Showing them the red card
"I want America to go out. Today, tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow, but out. I wish the American people didn't invade Iraq and, hopefully, it will be over soon." — Iraqi soccer team captain Younis Mahmoud, speaking at the July 29 news conference after Iraq's 1-0 victory over Saudi Arabia in the Asia Cup.
Unsustainable path
"America is on a path to an explosion of debt ... We also face a range of serious challenges when it comes to health care, education, energy, the environment, foreign policy, immigration, Iraq, and other issues. Current US policy in all these key areas is on an unsustainable path over the long term." — David Walker, head of the US Congress's non-partisan Government Accountability Office, August 7.
History lesson
"There are striking similarities between America's current situation and that of another great power from the past: Rome. The Roman Empire lasted 1,000 years, but only about half that time as a republic. The Roman Republic fell for many reasons, but three reasons are worth remembering: declining moral values and political civility at home, an overconfident and overextended military in foreign lands, and fiscal irresponsibility by the central government. Sound familiar?" — Walker again.