Quote of the Day

James Joyner — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 08:39:05 -0600

"People assume we should be offended that somebody in the military thinks our song is annoying enough that played over and over it can psychologically break someone down. I take it as an honor to think that perhaps our song could be used to quell another 9/11 attack or something like that." - Bassist Steve Benton of Drowning Pool, whose 2001 hit "Bodies" is a particular favorite of interrogators

Story via Joshua Keating Photo credit: Hard Rock Hideout

Quote of the Day: Q&A with Putin

Peter Cassata — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 05:00:00 -0600

On Thursday, Putin fielded three hours of questions live on Russian television and radio, aimed largely at calming fears about the financial crisis. The Independent published excerpts:

Q: I have two questions. As New Year approaches, we need to know where to buy a tree. Second, will Ukraine pay for its gas?

"Every family who wants to have a tree, can have it, a natural or a fake one. More and more people are using fake trees. It's an individual choice. And our Ukrainian partners haven't settled their debt yet, $2.5 billion, this isn't small money, for Gazprom or the country. We know Ukraine is having bigger problems than Russia, for example, as a result of the financial crisis. What to do? Trade doesn't happen for free, you have to pay? If you go to Germany and say, ‘I want a Mercedes for free'. Who will give it to you?"

Q: Would you like to see Saakashvili hung by one of his body parts? [Mr. Putin was reported to have told President Sarkozy of France that the Georgian leader should be "hung by the balls."]

"Why just one part? But seriously, we all know the tragic news in other parts of the world, in Iraq for example, where American troops went under the false pretence of weapons of mass destruction. They didn't find the weapons, but they hanged the leader. I believe it is up to Georgia's people to decide what kind of responsibility must be borne by those politicians who led to these harshest and tragic consequences."

Quote of the Day: Lukashenko on Obama

Peter Cassata — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 04:00:00 -0600

"I look at Obama, a young man, a good-looking person. That is my first impression, I feel sorry for him. He looks 100% like Lukashenko, when I came to power after the downfall of the Soviet Union. The store shelves were empty, a severe financial crisis." --Alexander Lukashenko, President of Belarus, in a recent WSJ interview.

Somehow the analogy doesn't quite ring true...

Quote of the Day: Comrade Bush - Chavez

Neil Leslie — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 16:09:56 -0500

"Bush is to the left of me now. Comrade Bush announced he will buy shares in private banks." - President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela

The Venezuelan President mocked the current U.S. administration after George W. Bush announced that the U.S. government would take equity in American banks despite his repeated criticism of Venezuela's socialist programs. TIME

Quote of the Day: America's Decline

James Joyner — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 06:50:48 -0500

"[W]hen the tide laps at Gulliver's waistline, it usually means the Lilliputians are already 10 feet under." - Bret Stephens, writing in the Wall Street Journal on why American will "Remain the Superpower" despite the current financial crisis.

Quote of the Day: Performance Assessment of Ahmadinejad

Peter Cassata — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 11:23:49 -0500

"In my opinion, both in foreign policy and economic issues, the government of Ahmadinejad has not been successful." --Mehdi Karoubi, former Iranian parliamentary speaker who will run against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in June 2009 presidential elections.

Ahmadinejad's critics say he has mismanaged Iran's declining economy and pursued a foreign policy that has only lead to further isolation and sanctions from the West.

Quote of the Day: Medvedev on Sovietology, Mental Illness

Peter Cassata — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 06:30:00 -0500

"Sovietology, like paranoia, is a very dangerous disease, and it is a pity that part of the U.S. administration still suffers from it." --Dmitri Medvedev, President of Russia, commenting on the U.S. commitment to NATO expansion at a conference in France with President Nicolas Sarkozy.

The sentence "Quite naturally, no matter what is being said, we regard these actions as directed against us" preceded his remarks on paranoia...

Quote of the Day: Medvedev the Blogger

Neil Leslie — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 13:23:42 -0500

For him to use the internet and video is not something extraordinary. It's normal. Medvedev is very comfortable with the Internet, in the same way that Putin is comfortable when he's in church. . . Putin is a post-Soviet leader. Medvedev is a post-post Soviet leader - Sergei Markov, United Russia Party member.

Markov was quoted in the Guardian on the Russian president's proficiency with the internet. Medvedev gave his first presidential podcast Tuesday to some of his cyber constituents.