Quoteworthy

* “Mr. Trump’s foreign policy requires an unreliable regime in Tehran to behave reasonably in order to save Mr. Trump from himself. This is the tragic failure of his abandonment of diplomacy.”–Former Secretary of State John Kerry.

* “Things sometimes get worse before they get better.”–Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs David Schenker.

* “(We) got less detailed information than President Trump shared with Laura Ingraham. We were told repeatedly that there was reliable intelligence of an imminent threat. That’s it.”–Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., on what Senators were told had prompted the drone hit at Baghdad Airport on Iran’s Gen. Qassem Soleimani.

* “What is obvious for us, and what we can say with certainty, is that no missile hit the plane.”–Ali Abedzadeh, head of Iran’s national aviation department, on reports that it was an Iranian missile that had brought down a Ukrainian jetliner and killed all 176 on board.

* “I wish I was dead. I accept all responsibility for this incident.”–Ali Abedzadeh, the following day, after admitting that an Iranian missile did, indeed, bring down the Ukrainian jetliner.

* “Today’s action will further restrict the Cuban regime’s ability to obtain revenue, which it uses to finance its ongoing repression of the Cuban people and its unconscionable support for dictator Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela.”–Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in announcing that the Trump administration is banning charter flights to Cuban cities outside Havana.

* “Every senator now faces a choice: to be loyal to the president or the Constitution.”–House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

* “Big government at its absolute worst.”–How President Donald Trump characterized the half-century old National Environmental Policy Act that he’s pushing to roll back.

* “If you want to clean up your carbon footprint, nuclear will be part of your resources and it is carbon-free with zero emissions.”–Lakeland Electric general manager Joel Ivy.

* “With water quality in crisis in some parts of Florida and water shortages in others, protecting rural land from development should be a top state priority. Yet the three toll road corridors (linking North Florida with Collier County) cut through some of Florida’s best remaining lands and valuable water resources.”–Victoria Tschinkel, former secretary of the Florida Department of Environmental Regulation.

* “I think everyone wants someone convicted of a felony to rejoin society. The right to vote is fundamental to being a productive citizen.”–Hillsborough County Clerk of Court Pat Frank.

* “I don’t get the sense that Tampa and St. Pete are kissing cousins. … More like hissing cousins.”–Orlando Magic co-founder Pat Williams, who leads the campaign to bring a major league baseball team to Orlando.

* “I am willing to look outside of this building because I care about the children in this district.”–Hillsborough County School Board member Stacy Hahn, on the superintendent search that is targeting candidates from outside the district.

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