George Orwell:

"In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act."

Rep. John Murtha (D-PA):

(Karl Rove attacked Rep. John Murtha during a speech in New Hampshire. Rove described Murtha's Iraq plan as "cutting and running" and suggested that the 37-year Marine combat veteran would "be with you at the first shots" but not "for the last, tough battles.")

He's in New Hampshire. He's making a political speech. He's sitting in his air-conditioned office on his big, fat backside, saying stay the course. That's not a plan. We've got to change direction. You can't sit there in the air-conditioned office and tell troops carrying 70 pounds on their backs, inside these armored vessels hit with IEDs every day, seeing their friends blown up, their buddies blown up - and he says stay the course? Easy to say that from Washington, DC.

Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA):

"It was appalling when the House majority leader threatened political retribution against judges who did not toe his extremist political line. But when a second important Republican stands up and excuses murderous violence against judges as an understandable reaction to their decisions, then it is time to get really scared."

Bill Maher:

"The Republicans have become the party of the Bible. The Democrats need to stand up and become the party of the Constitution."

A Succinct Summary of the 2004 Elections:

"The Democrats' mistake was in thinking that a disastrous war, national bankruptcy, erosion of civil liberties, corporate takeover of government, environmental destruction, squandering our economic and moral leadership in the world, and systematic Administration lying would be of concern to the electorate."
"The Republicans correctly saw that the chief concern of the electorate was to keep gay couples from having an abortion."

Benjamin Franklin:

"For having lived long, I have experienced many instances of being obliged, by better information or fuller consideration, to change opinions, even on important subjects, which I once thought right but found to be otherwise."

President Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1954:

"Should any political party attempt to abolish social security, unemployment insurance, and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in our political history. There is a tiny splinter group, of course, that believes you can do these things . Among them are ... a few other Texas oil millionaires, and an occasional politician or business man from other areas. Their number is negligible and they are stupid ."

Rep. Charles Rangle (D-NY):

"Well, I really think that he [George W. Bush] shatters the myth of white supremacy once and for all."

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.), advocating a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage in a speech to the Heritage Foundation:

"It does not affect your daily life very much if your neighbor marries a box turtle. But that does not mean it is right. . . . Now you must raise your children up in a world where that union of man and box turtle is on the same legal footing as man and wife."

Mark Twain:

"Patriotism means being loyal to your country all the time and to its government when it deserves it."

H.L.Mencken:

"As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron."

SCHIAVO-MANIA:

If We're going to unplug brain-dead Americans, Fox will lose most of their viewers.

Herman Goering, Hitler's Reichsmarschall at the Nuremberg Trails:

Naturally, the common people don't want war, but they can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. Tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and endangering the country. It works the same in every country.

George W. Bush, "explaining" Social Security, Tampa, FL Convention Center, 2005.02.04:

"Because the-all which is on the table begins to address the big cost drivers. For example, how benefits are calculate, for example, is on the table; whether or not benefits rise based upon wage increases or price increases. There's a series of parts of the formula that are being considered. And when you couple that, those different cost drivers, affecting those-changing those with personal accounts, the idea is to get what has been promised more likely to be-or closer delivered to what has been promised. Does that make any sense to you? It's kind of muddled. Look, there's a series of things that cause the-like, for example, benefits are calculated based upon the increase of wages, as opposed to the increase of prices. Some have suggested that we calculate-the benefits will rise based upon inflation, as opposed to wage increases. There is a reform that would help solve the red if that were put into effect. In other words, how fast benefits grow, how fast the promised benefits grow, if those-if that growth is affected, it will help on the red."

President Bush Participates in Conversation on Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit in Florida, May10 , 2006:

"And so we created what's called Part D. And basically, Part D is a prescription drug benefit for not only our seniors, but those who qualified who are disabled, as well. Part D says this: It says that seniors are -- now got a prescription drug plan available to them. It's your choice to make. One of the interesting things about the strategy we've employed is seniors now have over 40 choices to choose from in Florida. Now, that in itself created a slight problem, because 40 choices can create a sense of uncertainty among people. You know, people say, I don't think I want all those choices. After all, there had been very little choice up to now. And so the idea of saying, well, here are 40 different plans to choose from, I knew was going to create the need to encourage people to get involved to help people make the right choice for them."

Sir Thomas More said it best in his exchange with William Roper in Robert Bolt's play A Man for All Seasons:

More: Yes! What would you do? Cut a great road through the law to get after the Devil?

Roper: Yes, I'd cut down every law in England to do that!

More: Oh? And when the last law was down, and the Devil turned 'round on you, where would you hide, Roper, the laws all being flat?
This country is planted thick with laws, from coast to coast, Man's laws, not God's! And if you cut them down (and you're just the man to do it!), do you really think you could stand upright in the winds that would blow then?
Yes, I'd give the Devil benefit of law, for my own safety's sake!

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