Quote-a-palooza
"Let me now... warn you in the most solemn manner against the baneful effects of the Spirit of Party generally... A fire not to be quenched, it demands a uniform vigilance to prevent its bursting into a flame, lest, instead of warming, it should consume." - George Washington
"Life, liberty, and property do not exist because men have made laws. On the contrary, it was the fact that life, liberty, and property existed beforehand that caused men to make laws in the first place." - Frederic Bastiat
"We have tried to apply common sense to our pollution problems... There are three kinds of pollution today: real, hysterical, and political." - Ronald Reagan
"No doubt one may quote history to support any cause, as the devil quotes the Scripture." - Learned Hand
"Democracies are most commonly corrupted by the insolence of demagogues." - Aristotle
"Al-Qaida, and its associates and sympathizers throughout the Islamic world and beyond, understand very well what is at stake in Iraq and Afghanistan- and what a glorious opportunity an American defeat there would give them. Do we?" - Paul Greenberg
"What was lost in Vietnam was not just a war but American credibility... And, as Iran reminds us, the enduring legacy of the retreat from Vietnam was the emboldening of other enemies." - Mark Steyn
"Illegals are responsible for an estimated 1,800 to 2,500 murders each year in the United States... At the lowest estimate, every two years illegals murder almost as many Americans as jihadists in Iraq have killed in the entire war. Instead of bringing the troops home, how about sending the illegals home?" - Don Feder
"Did you know that when a patient is diagnosed with cancer in the United States, it takes an average of four weeks to begin treatment? It's 10 months in the United Kingdom. It's called 'rationing of care.' That's what you get with national health care. When government rations the care, that means bureaucrats are making medical decisions." - Sen. Tom Coburn
"According to the Statesman, the blogger who 'outed' [Sen. Larry] Craig did so in order to 'nail a hypocritical Republican foe of gay rights.' But there is nothing hypocritical about someone who is homosexual, believes homosexuality is wrong, and keeps his homosexuality under wraps. To the contrary, he is acting consistent with his beliefs. If he has furtive encounters in men's rooms, that is an act of weakness, not hypocrisy." - James Taranto
"I do not believe it necessary to amend the Constitution frequently but there are times when an amendment is justified. One such amendment should prohibit politicians from using the phrase 'I'm going back to my home state to be with my family'." - Paul Weyrich
"After months of scandals and political pressure, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales announced he's going to resign. Gonzales said, 'There comes a time when a man should resign, and that time for me was last January'." - Conan O'Brien
Jay Leno: Pretty busy day in Washington today. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and Karl Rove went to U-Haul together to help each other move. ... Idaho Sen. Larry Craig, a married, conservative Republican, was arrested by a plainclothes police officer for lewd conduct in a Minneapolis airport men's room. Today the senator's office said it was all a big misunderstanding. The undercover police officer said the senator tried to reach under the stall to touch him, but the senator said, no, he wasn't trying to touch him, he was only trying to pick up a piece of paper off the floor. Who picks up paper off the floor in the men's room? I don't even like when my shoe laces touch the floor in the men's room. ... You know who I feel sorry for in this whole thing? The undercover cop. How'd you like to have that job? Sit in an airport bathroom all day, your pants around your ankles with a coffee and a donut waiting for guys to hit on you. ... At a political forum here in Hollywood last week, Hillary Clinton said that she does not support gay marriage. In fact, she said she's not too crazy about straight marriage anymore, either. ... Fred Thompson said he's still testing the waters in his bid for the presidency. He's been testing the waters for what, like six months now? In fact, those aren't wrinkles on his face- he's starting to prune up from being in the water for so long.