“Does State Department Need its Own Air Force?”—Headline on Robert Novak column, Chicago Sun –Times, Sept. 25.

Just Ask the Macro-Hearted

“The United Nations may seem useless to the self-satisfied, narrow-minded, and micro-hearted minority, but to most of the world’s population, it remains highly relevant indeed.”—Madeleine K. Albright, former secretary of state, Foreign Policy, September/October.

Texas Fraud

“There was no imminent threat. This was made up in Texas, announced in January to the Republican leadership that war was going to take place and was going to be good politically. This whole thing was a fraud.”—Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), Washington Post, Sept. 19.

Political Promotions

“Rumsfeld and his civilian aides such as Paul Wolfowitz and Douglas Feith and his military handmaidens have intruded harmfully into the way the services promote their leaders. Where once the Army would send up its nominee for a vacant billet, now it must send up two or three candidates who must run the gantlet of interviews in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Not just Rumsfeld, but all of his civilian experts who never wore a uniform. What hoops must the successful one jump through? Will it be the tough, bright candidate who’s unafraid to speak when he sees mistakes being made? Or will it be the buttoned-down, willow-in-the-wind, can-do yes-man?”—Joseph L. Galloway, co-author of “We Were Soldiers Once ... and Young,” Miami Herald, Sept. 28.

Not Unpopular There

“Back home, the news is manipulated ... by people who would like the American people to believe the war is unpopular. It’s not unpopular, especially with the Iraqi indigenous people [who] are being helped. This is the war on terrorism; it’s worth fighting for.”—Bruce Willis, visiting US troops in northern Iraq, Sept. 25.

Checkez Le Six

“It’s time we Americans came to terms with something: France is not just our annoying ally. It is not just our jealous rival. France is becoming our enemy.”—Thomas L. Friedman, New York Times, Sept. 18.

Chirac Says it’s Overblown

“I know the US rather well, and I have always had respect for the American people and continue to feel esteem, gratitude, and friendship for them. My feelings haven’t changed one bit. I have always had these feelings, even during what you call the time of ‘tension’ and I still have them today. So to tell you the truth, I have not really understood this business. I feel that all this is rather overblown and in a certain way somewhat media-driven.”—French President Jacques Chirac, transcript of interview with New York Times, Sept. 22.

We Are Not Alone

“I keep hearing that the US should not ‘go it alone.’ Well, the US is not going it alone. There are, at this moment, some 25 nations in the Coalition Provisional Authority. It is a genuinely international operation. Moreover, there are currently 32 countries with troops in Iraq today. These include: Albania, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Estonia, Georgia, Honduras, Hungary, Italy, Kazakhstan, Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, the Philippines, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Thailand, Ukraine, and the UK.”—Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld, Senate Appropriations Committee, Sept. 24.

Below Minimum

“The force structure is a function of where you want people and for what period you want them there. For instance, people say, ‘Well, you need only 200 F/A-22s.’ Well, OK. If you buy 200 F/A-22s, and you need 24-hour-a-day [combat air patrol] protection over a certain area, how many airplanes does that drive you to? We know that the minimum answer is 381. To get the minimum risk, we really need to get over 500. Right now, because of the cost caps, it looks like we’re significantly below the 381.”—Gen. Gregory S. Martin, commander, Air Force Materiel Command, Air Force Times, Sept. 29.

Seoul Interprets Pyongyang

“If North Korea believes that the United States and the outside world are seeking drastic change against the wishes of the North, it will probably never give up its nuclear option. On the contrary, it will cling more desperately to the nuclear option as the last resort.”—Yoon Young-kwan, South Korean foreign minister, Associated Press, Sept. 30.

Mysteries of the Desert

“Lawrence of Arabia perhaps knew more about the enemy commanders—their personalities, their backgrounds, their battle records—than I knew about the enemy division and corps commanders in southern Iraq when we attacked.”—Maj. Gen. James N. Mattis, commander of the 1st Marine Division, referring to T.E. Lawrence in 1916, Inside the Pentagon, Oct. 2.

Extending the Axis of Evil

“We’re now turning our attention to Iran, Syria, Libya, and Cuba.”—US Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security John R. Bolton, The Times of London, Oct. 10.

Lay Down My Sword and Shield