Verbatim

'I hadn't seen my son for three months. I was on the boat for six hours ... I'm not certain I'd do anything different.'

TONY HAYWARD, former chief executive of BP, defending his June decision to go sailing on a yacht while his company's ruptured well poured oil into the Gulf of Mexico

'A 14-year-old girl against a grown man doesn't even out so much.'

ELIZABETH SMART, testifying against Brian David Mitchell, who is accused of kidnapping and raping the then teenager in 2002

'Jerusalem is not a settlement. Jerusalem is the capital of the state of Israel.'

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, Prime Minister of Israel, responding to international criticism of Israel's new construction plans in East Jerusalem, which Palestinians want for their own capital

'During Saddam Hussein, we were living in peace. Nobody attacked us ... Now nobody protects us.'

ATHANASIOS DAWOOD, Archbishop of the Syrian Orthodox Church in London, appealing to Christians to leave Iraq, amid targeted attacks in Baghdad

'If we don't unite, we will be very weak, and it will be very easy to suppress us.'

JULIA SADOVSKAYA, journalist, picketing outside Moscow police headquarters; several Russian journalists have been violently attacked in recent days

'The U.S. always seems to be trying to stop the last event after it has already happened.'

ARTHUR HULNICK, former CIA intelligence officer, on the TSA's decision to ban certain toner and ink cartridges on U.S.-bound passenger flights following a recent failed bombing plot

'A cross between Keith Richards and a hobo. But like a really ridiculously hot hobo. Or like a sexy pirate.'

KE$HA, pop singer, describing her outrageous fashion choices

TALKING HEADS

Philip Stephens

Writing in the Financial Times about how the U.S. may retreat "behind the barricades" in the aftermath of its midterm elections:

"The Tea Party manifesto is shot through with contradictions and worse. Many of the movement's supporters want at once smaller government and the government to do more ... The anger, though, is not confined to the insurgents of the right. Democratic as much as Republican candidates cast China as a threat in their campaign advertisements. Mr. Obama's party may well now tilt further towards protectionism in an effort to win back voters lost to populism." --11/4/10

David Bosco

Explaining in Foreign Policy why the U.S. endorsement of a permanent seat for India on the U.N. Security Council may prove only symbolic:

"Even if it were genuinely inclined to do so, the United States does not alone have the power to cash India's Council check. Security Council reform requires a U.N. Charter amendment ... The four leading candidates--India, Germany, Japan, and Brazil--all have influential opponents (Pakistan, Italy, China, and Argentina, respectively) who are keen to muck up the works." --11/8/10

Marc Ambinder

Politics writer for TheAtlantic.com on how far news blogging has come in the five years since he started: