Honoured leadership
"Today's [party room] meeting will be happy to let George stay, because no-one would want his job anyway." — A NSW National Party source, predicting to the Sydney Morning Herald the re-election of state National leader George Souris.
Vast unearned wealth?
"At the heart of the Olympic dream, you discover the American dream." — Dick Schultz, US Olympic Committee executive director, announcing a program (cost: US$9 million) to restore the committee's tarnished image.
Surprise!
"Business tax advisers have mounted a last-minute push to soften tough new anti-avoidance provisions in the proposed tax reform package." — Financial Review, April 13.
Surprise! — 2
"Australia's business community is poised to give the green light to Federal Government moves for a lower corporate tax rate ..." — Financial Review, April 16.
Big picture
"We always look at historical campaigns — that's something we always do. [But] history alone is not enough; you've got to look at the big picture." A US army spokesperson, acknowledging that the Pentagon has been studying the Nazi occupation of Yugoslavia in World War II.
Behind them
"Yesterday I expressed NATO's regret for the tragic accident [the bombing of Kosovar refugees] that occurred on Wednesday, but NATO puts its setbacks behind it and this is what we have done." — NATO spokesperson Jamie Shea at an April 16 press conference.
Hiroshima, Mylai, Pristina
"This is America at its best." — US President Bill Clinton, addressing B-52 pilots involved in the Balkans war.
There's hope!
"If we don't get tax reform up this time around, you can forget it for the next 10 years." — Stan Wallis, former chair of the Business Council of Australia and chair of Coles Myer and Amcor.
Fairly hopeless
"We have to admit that we can't deliver job security to people — but we can deliver fairness." — Michael Costa, secretary of the NSW Labor Council, on the limitations of the union movement.