Verbatim

“The Battle of Iraq is one victory in a war on terror that began on Sept. 11th, 2001, and still goes on.”
GEORGE W. BUSH,
U.S. President, declaring the end of the military phase of the battle to topple Saddam Hussein, 43 days after it started

“It will look at times like we are still at war.”
BRIG. GENERAL DANIEL HAHN,
Chief of Staff for the U.S. Army’s 5th Corps, on the challenges of establishing stability in Iraq

“I really cannot understand why I’m being denied access.”
RAZALI ISMAIL,
UN special envoy to Burma, on the refusal of the country’s hermetic, repressive military junta to grant him a visa for the past six months

“It is rejected by us.”
SHEIKH AHMED YASSIN,
leader of Hamas, on the “roadmap” for peace in Israel and Palestine put forward by the U.S. last week

“We won’t appeal since we know the justice system does not serve people here.”
IGNATIUS MAHENDRA KUSUMA WARDANA,
Jakarta student, on the three-year prison sentence she got for burning President Megawati Sukarnoputri’s picture

“He’s obviously one tough guy.”
SGT. MITCH VETERE,
Utah policeman, on mountaineer Aron Rolston, who, after being pinned down by a boulder for five days, cut off his arm with a pocket knife and hiked to safety