Thursday, Mar. 13, 2008

Verbatim

'You won't see me as a vice presidential candidate ... I'm running for President.'

BARACK OBAMA, rejecting Hillary Clinton's suggestion that he could be her Vice President

'This is a major political earthquake.'

IBRAHIM SUFFIAN, Malaysian pollster, on the March 8 electoral gains by the opposition parties against the National Front coalition, various forms of which have ruled the country since its independence in 1963

'This is the new face of hunger.'

JOSETTE SHEERAN, head of the U.N. World Food Programme, warning that the global rise in basic food prices could continue until 2010. Food riots have broken out in Morocco, Yemen, Mexico, Senegal and Uzbekistan

'He is called the Merchant of Death and Man of War for a reason.'

THOMAS PASQUARELLO, regional director of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, on the capture of notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout, who had previously worked with U.S. contractors in Iraq but ran afoul of the law when he allegedly smuggled guns to Colombia's leftist rebels and other outlawed groups

'I will govern for all but think above all of those who don't have it all.'

JOSE LUIS RODRIGUEZ ZAPATERO, Socialist Prime Minister, after winning re-election in Spain on March 9. He cites the economy and social reforms as his top priorities

'We had psychoanalytic sessions ... Writing together with somebody is very intimate.'

MADONNA, on collaborating with Justin Timberlake on tracks for her new album, Hard Candy

MORE OF THE BEST QUOTES AT TIME.COM

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Sources: ABC; Wall Street Journal; Guardian; AP; Bloomberg; Interview