“What always strikes me as a little strange is some people would rather think they have a psycho on the loose than acknowledge that we live in a world that we share with predators, and let’s talk about the appropriate steps to safeguard our animals.”

– Psychologist Randall Lockwood, after a series of cat mutilations that had unnerved northwest Spokane turned out to be, in the opinion of a leading forensic veterinarian, the work of a coyote or fox.

“I can self-destruct in one sentence, sometimes in one word.”

– Montana’s Republican U.S. Sen Conrad Burns, commenting a few months ago, prior to making a number of belittling comments this summer about immigrants.

“The end is not near. In fact, that fire will not go out until winter puts it out.”

– Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire after getting an aerial view from a National Guard helicopter of the stubborn Tripod Complex fire northwest of Omak.

“One of the biggest mistakes we made was underestimating the size of the task and the sacrifices that would be required. ‘Stuff happens,’ ‘mission accomplished,’ ‘last throes,’ ‘a few dead-enders.’ I’m just more familiar with those statements than anyone else because it grieves me so much that we had not told the American people how tough and difficult this task would be.”

– U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., commenting on why the Iraq war, which he supports, has bruised the Bush administration’s public approval ratings.

“It is like this guy fell out of the sky for them and they’re trying to figure out what they have going. They can’t really let him go or proceed to convict him until they have the evidence. It’s in a bit of limbo now.”

– Loyola Law School professor Laurie Levenson, describing the dilemma facing Boulder, Colo., authorities over what to do with John Mark Karr, the former schoolteacher who reportedly confessed to killing JonBenet Ramsey.

“The president is a people person. I knew that from the beginning.”

– Hurricane Katrina victim Rockey Vaccarella, after a highly publicized White House meeting with President Bush, whom he urged to continue providing federal aid to Gulf Coast residents displaced by the devastating storm a year ago.

“In Russia, if they had diabetes or something, they wouldn’t care; they’d just go on. They’re scared that the doctor would give them something that would make them worse.”

– Spokane Regional Health Officer Kim Thorburn, describing the cultural suspicion of government that makes some eastern European immigrants wary of public health care services.