In their words …

“The business community had their noses all out of joint. They were being asked to pony up hundreds of thousands of dollars. And for what? So Kerry wouldn’t accept the nomination.”

– An unnamed Democrat, quoted in a Knight Ridder story about attitudes in Boston while Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry was still pondering a campaign-finance strategy that involved delaying his acceptance of the party’s nomination until sometime after the convention in Boston.

“There is likely to be violence before the transfer of sovereignty and after the transfer of sovereignty.”

– President George Bush, outlining a five-step plan to turn control of Iraq over to Iraqis on June 30.

“I just drove by and hit the brakes.”

– Post Falls resident Jason Herr, who said he had overlooked Tuesday’s primary election in Idaho until he saw the polling place sign.

“It’s ridiculous that it’s easier for 16-year-olds to visit prostitutes than it is to get chewing gum here.”

– College student Fayen Wong, commenting on strict laws regulating chewing gum in ultra-tidy Singapore.

“One of the things the Bush administration promised was to fund the national parks. They haven’t kept that promise.”

– Washington Democratic Congressman Norm Dicks, regarding cutbacks expected at Olympic National Park.

“The state does not have enough beds for women. We’re just out of beds.”

– Kay Atkins, Northeast regional administrator for the Washington state Department of Corrections, talking of plans to convert the Pine Lodge Pre-Release Center in Medical Lake to an all-women’s prison.

“There is clearly a steady drumbeat of information that they are going to attack and hit us hard.”

– A senior federal counterterrorism official, quoted anonymously by the Associated Press about intelligence data suggesting al Qaeda terrorists are in the United States and planning a major incident.

“We’ve had exactly one recovery in four years. Three stores, four years, one recovery.”

– Convenience store manager Brian Tabert, describing how seldom police track down customers who drive off without paying for gasoline.

“I believe it’s the most radioactive soil ever studied with regards to bacteria in the world.”

– Staff scientist Fred Brockman, group leader of a project that discovered bacteria living in soil contaminated by radioactive waste beneath leaky underground storage tanks at Hanford.