Flat Wrong
“The allegation that it’s some sort of quagmire and progress isn’t being made just isn’t true. … That’s just flat wrong. We are not losing in Iraq.”—Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld, NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” Sunday, June 26.
Beijing’s Concept of Lobbying
“We demand that the US Congress correct its mistaken ways of politicizing economic and trade issues and stop interfering in the normal commercial exchanges between enterprises of the two countries.”—Message from Chinese Foreign Ministry to Congress on bid of an energy firm controlled by the Chinese government to purchase a US oil firm, Washington Post, July 6.
But Wait, There’s More
“If the Americans draw their missiles and position guided ammunition on to the target zone on China’s territory, I think we will have to respond with nuclear weapons.”—Chinese Maj. Gen. Zhu Chenghu, warning US not to intervene in any conflict over Taiwan, New York Times, July 15.
Muslim Response Not Clear Enough
“Until we hear the voices of the Muslims condemning attacks of this kind with no words [of qualification] such as ‘but’ and ‘if,’ the suicide bombers and the murderers will have an excuse to think that they enjoy the support of all Muslims.”—Amir Taheri, columnist for London-based Arab newspaper Al-Sharq Al Awsat, quoted by London’s Sunday Telegraph, July 10.
Not Ready To Set Yet
“I’m not old enough to give up and set down.”—Lena Haddix, 73-year-old great-grandmother, finishing a six-month deployment to Kuwait and volunteering for a deployment to Baghdad as an Army & Air Force Exchange Service store manager, Washington Post, July 3.
Soldier-Citizens
“We are changing the role of citizen-soldier to soldier-citizen.”—Gov. Mark Warner (D-Va.), chairman of the National Governors Association, on extended deployment of National Guard to Iraq, New York Times, July 17.
Blix: No Nukes in Iran
“They have many years to go before they will be able to produce highly enriched uranium for a bomb, and I believe there is plenty of room for negotiations.”—Former UN weapons inspector Hans Blix, Swedish Radio interview, quoted by Chicago Tribune, June 24.
Great Generations
“All of you [veterans] of World War II: You were indeed, and are indeed, the greatest generation. You saved the world from a future that we don’t even dare contemplate because it would have been so terrible. But I want you to know that the current generation of young people is no less patriotic or dedicated than any generation that has ever served. We should all be very proud of that. I know I am.”—Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper, ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery commemorating the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II, June 30.
That Wasn’t Napalm
“Despite the assertion in the article ‘Parliament misled over firebomb use,’ the Mk 77 firebomb is not ‘a napalm-style firebomb.’ ‘Napalm’ refers to a weapon used during the Korean and Vietnam Wars, made of a mixture of benzene, gasoline, and polystyrene. Napalm’s harmful effect on the environment led to it being phased out of the American inventory after the Vietnam War. The Mk 77 is a different weapon, and international law does not prohibit its use. It is a legal, viable weapon to be used in combat against enemy forces.”—Pentagon spokesman Lawrence Di Rita, letter published in London’s Daily Telegraph, June 25.
Allies Warm and Cool
“Why, then, is Japan suddenly warm while Europe is so cool? Is the Bush Administration clumsy in Berlin and adept in Tokyo? No. Rather, the answer is the rise of China and the collapse of the Soviet Union. For the Japanese government, China and its nuclear patron, North Korea, are not abstract threats. Indeed, they are within tactical missile range.”—Stanford University historian Victor Davis Hanson, Chicago Tribune, June 17.
British Steel
“If these terrorists thought they could intimidate the people of a great nation, they picked the wrong people and the wrong nation. … Before long, I suspect that those responsible for these acts will encounter British steel. Their kind of steel has uncommon strength. It does not bend or break.”—Rumsfeld after terror bombings in Britain, London’s Daily Telegraph, July 8.
Like No Other
“There isn’t another plane out there that can do what we can do. There are other planes out there that can carry the same types of weapons—there’s no doubt about that—however, there’s nobody out there that can carry as many of them or as mixed a load.”—Maj. Derek Leivestad, B-1 instructor pilot at Dyess AFB, Tex., Air Force Print News, June 29.
No Politics
“We worked brilliantly and one condition of this excellent work was that there should be no politics involved. The main thing for us was to set up a system of mutual assistance to each other.” —Russian cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, in Washington to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the first Soviet-American spaceflight, Soyuz-Apollo, RIA Novosti, July 15.
Honors at Iwo Jima
“Over 28,000 Japanese and American lives were lost on Iwo Jima. I believe today’s peace and prosperity is built on their noble sacrifice. Since the Second World War, Japan has never once participated or become involved in war and has maintained peace.”—Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, laying a wreath at a memorial to American dead on Iwo Jima, London’s Daily Telegraph, June 20.