Mass Appeal

Here are some of the Hotline's favorite "quotes of the day" from the past year. Enjoy, and have a wonderful holiday season!

• "I'm gonna get to Martha, don't worry. You guys've got a couple of hours here, don't ya?" — Ex-Rep. Joe Kennedy (D-MA), who mentioned MA SEN candidate Martha Coakley's (D) name about six minutes into his remarks endorsing her, WHDH-TV, 1/7.

• "A geologist plays well on the Western Slope." — Interior Sec. Ken Salazar, on Denver Mayor/ex-geologist John Hickenlooper's (D) strengths as a GOV candidate, Denver Post, 1/8.

• "That's what's been lost this year ... that whole sense of changing how Washington works." — Pres. Obama, AP quoting People magazine, 1/13.

• "I rarely make these calls, and I truly apologize for intruding on your day." — Pres. Obama, in a robo-call urging MA voters to support AG Martha Coakley (D) on 1/19, mult., 1/15.

• "The level of interest has clearly picked up. I've never seen a negative commercial on the Weather Channel before." — MA Sec/State William Galvin (D), on the MA SEN race, Boston Herald, 1/19.

• "I'm Scott Brown. I'm from Wrentham. And I drive a truck." — Sen.-elect Scott Brown (R-MA), Boston Globe, 1/20.

• "It was a lot more complicated, I think, than most people think. There are a lot of adults involved." — Dem pollster Harrison Hickman, on why it took ex-Sen. John Edwards (D-NC) so long to acknowledge his child Quinn, "Today", NBC, 1/21.

• "She should work it harder." — Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA), on Speaker Nancy Pelosi saying she didn't have the votes to pass the Senate health-care bill, New Orleans Times-Picayune, 1/23.

• "Do I regret it? Sure I do. I wouldn't have to be taking this heat otherwise." — SG LG Andre Bauer (R), apologizing for his comments about homeless people, Columbia State, 1/26.

• "Majority rule, we call it." — Speaker Nancy Pelosi, supporting Senate reconciliation of the health care bill, Los Angeles Times, 1/28.

• "I am glad I am not on the ballot at all. I wouldn't want to be an incumbent on the ballot." — MI Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D), "State of the Union," CNN, 1/31.

• "It was a bad time in my life. I was trying to put muscle on." — IL LG nominee Scott Lee Cohen (D), on his alleged 'roid rage, Chicago Sun-Times, 2/5.

• "They did not help. They frustrate me. But this is a democracy." — Pres. Obama, on the "special deals" it took for Senate Dems to pass health care reform, CBS News, 2/7.

• "Look, we are in good shape compared to the Congress." — VP Biden, on Americans wondering if those in DC "don't get it" when it comes to fixing the economy, "Early Show," CBS, 2/17.

• "I think we should take a page out of her playbook and take a nine iron and smash the window out of big government." — MN Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) comparing frustrated voters to Elin Woods, The Atlantic, 2/19.

• "If I wore these now, I'd get shot. But it was the '80s. Pastels were in. It was all pastel-y." — Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA), explaining a pair of "pink leather shorts" he wore on his first date with his wife, New York Times magazine, 2/28 issue.

• "No one is talking about reconciliation." — Senate Maj. Leader Harry Reid, on health care reform, mult., 2/25.

• "All I saw was the press release where it said he didn't violate the rules of the House." — Speaker Nancy Pelosi, on the ethics cmte's "admonishment" of Ways & Means Cmte Chair Charlie Rangel, mult., 2/26.

• "It's important for our lieutenant governor to be someone who loves dogs. I think that's a great way to win the election." — IL Gov. Pat Quinn (D), Chicago Sun-Times, 2/28.

• "It's too bad Sen. Mitch McConnell and some of the elected officials on your side of the aisle do not have the backbone or your sense of decency." — Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY), quoting a constituent from Louisville on the Senate floor, mult., 3/2.

• "I've created jobs. What have these guys ever done?" — Spitzer madam Kristin Davis (I), on her qualifications to run for NY GOV, Philadelphia Daily News, 3/3.

• "If you claim that you are going to hold a group accountable, as she professed, then it requires you to really be serious about that." — Ex-Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL), on Speaker Nancy Pelosi pledging to clean up ethical problems in Congress, AP, 3/5.

• "It's because they're going back in rooms and then telling the members, take it or leave it." — Ex-House Maj. Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX), on why Speaker Nancy Pelosi is having trouble passing health care reform, "State of the Union," CNN, 3/7

• "I'm collateral damage. I'm roadkill. And in 72 hours, nobody is going to remember who I am, nor are they going to care." — Ex-Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY), "LKL," CNN, 3/9

• "He solved mysteries and caught the bad guys, pretty impressive -- especially for a dog." — Senate Maj. Leader Harry Reid, in a fundraising appeal, on a RNC Powerpoint comparing him to "Scooby Doo," New York Post, 3/11.

• "I've been a blogger since 1999, and it hasn't done the job." — CA SEN candidate Mickey Kaus (D), explaining his primary challenge to Sen. Barbara Boxer (D), New York Times Magazine, 3/14 issue.

• "I've seen him in the cafeteria a couple of times." — Senate historian Donald Ritchie, on Senate Parliamentarian Alan Frumin, whom he met 30 years ago, Los Angeles Times, 3/14.

• "The President's visit to my district on Monday underscored the urgency of this moment." — Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), announcing he'll support the Dem health-care reform bill, mult., 3/17.

• "We're going to attack whenever we can, but I'd rather have you attack. I'd rather be the nice guy in this race." — CA AG/ex-Gov. Jerry Brown (D), to labor supporters, Los Angeles Times, 3/18.

• "With all due respect to the nuns, when I deal or am working on right-to-life issues, we don't call the nuns." — Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI), "Hardball," MSNBC, 3/18.

• "No politics involved with this, whatsoever." — FL AG/GOV candidate Bill McCollum (R), on his health care lawsuit, Sarasota Herald Tribune, 3/23.

• "Yeah, but you were there when all these terrible things happened. We want somebody new." — Sen. Robert Bennett (R-UT), on what "a lot of" his past supporters are telling him this year, ABC4 News, 3/24.

• "Harry Reid has done a lot for this town. But Sarah Palin is bringing in all sorts of people and all sorts of money." — Searchlight, NV motel mgr Marie Stower, Las Vegas Sun, 3/26.

• "I think that they were within the parameters of acceptable fundraising." — WH sr. adviser David Axelrod, on Dem efforts to raise money off the health care "nastiness," "State of the Union," CNN, 3/28.

• "I'm researching that." — Possible WA SEN candidate Dino Rossi (R), on NRSC claims that he could "have an impact as a U.S. senator immediately," Politico, 3/30.

• "A decision like that is one you make at the last possible moment, I guess." — Ex-MA Gov. Mitt Romney (R) on whether he'll run in '12, AP, 4/2.

• "I mean, traveling on an airplane, people are so nice to me. It wasn't that way before." — Senate Maj. Leader Harry Reid, on the change in people's attitudes since Congress passed health care reform, "On the Record," FNC, 4/5.

• "Welcome to history, part two." — Ex-MD Gov. Bob Ehrlich (R), kicking off his '10 GOV bid, Baltimore Sun, 4/7.

• "I'm glad I don't have any deposits there." — State House Speaker/IL Dem chair Michael Madigan (D) asked about the Giannoulias family-owned bank, Chicago Tribune, 4/8.

• "Just about every sentence that Congressman Kirk utters these days is a noun, a verb, and 'Broadway Bank.'" — IL Treas./SEN nominee Alexi Giannoulias (D), Chicago Sun-Times, 4/13.

• "Whether we like it or not, we remain a dominant military superpower." — Pres. Obama, mult., 4/14.

• "Those minority folks were absolutely at the rally. We were just simply moving around random people for aesthetic reasons." — Spokesman Roy Teicher, on ex-CO Speaker Andrew Romanoff's (D) camp "digitally altering" their website's banner photo, Denver Post, 4/15.

• "I'm leaning toward Rand Paul, which is surprising because I think his dad is a kook." — KY voter Josh Lightfoot, at a Lexington Tea Party event, Lexington Herald-Leader, 4/16.

• "I need you to be excited -- as excited as the Tea Party people are." — Sen. Barbara Boxer (D), at the CA Dem convo, after entering the hall to "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," Los Angeles Times, 4/18.

• "You remember, 2008? That was fun, right?" -- Pres. Obama, trying to energize CA Dem donors, release, 4/20.

• "Oh I don't think it's a lot of people. I heard it from one guy." — FL Gov. Charlie Crist (R?), on contentions that he's "betrayed" the GOP, Tampa Tribune, 4/21.

• "People were very rude. They just talked and talked. They were yammering." -- "Morning Joe" anchor Joe Scarborough, on guests at the Washington Press Club Foundation Dinner, which he and co-anchor Mika Brzezinski hosted, MSNBC, 4/22.

• "Automatically I become a factor in this race." — Rep. Kendrick Meek (D-FL), on what happens if Gov. Charlie Crist (R) runs as an indie, "John King, USA," CNN, 4/22.

• "The only time I'm reminded of Washington is when you and I are debating." — Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO), responding during a debate to ex-state Speaker Andrew Romanoff (D), Denver Post, 4/25.

• "This race is no longer about Jack Murtha. This race now is more about the Obama-Pelosi agenda." — PA 12 candidate Tim Burns (R), "Hannity," FNC, 4/26.

• "I probably shouldn't say this. But I have thought from time to time that I might have helped the country more if I'd stayed a Republican." — Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA), Allentown Morning Call, 4/28.

• "Never did I imagine that the subprime mortgage market would implode, and I would make hundreds of millions of dollars." -- Billionaire businessman/FL SEN candidate Jeff Greene (D), St. Petersburg Times, 4/30.

• "I want the people of Illinois to know I was never convicted of anything." — IL GOV candidate/ex-Dem LG nominee Scott Lee Cohen (I), Chicago Sun-Times, 5/4.

• "I will be willing to help mentor other candidates who want to try it this way." — OH Sec/State Jennifer Brunner (D) after losing the SEN primary, Cleveland Plain Dealer, 5/5.

• "I'm not saying we're the only catcher in the rye standing between an informed public and the end of democracy. That's self-involved." — Newsweek editor Jon Meacham, on the Washington Post's decision to sell the magazine, New York Observer, 5/5.

• "It's beautiful ... It's gorgeous." — SCOTUS nominee Elena Kagan, commenting on a gun Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) displays in his office, ABCNews.com, 5/13.

• "[Y]ou can sit back and moan and groan about it, or you can switch parties for a couple of days and go in and participate." — Ex-WY Dem Chair John Millin urging Dems to cast a vote in the GOP GOV primary, Casper Star Tribune, 5/14.

• "I'm sick of politicians who drag their spouses up in front of the cameras rather than confronting the problem they caused." — Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN), appearing solo at an a.m. news conference announcing his resignation, Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, 5/18.

• "I mean it in a friendly way when I say, Washington, here we come." — Ophthalmologist/KY SEN nominee Rand Paul (R), on whether the GOP "establishment" should "be worried," "AC 360," CNN, 5/18.

• "I spoke with a New York Knicks trainer last night, and he said I'm the talk of the league. Oh, well, me and LeBron of course." — OR GOV nominee/ex-Portland Trail Blazer Chris Dudley (R), Medford Mail Tribune, 5/20.

• "Could this be Mr. Obama's Katrina? It could be even worse." — Ex-Bush adviser Karl Rove, on the Gulf oil spill, Wall Street Journal, 5/27.

• "A candidate that fails across-the-board like that obviously needs to find something else productive to do with his life." — Rep. Artur Davis (D-AL), on leaving politics altogether after losing the GOV primary, Birmingham News, 6/3.

• "Given my own well-chronicled failures, I'm not going to suggest any course of action for anybody else." — SC Gov. Mark Sanford (R), stopping short of asking state Rep. Jake Knotts to resign over his "raghead" comment, Charleston Post and Courier, 6/5.

• "We saw leadership on Sept. 11, 2001. Then as now, black billows seemed to come from the center of the earth." — Ex-MA Gov. Mitt Romney (R), on Pres. Obama's handling of the Gulf oil spill, USA Today, 6/10.

• "He calls himself the Obama whisperer." — NV SEN nominee Sharron Angle (R), on Senate Maj. Leader Harry Reid, "Fox & Friends," FNC, 6/14.

• "It is a tragedy in the first proportion that a private corporation can be subjected to what I would characterize as a shakedown." — Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX), on BP's plan to create a $20 billion escrow account, mult., 6/17.

• "Your ability to influence anything is pretty much zero." — Sen. Bob Bennett (R-UT) on what to expect from the person set to replace him, Deseret News, 6/21.

• "I'm not attacking your mother, I'm attacking you." — Financier/developer Jeff Greene (D) to Rep. Kendrick Meek (D), during their first FL SEN debate, St. Petersburg Times, 6/22.

• "I got hit on when I was 260 every bit as much as when I'm 200." — PA Gov. Ed Rendell (D), denying that his weight loss has affected the number of times "political groupies" flirt with him, Philadelphia Inquirer, 6/23.

• "I simply just e-mailed General McChrystal's press staff, said we wanted to do a profile." — Rolling Stone's Michael Hastings, "Larry King Live," CNN, 6/23.

• "She was smart, she hung out in the library and I didn't." — CO SEN candidate Ken Buck (R), who knew SG Elena Kagan at Princeton, but still isn't supporting her for SCOTUS, Denver Post, 6/28.

• "My reaction is '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s, I've been around a long time. I know stuff. Knowing is better than not knowing." — AG/ex-Gov. Jerry Brown (D), Los Angeles Times, 6/30.

• "If you look at the Republicans who are likely to come into the Senate in 2010, they're gonna be more like me, not less like me." — Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), New York Times magazine, 7/4 issue.

• "I give him a 55 percent chance or better." — VP Biden handicapping Maj. Ldr Harry Reid's re-election odds, Politico, 7/6.

• "There's J.R., there's Jock, and there's Bobby. This is Bobby. He's a nice man. Bobby was the nicest guy in the family. But he was never in charge." — Rep. Zach Wamp (R-TN 03), comparing Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam (R) to "Bobby" from the TV show "Dallas," Memphis Flyer, 7/8

• "She's not going there to represent me, although she's a great friend." — Pres. Obama at MO Sec/State Robin Carnahan (D) event, AP, 7/8.

• "I don't want to hear any stupidity coming out of this party about anything other than Harry Reid's stupidity." — RNC Chair Michael Steele on NV GOP unity, Las Vegas Sun, 7/10.

• "Please, in lieu of flowers, vote for another more worthy candidate." — Obituary placed by the family of Charlotte McCourt, referring to Harry Reid, Las Vegas Review Journal, 7/13.

• "For so long, everyone has been talking about the outsider. Guess what? I'm kind of an outsider." — Ex-Rep. Rob Simmons (R), pondering whether he'll actively campaign for CT SEN, Hartford Courant, 7/14.

• "I was really impressed by him and really impressed how he was focused on the tragedy of this rather than the tawdry." — Ex-John Edwards aide Andrew Young on choosing Aaron Sorkin to turn his book, "The Politician" into a movie, AP, 7/15.

• "I'm pro-choice. I'm pro-gay rights. I'm pro-immigration. I'm against guns. I believe in Darwin." — NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg on why he's not going to run for WH in '12, AP, 7/17.

• "I want to do what is in my heart. But other influences have some effect, to a degree." — FL Gov. Charlie Crist (I), Wall Street Journal, 7/20.

• "Meeting you, you're lovely, you're a warm person. Seeing your ads, I'm a little afraid of you." — "Good Day LA" Host Dorothy Lucey, to ex-Ebay CEO Meg Whitman (R), KTTV, 7/20.

• "Pain is pain." — Rep. Charlie Rangel (D), asked if his trial would hurt other Dems, New York Daily News, 7/25.

• "It's not a surprise, absolutely not a surprise, but, you know, I'm a big boy, I'm a Marine, I can take some shots." — MI AG Mike Cox (R), responding to a witness who saw Cox receive a lapdance at the Manoogian Mansion in '02, WDIV-Detroit, 7/26.

• "My office is forbidden to look at talking points that come out of the speaker's office." — Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA), Allentown Morning-Call, 7/27.

• "So I suppose next week they'll take another poll and ask, would you be less likely to vote for Andrew Romanoff if you found he was biting the heads off of squirrels?" — CO SEN's Andrew Romanoff (D), on push polls, Colorado Statesman, 7/30).

• "I guarantee that I can talk most anything to death." — Sharron Angle, on her filibustering abilities, Las Vegas Review-Journal, 8/3

• "I'm not sure exactly what the drafters of the [14th] Amendment had in mind, but I doubt it was that somebody could fly in from Brazil and have a child and fly back home with that child, and that child is forever an American citizen" — Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), AP, 8/3

• "I don't think, in political terms, we have seen this kind of attack since Sherman's March to the Sea." — Ex-Rep. Nathan Deal (R-GA), on ex-Sec/State Karen Handel (R), Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 8/4

• "When you see a Down's Syndrome wrestler being beat up and abused and his head pushed in a toilet by Mrs. McMahon's husband and son, that's not funny" — CT SEN candidate/ex-Rep. Rob Simmons (R), on Linda McMahon's WWE experience, "Hardball," 8/6

• "If it comes down to a choice between Arnold Schwarzenegger's third term with Meg Whitman, or Jerry Brown's third term with Jerry Brown, anyway you cut it, it's going to be a long four years" — Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA), Sacramento Bee, 8/6

• "I think it says that Bill White had something else going on today that he would rather do than campaign with the president" — Dep. WH Press Sec. Bill Burton, on TX GOV candidate Bill White's avoiding Pres. Obama, Austin American-Statesman, 8/9

• "Tonight is a celebration, but there is an 800-pound gorilla in the room we must address. Mr. Tancredo, stop your campaign tonight!" — CO GOP GOV nominee Dan Maes, Denver Post, 8/11

• "Somebody should talk to Dan, because I think he's the third-party candidate now" — Ex-Rep. Tom Tancredo, on Dan Maes, Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, 8/12

• "Democrats don't know how to celebrate" — Sen. Chris Dodd, on why Dems aren't touting their achievements, New York Times, 8/14

• "This thing about vomit, it was ridiculous, who has vomit on a yacht?" — FL SEN candidate Jeff Greene, still talking about his yacht, AP, 8/19

• "The concentration and attention span of the average voter is about as long as a kindergartner" — FL GOP consultant Ken Plante, on why negative attacks haven't stuck to GOV nominee Rick Scott, Orlando Sentinel, 8/26

• "We begin early voting in about 33 days. It would be hugely unrealistic to anticipate some kind of monumental economic turnaround between now and when people start casting our votes" — OH Gov. Ted Strickland, Wall Street Journal, 8/28

• "There are two things that are unprecedented in American political history, the $100 million plus that Whitman has paid on her campaign, most of it from her own pocketbook, and two, the virtually no effect it's had" — CA GOV's Jerry Brown (D), Los Angeles Times, 8/31

• "I'm not the leader of nearly as large a band as I'd like to be the leader of, but I hear help is on the way" — Senate Min. Leader Mitch McConnell, Bowling Green Daily News, 9/1

• "What I'm encouraged about most is that I don't have to be the contentious person all by myself any longer" — Sen. Jim DeMint, Wall Street Journal, 9/2

• "Look, I was a controversial guy as your president" — Ex-Pres. George W. Bush, to a TX audience, Ft. Worth Star-Telegram, 9/11

• "It never occurred to me that I would become governor. In fact, it probably didn't occur to me until six months after I was governor" — NY Gov. David Paterson, explaining a lot, "Imus in the Morning," 9/13

• "I hope that Obama will have as successful a term as I had in dealing with our nation's domestic and international affairs" — Jimmy Carter, "60 Minutes," CBS, 9/19

• "I'm late for the squash court, so I'm going to defer that to when I can answer in one spot" — Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA), asked how Rep. Joe Sestak's SEN bid is going, WH pool report, 9/20

• "What's his political base? His base is having $10 million" — Ex-Daley aide Monroe Anderson, on Rahm Emanuel's mayoral chances, Newsweek, 9/21

• "Dear Friend, How did you spend your summer vacation? I had brain surgery. Really. There are now an even dozen board-certified doctors who are prepared to testify that I have a brain" — AK State Rep. Mike Doogan (D), in a fundraising email, Anchorage Daily News, 9/25

• "Stop whining and get out there and look at the alternatives" — VP Joe Biden's message to the Dem base, delivered at a NH fundraiser, pool report, 9/27

• "This isn't North Korea and I'm not going to pick my successor" — WY Gov. Dave Freudenthal, declining to endorse the Dem nominee, Casper Star-Tribune, 9/29

• "We're waiting for him to catch up a little bit in the polls and then we may refer to him more" — KY SEN candidate Rand Paul (R), on his rival Jack Conway (D), "Fox News Sunday," 10/3

• "This was a fun conversation. It went a little off-script, which is good" — Pres. Obama, after arguing about extending the Bush tax cuts, Bloomberg, 10/5

• "We allowed government to get too big when we were in charge. I didn't happen to be part of that team, but I think that has been a real issue" — Mitt Romney, just being clear, Las Vegas Review-Journal, 10/7

• "The dessert chef was awesome" — George W. Bush, reminiscing, Mobile Press-Register, 10/8

• "I think every speech should begin with a shot of tequila" — CA SEN candidate Carly Fiorina, to a group of Latino business leaders, Los Angeles Times, 10/9

• "Well, that's not my problem" — NRSC exec. dir. Rob Jesmer, on how the new GOP class of senators will operate once they're in DC, Hotline Midterm Cram Session, 10/12

• "Less bad is never good enough" — VP Joe Biden, Bloomberg, 10/13

• "I don't want to be identified as 'Whitey.' If this is happening in primarily African-American wards, that's an even bigger concern" — IL GOV candidate Rich Whitney (G), after some ballots misspelled his name, Chicago Sun-Times, 10/14

• "I don't know that all of you are Latino. Some of you look a little more Asian to me" — Sharron Angle, to the Hispanic Student Union, Las Vegas Sun, 10/18

• "I never turned water into wine. But balancing the federal budget is about as close as a man can get" — GOV candidate/ex-Rep. John Kasich (R-OH), Toledo Blade, 10/19

• "Friends who stand by you are hard to find in the last two weeks of a political campaign" — Ken Buck spokesman Walt Klein, Denver Post, 10/20

• "Don't ask people when you're not going to get an honest answer. Why would you do that?" — Rep. Barney Frank, asked if he sees Dems keeping the House, Bloomberg, 10/22

• "I've become a little wiser since then" --Maj. Whip Jim Clyburn, backing away from his estimate that Dems would lose just 21 seats, McClatchy, 10/25.

• "I've had substantial issues where I just don't think that someone from that zip code, from San Francisco, understands the needs of the people I represent in Congress" -- Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR), on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, "Last Word", MSNBC, 10/25

• "And don’t forget to find me on Line 9 of your ballot" -- FL Gov. Charlie Crist (I), in his closing ad, release, 10/28

• "I think he was a little envious that I am here" -- Sec/State Hillary Clinton, from Kuala Lumpur, on Pres. Obama, AP, 11/2

• "While our new majority will serve as your voice in the people's House, we must remember it is the president who sets the agenda for our government" -- House Speaker-in-waiting John Boehner, mult., 11/2

• "In the rush of activity, sometimes we lose track of the ways that we connected with folks that got us here in the first place" -- Pres. Obama, mult., 11/3

• "One of the things I think you understand as president is that you're held responsible for everything. But you don't always have control of everything." -- Pres. Obama, CBS, 11/7

• "I hope I'm judged a success. I'm gonna be dead, Matt, when they finally figure it out" -- George W. Bush, to NBC's Matt Lauer, 11/8

• "There are things in there that inspire me, and there are things in there that I hate like the devil hates holy water. I'm not going to vote for this thing" -- Sen. Dick Durbin, on the deficit reduction commission report, a month before voting for it, mult., 11/10

• "In a way it’s like 'The Sound of Music' but without the romance, the Nazis or the music" -- New York Times' Alessandra Stanley, on "Sarah Palin's Alaska"

• "You're the main reason we lost." -- Ousted Rep. Allen Boyd, to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, National Journal, 11/16

• "If I was him, I'd go out on top. Don't pull a Brett Favre and keep coming out of retirement." -- Gov.-elect Scott Walker (R-WI), on RNC Chair Michael Steele, Hotline reporting, 11/18.

• "The buck stops with us. It actually stops with the president, he's the guy that makes the final decision, God love him." -- VP Joe Biden, CNN, 11/18

• "I own a home here in the city of Chicago -- which I look forward to moving into soon" -- Rahm Emanuel, defending himself from charges he is not a resident, Chicago Tribune, 11/19

• "It is something new. Most Americans are not used to a real law enforcement pat-down like that" -- Homeland Security Sec. Janet Napolitano, Asbury Park Press, 11/23

• "I am a very proud Democrat as some of you in the room are -- although not as many as I had expected" -- Pres. Obama, to a gathering of governors, mult., 12/3

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