America must be a good role model

We've come a long way from, "you're either with us or against us." The Money Quote from Senator McCain:

Our great power does not mean we can do whatever we want whenever we want, nor should we assume we have all the wisdom and knowledge necessary to succeed.

Got to love a man in uniform...

A stop-gap to the war between the US and Iran just unplugged himself from Centcom.

Fallon is comfortable risking peace because he's comfortable waging war.

Wham! Pow!

Political Punch. The Money Quote:

"I was reading an article that said young Republicans are out there campaigning for Obama because they believe he's going to be able to put an end to partisanship. Dear God! Anyone that has worked in the Congress knows that for over 200 years this country has had partisanship - that's the way our country is."

Does it matter who is on top?

Former Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota also mocked the idea (of Hilary Clinton offering a joint ticket to Barack Obama) on NBC's Meet the Press. The Money Quote:

"It may be the first time in history that the person who is running number two would offer the person running number one the number two position."



e-mailed by reader Hionia Martos. Thank you!

Chuck Norris is the Only WMD in Iraq

Iraqis and US Marines talk about Chuck Norris' recent visit to Iraq. The Money Quotes (from Iraqis!):

Norris' appeal is not restricted to U.S. troops either. At an Iraqi police graduation ceremony in Falluja, graduates called out for their "Chuck Norris" to pose with them for photos.

"Truthfully, I didn't know who he was. I asked the Americans, and they said he was a great fighter, and that's why they named me after him. They showed me a video, and it's true, he's a great fighter" said police trainer Mohammed Rasheed.

and

"I've seen his videos, he's a hero. He saves the city, he protects women and children and he fights crime wherever it is. We should all be like Chuck Norris," Khaled Hussein said.

¡Ay Papí!

A two-fer from the Wall Street Journal's Opinion page on Democrats, Chavez and the virtues of free trade for US business and relations with foreign governments. Somewhere, Hayek is smiling. The Money Quote:

These Democrats deride any link between Hugo Chávez and trade as a "scare tactic," as if greater economic prosperity had no political consequences.

These are the same Democrats who preach the virtues of "soft power" and diplomacy, while deriding Mr. Bush for being too quick to use military force. But trade is a classic form of soft power that would expand U.S. and Latin ties in a web of commercial interests. More than 8,000 U.S. companies currently export to Colombia, nearly 85% of which are small and medium-sized firms.

Reach Out and Touch Someone

Michael Shear at the Washington Post has sharp vision on the current feud between the Democrats and its relationship to the general election. The Money Quote:

As his rivals clash over who is qualified to answer a 3 a.m. phone call in the White House, McCain will meet with foreign leaders in Europe and the Middle East.

There is only one politics, and it's not new

Two gems from David Brooks:

You can’t really win with the new style of politics. Sooner or later, you have to play by the conventional rules.

In short, a candidate should never betray the core theory of his campaign, or head down a road that leads to that betrayal.

As American As...

Charles Krauthammer in today's Washington Post calls bullshit on the Obama campaign's 8 page memo showing how the Senator has reached across the aisle in his three year tenure. The Money Quote:

Bipartisan support for apple pie is hardly a profile in courage.

He continues:

"On the difficult compromises that required the political courage to challenge one's own political constituency, Obama flinched: the "Gang of 14" compromise on judicial appointments, the immigration compromise to which Obama tried to append union-backed killer amendments and, just last month, the compromise on warrantless eavesdropping that garnered 68 votes in the Senate. But not Obama's.

Who, in fact, supported all of these bipartisan deals, was a central player in two of them and brokered the even more notorious McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform? John McCain, of course.

Yes, John McCain -- intemperate and rough-edged, of sharp elbows and even sharper tongue. Turns out that uniting is not a matter of rhetoric or manner, but of character and courage."

Man in the Arena

I owe American more than she has ever owed me.

2008 is 1968 Redux

Today's American Thinker calls bullshit on the Democratic Party. The Money Quote:

The tragic flaw of the Democratic Party is the hubris that allows it to style itself as the only force interested in the welfare of minorities and the poor, and the only party committed to real democracy. It is not accustomed to its own internal processes being subjected to much critical media scrutiny.

What's Left?

Noam Chomsky, Fred Halliday, Norm Finkelstein and others who self-identify as progessive thinkers in the US have a soft spot for the Party of God (Hezbollah, not the GOP). The Money Quote from Michael Young's piece in Reason:

The party, though it is religious, autocratic, and armed to the teeth, often elicits approval from secular, liberal Westerners who otherwise share nothing of its values.

PS if there is any doubt that Hezbollah has ties to the Islamic Republic's Revolutionary Guard Corps, one need look no further than the Padaran's own flag which too is emblazoned with the fist of God clutching a Kalash.

Simplicity Itself

From "The Daily Dish." The Money Quote:

A phrase becomes an entire blog.

Numbers: Don't Stop, Can't Stop, Won't Stop

Disregarding the obvious fact that politics isn't science, Jonathan Alter explains in Newsweek today why Hillary Clinton simply can't possibly ever no-matter-what win the Democratic nomination. The Money Quote:

Math. It's relentless.

Popularity, Pandering, and Policy

Michael Gerson follows Obama's campaign promises through his first 100 days as Commander-in-Chief. The Money Quote:

"Obama's 100-day agenda would be designed, in part, to improve America's global image. But there is something worse than being unpopular in the world -- and that is being a pleading, panting joke. By simultaneously embracing appeasement, protectionism and retreat, President Obama would manage to make Jimmy Carter look like Teddy Roosevelt.

Which is why President Obama would probably not take these actions -- at least in the form he has pledged. Sitting behind the Resolute desk is a sobering experience that makes foolish campaign promises seem suddenly less binding.

But it is a bad sign for a candidate when the best we can hope is for him to violate his commitments. And that's a good sign for John McCain."

Spreading Secularism by the Sword

Religious militancy in Iraq breeds widespread religious apathy. The Money Quotes in today's New York Times article are summed up in the piece's final sentence. Observe:

“The sheiks are making a society of nonbelievers.”

Newspaper Diplomacy

Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad pastes today's Wall Street Journal with a message for Iran. The Money Quote:

"The message from the U.S. to the people of Iran is that America respects you and your great country. We want Iran to be a full partner in the international community. And as President Bush has said, if Iran respects its international obligations, it will have no better friend than the United States of America."

The Audacity of the Press

Barack "Barry Hussein" Obama was shaken enough yesterday by the traveling press corps to respond to questions like your average politician. The Money Quote:

"Obama responded with the classic phrases of a politician in trouble. "That was the information that I had at the time. . . . Those charges are completely unrelated to me. . . . I have said that that was a mistake. . . . The fact pattern remains unchanged."

When those failed, Obama tried another approach. "We're running late," the candidate said, and then he disappeared behind a curtain."

Pol Smoking

Few people can spatter the page with a Money Quote like Christopher Hitchens. His piece in Slate today on political sloganeering is doubleplusgood with sticky drops. Observe the Money Quote:

"Pretty soon, we should be able to get electoral politics down to a basic newspeak that contains perhaps 10 keywords: Dream, Fear, Hope, New, People, We, Change, America, Future, Together."

The Money Quote

So many words are spewed out in newspapers, on webpages, in interviews and public testimony, and so many of them miss their mark. This blog is a celebration of the verbal money shots that glisten on the lips of the informed reader. A "Money Quote" is any quote that adorns the face of a piece of text.

We'll show you the best of what's out there in all its sordid detail. Let us know what you think. Call bullshit on what we post. Shoot us with a Money Quote when you have one that needs to come out. Lean back, participate, enjoy.

The Money Quote Editorial Staff
themoneyquote@gmail.com