Verbatim

Monday, May. 31, 2004

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"I sent American troops to Iraq to make its people free, not to make them American."
GEORGE W. BUSH, U.S. President, during an address in which he outlined a five-point plan for Iraq's transition to democracy

"In the lead-up to the Iraq War and its later conduct, I saw, at a minimum, true dereliction, negligence and irresponsibility, at worse, lying, incompetence and corruption."
RET. GENERAL ANTHONY ZINNI, former head of U.S. Central Command, in his new book, Battle Ready

"I went there to take part in a celebration of democracy and I didn't expect to get this sort of abuse from the Chinese embassy."
PETER DUNNE, New Zealand legislator, saying he received a "bullying" and "offensive" phone call from a Chinese official after returning from Taiwan's presidential inauguration

"Can we tell them no? When I talked to the President, he was loaded."
HENRY KISSINGER, former Secretary of State, in an Oct. 11, 1973, conversation with an aide asking if an inebriated President Nixon would take a call from the British Prime Minister, according to just-released phone transcripts

"It's ridiculous that it's easier for 16-year-olds to visit prostitutes than it is to get chewing gum."
FAYEN WONG, college student in Singapore, where gum is now legal after a 12-year ban but citizens who want to chew must submit their names and ID cards to the government

"How many times could I say no?"
ALLEN LEE, former Hong Kong radio host, describing pressure from pro-Beijing friends to change the tone of his controversial show, from which he resigned on May 19

"When he arrives, we'll ask him if it is his first visit."
BENYAMIN ELON, Israeli Minister of Tourism, who has been actively promoting the country to American Christians, on the Second Coming of Christ