Quotables

"The powers that be decided against it."

U.S. Rep. John Conyers Jr., chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, on why he's abandoning his plans for hearings on alleged voter fraud by the left-wing group ACORN. In an interview with The Washington Times, the Michigan Democrat declined to identify "the powers that be."

"Apparently, but there's no evidence in my bank account to substantiate that."

Apollo astronaut Buzz Aldrin in response to a New York Times question, "Is it true that Buzz Lightyear, the cartoon astronaut, was named after you?"

"We really do need to cut loose this stinkpot of self-righteousness."

U.S. Rep. Bob Inglis, R-S.C., on the need for humility among Republicans in discussing morality and personal responsibility in the wake of the sex scandal involving South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford. "I see a real opportunity for a more accurate presentation of the gospel in presenting fact rather than the fiction . . . that we're paragons of virtue," he told The Los Angeles Times.

"I had blood all over me, none of it my own."

Martin Griffith, a Pentagon employee who helped rescue two injured women from the Washington Metro's Red Line train that crashed into a parked train June 22, killing nine people and injuring more than 70.

"The burqa is not a religious sign. It's a sign of subservience, a sign of debasement."

French President Nicolas Sarkozy, expressing support for a parliamentary commission that would find ways to stop the spread of the burqa. "We cannot accept that some women in our country are prisoners behind a grille, cut off from social life, deprived of their identity," Sarkozy said.

"Our fans are not stupid like Cubs fans."

Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, on why attendance is low at White Sox games. He said White Sox fans understood that their team was struggling. Both Chicago teams are hovering near the .500 mark so far this season.