Perspectives.

"I'll outlive all of 'em." South Carolina Sen. Strom Thurmond, 98, responding to predictions that he won't live out his term

"We are not just shooting ourselves in the foot. We are shooting ourselves in the nose." A senior Palestinian official, referring to the Palestinian Authority's decision to shut down the West Bank and Gaza offices of the popular pan-Arab television station Al-Jazeera

"You would have to slaughter the whole country." Ben Gill, president of Britain's National Farmers' Union, proposing the only way to entirely eliminate the risk of foot-and-mouth disease

"I really hate jaywalkers... Since I don't run the country, all I can do is yell at 'em. The other option is to run 'em over, but as a compassionate conservative, I would never do that." Conservative American pundit and notorious road-rager Robert Novak

"On a scale of one to 10, I'll give him a 20. I wish every man were so gay." Ricky Martin's girlfriend, model Ines Misan, mocking persistent questions about the singer's sexuality

"Dogs are dogs. They do the same thing everywhere... It's just that there are no dogs in China because they eat them." Claude Bebear, president of Paris's bid to host the 2008 Olympics, on China's allegation that rabid dogs make the city too dangerous and dirty. China has been lobbying to have the Games held in Beijing.

"Come on over to ...