Verbatim

"The U.S. Embassy in Riyadh continues to receive credible information that terrorists in Saudi Arabia have moved from the planning to the operational phase of planned attacks in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia ... In light of the seriousness of this threat, the Embassy in Riyadh will close on Saturday, Nov. 8." RICHARD BOUCHER, U.S. State Department spokesman, on Nov. 7, a day before three explosions hit Riyadh

"The fact that he's alive is unhelpful." DONALD RUMSFELD, Defense Secretary, on still at large former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein

"I killed so many women I have a hard time keeping them straight." GARY LEON RIDGWAY, pleading guilty to strangling 48 women in the Green River murders

"You are not a bigot, but you appear to be too arrogant to say, 'I'm wrong.' That sounds more like Stonewall Jackson than Jesse Jackson." REV. AL SHARPTON, calling on Howard Dean to apologize for his remark that he wants to be the candidate for "guys with Confederate flags in their pickups." Dean was initially defiant but apologized the next day

"I want to make it entirely clear--even though I can't refer to the specifics of the allegation--that it is totally untrue and without a shred of evidence." AIDE TO PRINCE CHARLES, denying a rumor about a royal family member that the media is barred from printing but confirming that it involves the heir to the throne

"I'm changing my name to McStamberg." SUSAN STAMBERG, National Public Radio correspondent, on a $200 million bequest to the nonprofit broadcasting corporation from Joan Kroc, widow of the longtime chairman of McDonald's

"I don't care what the other candidates say. I don't think OutKast is really breaking up. Andre 3000 and Big Boi just cut solo records; that's all." GENERAL WESLEY CLARK, Democratic presidential candidate, lightheartedly, in a campaign ad solicited by MTV's Rock the Vote

Sources: U.S. State Department; U.S. Department of Defense; Federal Document Clearing House; New York Times; Rock the Vote