In the world of politics, keeping track of who said what is very important. Innovations from the radio to the tape recorder to the internet have helped to make this task easier.
The following, in no particular order, are some of my personal favorites from the week:
"That would be impossible, because I didn't know who that person was until several days later."
-- Tim Russert, in his testimony on the Scooter Libby trial this Wednesday. Russert was referring to Libby's story that he learned about Valerie Plame from him, and not a certain snarling Vice President.
"There's gonna be more killed and wounded because they are just not ready."
-- Lawrence Korb, assistant secretary of defense in the Reagan administration, who made this comment in the Feb. 4th article entitled "Corners cut in rush to add troops Shorter training time, lack of equipment hurt readiness, experts say"
"Invade Iran. Then everyone will see how smart we are."
-- Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, quoting some of President Bush's neocon advisers.
"I wish they would attack us with a nuclear bomb and kill us all, so we will rest and anybody who wants the oil — which is the core of the problem — can come and get it. We can not live this way anymore; we are dying slowly every day."
-- Haydar Abdul Jabbar, a car mechanic in Iraq, expressing his grief at the (then) most recent attack his town.
"I just — I'm going to do everything I can to support it and I hope it does work and that we won't have to think about what's next."
-- Sen. Joe Lieberman, describing his views on the war and escalation.
"This is an up-or-down vote on the policy enunciated by the president. To make it anything else was to get off the debate that we are having in this country."
-- Rep. Rahm Emanuel, on the House's approach to debating the Bush/McCain surge.