Old Fogey's Quotes for Sunday

"There ought to be a term that would designate those who actually follow the teachings of Jesus, since the word 'Christian' has been largely divorced from those teachings, and so polluted by fundamentalists that it has come to connote their polar opposite: intolerance, vindictive hatred, and bigotry."
Philip Slater in the Huffington Post
THE GREAT FUNDAMENTALIST HOAX

"When I talk about ethics, the response quite often is, 'Yeah, he's a crook, but he's our crook, and isn't everybody a crook out there?' "
Pete McCloskey, former congressman running in GOP primary for California's 11th Congressional District seat.
Ethics Issue May Not Rouse 11th District

"As insurgency and corruption have grown more intractable in Iraq, Cheney, Rice and the main U.S. allies in Europe have focused more on Iran, as if to leapfrog the problems of Iraq by concentrating on a new crisis, although from different directions. "
Jim Hoagland in WaPo
Bush's Gamble On Iran

"I prefer for others to go into the propeller first."
Mark McKinnon, the president's friend and campaign media adviser, when asked if he ever openly disagreed with Mr. Bush
The White House Without a Filter

"If the very people you're suing are the ones who get to use the state secrets privilege, it's a stacked deck."
Representative Christopher Shays, (R-Connecticut), regarding a legal tactic that swiftly torpedoes most lawsuits: the state secrets privilege
Invoking Secrets Privilege Becomes a More Popular Legal Tactic by U.S.

"Our political position could be dramatically negatively impacted this fall and after the next presidential election."
Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), a longtime estate tax critic in regard to his proposal to reduce the estate tax rather than try to repeal it and fail
Effort to Repeal Estate Tax Said to Be Faltering