* “The lasting defeat of this brutal group (ISIS) can and will be accomplished.”–New Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter.
* “I think all the families will feel closure and relief once there’s a bullet between his eyes.”–Bethany Haines, daughter of British aid worker David Haines who was beheaded by “Jihadi John,” now identified as Kuwait-born, Britain-educated Mohammed Emwazi.
* “The human failing I would most like to correct is aggression.”–British theoretical physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking.
* “This is clearly the most dysfunctional relationship between an American and Israeli leader.”–Aaron David Miller, vice president of the Washington-based, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.
* “We do have an economy that, fortunately, appears to be recovering and we have to be forward-looking in setting monetary policy, but I want to assure you that we do want to see that recovery continue.”–Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen.
* “It’s an irrefutable reflection of the principle that no one–whether government or corporate–should control free, open access to the Internet.”–Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler, on the FCC’s vote to approve net neutrality rules that allow for the federal regulation of broadband Internet providers.
* “Like the Clintons, the Bushes drag the country through national traumas that spring from their convoluted family dynamic and then disingenuously wonder why we concern ourselves with their family dynamic.”–Maureen Dowd, New York Times.
* “The simple fact is, there is no plan to deport 11 million people. We should give them a path to legal status where they work, where they don’t get government benefits, where they learn English, and they make a contribution to our society.”–Jeb Bush at the recent CPAC gathering.
* “Imagine, if we had a president who doesn’t travel the world bad-mouthing America. After all, that’s the U.N.’s job.”–Sen. Marco Rubio at CPAC.
* “If I can take on 100,000 (Madison) protesters, I can do the same across the world.”–Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker at CPAC.
* “Campaign finance and money in politics is constantly changing. There’s an incentive to innovate, and the law has been a moving target over the last several years. We can thank the Supreme Court for this, and it’s not just Citizens United. By saying there can’t be limits on spending by these outside groups, they’ve opened the floodgates, and it becomes very difficult to regulate.”–Ohio State University election-law expert Dan Tokaji.
* “If you look at the trend lines, you can see there is a movement stirring across our nation. It is about putting families first. It is about creating a 21st-century economy for 21st-century families.”–Hillary Rodham Clinton, in a Silicon Valley speech.
* “He’s looking at this as showing he still can be king of the hill, because we don’t have the votes to override.”–Sen. Jim Imhofe, R-Ok., responding to President Obama’s veto of the Keystone XL oil pipeline bill.
* “New research shows marijuana is by far the least dangerous recreational drug. Studies have shown again and again that it leads to virtually no recreation. That’s how safe it is.”–Seth Meyers.
* “Fox News has a market; the market is people who don’t trust the news media.”–Jay Rosen, New York University journalism professor.
* “I think it will be very difficult to make the arithmetic work, and I’ve shared that with the governor and his senior staff. We’re not going to be able to get everything done that’s been promised.”–Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, who chairs a Senate budget panel that will determine education spending.
* “I would disagree that allowing students to have guns would bring those (rare shooting) situations under control more quickly. I think it would create chaos. True control comes from people who are trained to handle dangerous situations. Not with everyone running around waving guns.”–USF assistant police Chief Chris Daniels.
* “When you had 600 people living downtown and 300 were in the Morgan Street jail, the trains were not a factor. (Now) it is a problem.”–Mayor Bob Buckhorn on Tampa landing a $1.35 million Florida Department of Transportation grant to help create a downtown “quiet zone.”
* “In order to compete and win, we have to continue to invest in this county-owned facility. It’s incumbent on us to come up with a long-term strategy.”–Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan on splitting the $25 million renovation cost of county-owned Amalie Arena with Lightning owner Jeff Vinik.
* “We have to be the voice of Tampa Bay’s technology ecosystem. We have to grab a megaphone and shout from the rooftops that we are a tech hub…. We are here and already on the national scene with world-class talent addressing world-class problems right here in Tampa Bay.”–Daniel James Scott, executive director of the Tampa Bay Technology Forum.
* “The Lights on Tampa display is showcasing everything we’ve been working to do. These types of events are what make us cool. There is more happening in downtown Tampa than has happened in two decades.”–Mayor Bob Buckhorn.