aid Bill

"Some will criticize [North Carolina] Fifth District U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx for her vote against the hurricane aid package, but hers was one lone voice for fiscal sanity. The money is being appropriated in a rush, with little thought to how it will be spent and where it will come from. To her credit, Foxx asked for at least some accountability." After she was one of only 11 members of the House of Representatives to say No to the $51.8 billion measure passed on September 8, an editorial in the Winston-Salem Journal applauded Mrs. Foxx's stand.

New Envoy to Un Supports Its Goals

"There is no backing away by the United States in the support for the millennium summit declaration." Responding to charges that the U.S. is trying to gut the UN's current objectives, U.S. Ambassador to the UN John Bolton reminded reporters that President Bush "unequivocally" supports the UN's goals.

Late Supreme Court Chief Had a Sense of Humor 

"I did nothing in particular and I did it very well." Reporters recalled a humorous side of Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist by remembering a comment about his role in the Senate trial after the House had impeached President Bill Clinton.

Judge Adamantly Decides Not to Condone Abortion

"Taking the life of an innocent human being is contrary to the moral order, I could not in good conscience make a finding that would allow the minor to proceed with the abortion." Tennessee is one of many states requiring parental approval for a minor child to have an abortion, and Judge John R. McCarroll, who serves in the Shelby County Circuit Court, refused to hear the plea of a pregnant teenager, stating that he will recuse himself from any similar plea.

Congressman Sees Concern About Illegal Immigration Growing

"I've been traveling to every state trying to light a fire about immigration. But I'm finding the fire is already raging, and I'm just grabbing the bellows to push it higher." The leader of the immigration control movement in Congress, Colorado Republican Tom Taneredo, claims that he now has more than 70 allies in Congress, up from seven allies four years ago.

UN's Top Official Admits to Personal Guilt

"The inquiry committee has ripped away the curtain and shone a harsh light into the most unsightly corners of our organization. The report is critical of me personally, and I accept the criticism." After the issuance of the 847-page Volcker Report detailing corruption in the UN's oil-for-food program, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan admitted only shoddy administrative action.

Author Pens Frightening Analogy

"The U.S. military presence in Iraq today is like the dikes and levees that were protecting New Orleans from the flood. The equivalent of the flood for Iraq is a civil war between Sunnis, Shiites, and Kurds. The U.S. military right now is holding that back."

In his forthcoming book, Michael Mandelbaum points to the possibility of serious trouble ahead when U.S. forces leave Iraq.

Powell Recalls Being Misled

"There were some people in the intelligence community who knew at that time that some of these sources were not good and should not be relied upon, and they didn't speak up. That devastated me." Recalling his 2003 speech to the UN where he offered detailed descriptions of Iraqi weapons that didn't exist, former Secretary of State Colin Powell admits his dismay at finding out how he was used.