Verbatim

"I fooled some of the most brilliant people in journalism."
Jayson Blair,
former New York Times reporter, on his fabrication of stories for the newspaper

"I feel incompetent as President and a sense of crisis that I will not be able to perform my presidential duties."
Roh Moo Hyun,
South Korean President, three months into his term

"This is a compromise, and in a compromise, no one gets all that they want."
Kofi Annan,
U.N. Secretary General, after the U.N. Security Council voted to lift economic sanctions on Iraq

"Consider your 19 brothers who attacked America in Washington and New York with their planes as an example."
purported voice of Ayman al-Zawahiri,
Osama bin Laden's top deputy, urging Muslims to carry out terrorist attacks on the U.S.

"The prime minister of France will have beef today—Canadian western beef. I had it yesterday and look how healthy I am this morning."
Jean Chrétien,
Canadian Prime Minister, after one cow in Canada was found to be infected with BSE

"I really want to unwind, do something more relaxing—like dismantle live nuclear weapons." Ari Fleischer,
joking about why he is leaving his job as White House Press Secretary