Q: Is it in part a response to the Democratic criticism last night over Iraq at the debate?
MR. SNOW: No.
Q: Did he watch the debate?
MR. SNOW: I don’t think so. I don’t think he’s big on YouTube debates.

— White House spokesman Tony Snow aboard Air Force One, explaining the president’s speech schedule and topic the day after the CNN/YouTube Democratic debate.

Let me turn now to the report that’s being released today. Of the actions that were due at 12 months, we assess that 86 percent of those actions have been completed. That’s to be compared to a score of around 92 percent that we released at the six-month mark. There are about 14 percent of the actions that are not yet completed. We document those in the action-by-action detailed report. We anticipate those being completed in the 18-month time frame at the next six-month report. I’m not going to go through the accomplishments in great detail. Suffice it to say that on the international front, we’ve taken unprecedented action.

— Dr. Rajeev Venkayya, special assistant to the president for biodefense, explaining the administration’s actions on avian and pandemic influenza during a July 17 press briefing in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.

Certainly, I think it’s a very important question one ought to be asking because, while hope and confidence and optimism are clearly very important, I think experience matters a great deal — the experience people bring to their candidacy, the ideas, the bold ideas that they’ve championed over the years, whether or not they were successful in advancing those ideas and able to bring people together.

— Sen. Chris Dodd during the CNN/YouTube “debate” among Democratic presidential candidates.

Look, I don’t think this is just a Republican problem. I think this is a problem that spans the parties. And we don’t just need a change in political parties in Washington. We’ve got to have a change in attitudes of those who are representing the people, America. And part of the reason I don’t take PAC money, I don’t take federal lobbyists’ money is because we’ve got to get the national interests up front as opposed to the special interests.

— Sen. Barack Obama during the CNN/YouTube “debate” among Democratic presidential candidates.

I consider myself a modern progressive, someone who believes strongly in individual rights and freedoms, who believes that we are better as a society when we’re working together and when we find ways to help those who may not have all the advantages in life get the tools they need to lead a more productive life for themselves and their family.

— Sen. Hillary Clinton during the CNN/YouTube “debate” among Democratic presidential candidates.

I think the people who are powerful in Washington — big insurance companies, big drug companies, big oil companies — they are not going to negotiate. They are not going to give away their power. The only way that they are going to give away their power is if we take it away from them. And I have been standing up to these people my entire life. I have been fighting them my entire life in court rooms — and beating them. If you want real change, you need somebody who’s taking these people on and beating them…

— Sen. John Edwards during the CNN/YouTube “debate” among Democratic presidential candidates.

I am proud to be running as a woman. And I’m excited that I may… (APPLAUSE) … you know, may be able, finally, to break that hardest of all glass ceilings. But, obviously, I’m not running because I’m a woman. I’m running because I think I’m the most qualified and experienced person to hit the ground running in January 2009. And I trust the American people to make a decision that is not about me or my gender, or about Barack or his race or about Bill and his ethnicity, but about what is best for you and your family. We have big challenges… (APPLAUSE) … and big needs in our country. And I think we’re going to need experienced and strong leadership in order to start handling all of the problems that we have here at home and around the world. And when I’m inaugurated, I think it’s going to send a great message to a lot of little girls and boys around the world.

— Sen. Hillary Clinton during the CNN/YouTube “debate” among Democratic presidential candidates.

ANNOUNCER: Imagine you’re trapped deep in a hole with a group of politicians debating. President Bush says the only way out of Iraq is to dig us deeper and deeper. But what if one leader stood up for us and said no, we can get out now, without leaving chaos behind? Joe Biden is the only one with the experience and the plan to end this war responsibly so our children don’t have to go back.
BIDEN: I’m Joe Biden and I approved this message.

— Clip from a Biden television ad played during the CNN/YouTube Democratic debate.

OBAMA: Look, I think every single question we’ve heard you see cynicism about the capacity to change this country. And the question for the American people, who desperately want change, is: Who’s got a track record of bringing about change? Who can unify the country, so that we’re not just talking about Democrats and Republicans, but we’re talking about Americans? And who can overcome the special interests in Washington so that we have a president of the United States who is fighting on behalf of ordinary people? And that, I think, is going to be the kind of president that is going to be elected — is going to be nominated by the Democrats, and I believe that I’m best qualified to fill that role.

— Sen. Barack Obama during the CNN/YouTube Democratic debate.

I like John Edwards. I love his wife Elizabeth and his family, and I think we’ve had enough of negative in politics. I have nothing negative to say about the gentleman.

— Sen. Chris Dodd during the CNN/YouTube Democratic debate, when asked to look to his left and “tell the audience one thing you like and one thing you dislike about that particular candidate. And remember, be honest.”

She’s doing great. Lindsay is working hard on her sobriety and we are all supporting her.

— Lindsay Lohan’s publicist, Leslie Sloane Zelnik, in a statement July 16 after Ms. Lohan’s release from the Promises Malibu Alcohol and Drug Rehab Treatment Facility.

Addiction is a terrible and vicious disease. Since Lindsay transitioned to outpatient care, she has been monitored on a SCRAM bracelet and tested daily in order to support her sobriety. Throughout this period, I have received timely and accurate reports from the testing companies. Unfortunately, late yesterday I was informed that Lindsay had relapsed. The bracelet has now been removed. She is safe, out of custody and presently receiving medical care.

— Lindsay Lohan’s lawyer, Blair Berk, in a July 24 statement after Ms. Lohan’s arrest on charges of drunken driving, possession of a controlled substance and other offenses.

I am innocent… did not do drugs they’re not mine. I was almost hit by my assistant Tarin’s mom I appreciate everyone giving me my privacy.

— Film star Lindsay Lohan in a July 24 e-mail to “Access Hollywood” host Billy Bush.

But one of the things with Hollywood celebrities is that forgiveness is a bottomless well among their fans.

— Janice Min, editor of US Weekly, a leading celebrity magazine, July 25.

Out of respect for the tradition of this game, the magnitude of the record, and the fact that all citizens in this country are innocent until proven guilty, I will attend Barry Bonds’ next games to observe his potential tying and breaking of the home run record, subject to my commitments to the Hall of Fame this weekend. I will make an additional statement when the record is tied.

— Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig in a July 24 press release.

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