“He is a strong, bright man, but he has the look of a man who's about to take on a job he’s not at all sure is going to end well.”
— Vice President Biden on China President Xi Jinping in his University of Pennsylvania commencement speech.
Verbatim
“If you've got the IRS operating in anything less than a neutral and nonpartisan way, then that is outrageous, it is contrary to our traditions, and people have to be held accountable.”
— President Barack Obama, speaking at a news conference Monday on reports that the IRS improperly targeted conservative groups for additional scrutiny. "I've got no patience with it," Obama said. "I will not tolerate it."
“The whole issue of talking points, frankly, throughout this process has been a sideshow.”
— President Barack Obama, arguing that the controversy over the Benghazi attack has been politically motivated. The "political circus" surrounding the Sept. 11, 2012 attacks, Obama added, has "dishonor[ed]" the victims
“Our relationship has improved dramatically in the last 10 years … But when information is out there that affects the safety of my community, I need to know that.”
— Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis, responding to a question at a House hearing today about whether the FBI shares enough information with local police, particularly when there's a potential terrorist threat
“We find out somebody's engaging in this stuff, they've got to be held accountable; prosecuted, stripped out of their positions, court martialed, fired, dishonorably discharged. Period. It's not acceptable.”
— President Barack Obama discussing a 35 percent increase in military sexual assaults in a press conference with South Korean Prime Minister Park Geun-hye on Tuesday.
“I believe that before it’s all over, this president will not fill out his full term.”
— Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, predicting Barack Obama will be ousted because of the Benghazi embassy attack, which Huckabee called a bigger scandal than Watergate.
“He gives speeches, he gives interviews, he says words, but he doesn't really rally people, doesn't create a wave that breaks over the top of the Capitol Dome and drowns the opposition, or even dampens it for a moment.”
— Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan in "Is Obama Already a Lame Duck?" The lame duck debate has carried over the weekend as the President weighs his options on gun control and immigration reform.
“What we now have is evidence that chemical weapons have been used inside of Syria, but we don't know how they were used, when they were used, who used them. We don't have a chain of custody that establishes what exactly happened...I've got to make sure I've got the facts.”
— President Obama in his press conference today, explaining that there will be no US intervention in Syria despite the use of chemical weapons in their war.
“When we talk about fiscal spending, and we talk about protecting the taxpayers, it doesn’t mean you take that money we saved and leave the country for a personal purpose.”
— Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch to former Republican Gov. Mark Sanford in their debate for the seat of the first district of South Carolina last night.
“The Boston bombing provided the opportunity for the government to turn what should have been a police investigation into a military-style occupation of an American city.”
— Former Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) in an article for Lew Rockwell's website.
“Your mother showed me some of your landscapes and animal paintings and I thought they were great, really great. And I seriously considered calling you and asking you to do a portrait of me until I saw the results of your sister's hacked e-mails. Those bathroom sketches were wonderful, but at my age I think I should keep my suit.”
— Bill Clinton to George W. Bush at the dedication to his presidential library and museum in Dallas, Texas.
“All in all this was a pretty shameful day for Washington.”
— President Obama in his statement at the White House following the defeat of the Toomey-Manchin Senate gun control amendment.
“If you want to know who we are, who America is, how we respond to evil—that's it: selflessly, compassionately, unafraid.”
— President Barack Obama today in the Press Briefing Room of the White House responding to the Boston Marathon attack.