“The way ahead will be very hard. But hard is not hopeless.”

– Army Lt. Gen. David Petraeus, named by President Bush to take over as commander of U.S. forces in Iraq.

“I feel ever so strongly that the American GI was not trained, not sent over … to be placed in the middle of a fight between the Sunni and the Shia and the wanton, incomprehensible killing that’s going on at this time.”

– U.S. Sen. John Warner, a Virginia Republican who has been both secretary of the Navy and chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, explaining his sponsorship of a Senate resolution opposing a troop buildup in Iraq.

“This is the first time that I’ve ever been called a liar and a bigot and an anti-Semite and a coward and a plagiarist. This has hurt me.”

– Former President Jimmy Carter, talking about critical reaction that his book “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid” has provoked.

“He was getting accolades for his work until now. Now everyone is trying to get money back from him.”

– Attorney Richard A. Hanson, whose client, Thomas Delanty, has been accused of stealing tens of thousands of dollars from trust funds after passing himself off as a rich corporate official and even being named a trustee at Whitworth College.

“She will wake up every morning to see all Chinese faces surrounding her. Her mommy’s face, her daddy’s face, her brother’s face, her sister’s face. Finally, with Chinese faces all around her, she will have a permanent, peaceful mind.”

– Jack He, after the Tennessee Supreme Court restored his and his wife’s parental rights over their 8-year-old daughter Anna Mae, who has been in another couple’s custody since she was 3 weeks old.

“We don’t just vote and effect change at the ballot box. We can vote and effect change with the dollar in our pocket and how we use it, and you are leading the way.”

– Philanthropist Ali Hewson, who, with her rock star husband, Bono, founded a clothing business that has partnered with students at the University of Miami (Ohio) to market cotton T-shirts made in Africa.

“I don’t think they had any thought of being malicious. But this animal was tortured mercilessly.”

– Animal rights advocate Chris Anderlik, who filed a citizen’s petition that may lead to a criminal trial for two Spokane County sheriff’s deputies over the Tasering death of a Black Angus calf last spring.

“Some people call them strings. I’m beginning to call them chains.”

– Spokane Public Schools Superintendent Brian Benzel, saying Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire’s school funding proposals include restrictions that affect whether local school districts can use funds to address their most critical needs.

“The more water that we can keep from getting past that head gate, the more water we can have.”

– Idaho Gov. Butch Otter, who wants to build new dams in his state and expand existing ones to prevent more Snake River water from leaving the state.

“Incremental evolution is not enough. Fundamental change is imperative – and it must happen now.”

– Pfizer Inc. CEO Jeffrey Kindler, declaring that the pharmaceutical giant, which last week announced a $2 billion cost-cutting plan, has to change the way it does business.