Old Fogey's Quotes for Thursday

"Never in modern times has a statewide officeholder and candidate been so vilified."
Dick Wadhams, Sen. Allen's campaign manager, referring to the press coverage of the macaca incident
Senator to 'Macaca': Sorry
[Excuse me? Trashing the military service of a decorated Vietnam veteran seems a little more serious. Going after a president for not being truthful about his mistress also seems a little like vilification to me]

"We want to avoid another 'slam dunk.' "
Rep. Peter Hoekstra (R-Mich.) , regarding the new congressional report on US intelligence in Iran
U.S. Spy Agencies Criticized On Iran
[It would be more reassuring if your concern wasn't what another military incursion is to be called]

"The criticisms reflect the views of some officials inside the White House and the Pentagon who advocated going to war with Iraq and now are pressing for confronting Iran directly over its nuclear program and ties to terrorism, say officials with knowledge of the debate."
Mark Mazzetti in the New York Times
History, Repeating Itself
[Now we know why a Republican is rushing the report--the White House again expects the intelligence community to prove what Bush already believes. The facts can be so frustrating to someone who has usually gotten whatever he wanted]

"If the only thing you can say is 'Yes, it's bad, but it could be worse,' that really is a last-ditch argument."
Christopher F. Gelpi, a Duke University scholar whose research on public opinion in wartime has been influential in the White House
Bush's New Iraq Argument: It Could Be Worse
[Bush's advisers have apparently told him that claiming progress in Iraq seems totally out of touch with the scenario of more Iraquis being killed last month than all the fatalities on 9/11]

"In our Gulf Coast, the tens of thousands of Hurricane Katrina survivors are still engaged in an unparalleled struggle to rebuild their lives. Meanwhile, back in Washington, President Bush is holding a public relations blitz that the survivors of Katrina can ill afford."
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.)
Katrina Survivor Lauds Bush in What Democrats Call PR Stunt
[This must have been a different adviser. How stupid can you get? The grateful survivor just happens to be an old Republican pol. Couldn't he have found someone else who was willing to say anything for 15 minutes of fame? If not, things down there must be much worse than we think]

“I’ve heard children who work as prostitutes say they would rather die from AIDS, because it is slower than dying of hunger.”
Chola J. Chabala, the Zambian assistant labor commissioner
Africa Adds to Miserable Ranks of Child Workers
[Someday I hope our ancestors will be horrified that we let this kind of thing happen to children all over the world]

“Removing that one major is not going to make the nation stupid, but if this really was removed, specifically removed, then I see it as part of a pattern to put ideology over knowledge. And, especially in the Department of Education, that should be abhorred.”
Lawrence M. Krauss, a physicist at Case Western Reserve University, regarding the disappearance of evolutionary biology from the list of approved majors for students receiving federal aid
Evolution Major Vanishes From Approved Federal List
[Scientists are another group that can't be counted on to provide Bush with exactly what he wants to hear. How frustrating to him]