Patrick, Fero, Williamson, Wice, Sharp, and MohnRadio talk host and Republican state Senate nominee Dan Patrick, quoted in the San Antonio Express-News on the eve of the state GOP convention: "The base is upset with the Republican Party because they thought once the Republican Party had control in Washington and in Texas that things were actually going to happen, and nothing has happened in terms of fiscal issues and the border issue. People are just frustrated. And if the base stays home, this (governor's) race gets very close." Democratic political consultant Kelly Fero, quoted in the Austin Chronicle on the condition of the Democratic Party: "I consider the state party to be at its best when it's almost wholly irrelevant, which it currently is." Texas Transportation Commission Chairman Ric Williamson, to a group of North Texans who don't want the proposed Trans Texas Corridor to bypass Dallas-Fort Worth, quoted in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram: "If you aggressively invite the private sector to be your partner, you can't tell them where to build the road." Houston appellate lawyer Brian Wice, quoted in The Wall Street Journal after the Enron verdicts against Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling were announced: "Your typical white-collar defendant has a better chance of winning a Golden Globe award than getting his conviction reversed in the Fifth Circuit." Former Comptroller John Sharp, asked by reporters if he'll seek office again: "You know, politics and sex are a lot alike. Once you've experienced either one of them you don't usually say, 'OK, been there, done that.'" Jerry Mohn, president of the West Galveston Island Property Owners Association, telling the Houston Press how people who live on the beach deal with hurricane season: "We get religious. We start praying June 1 and don't stop until November."

Masset, Turner, Martinez Fischer, Hutchison, and LenoGOP consultant Royal Masset, telling the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that Republicans are flirting with trouble on immigration: "I am for very strong controls along the border, and I am not for amnesty, But I am definitely not for all of this hateful rhetoric we are hearing on this issue -- that we are going to felonize them, that we should deport them. It's talk like this that is going to lose us the Hispanic vote just like we lost the black vote in the last generation." Republican delegate James Turner of Castroville, telling the Austin American-Statesman that Texas should stop educating the children of illegal immigrants: "I'd put them on a bus and send them back to Mexico or Honduras or wherever." Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, D-San Antonio, criticizing the state GOP's platform on border security and immigration, quoted by the Associated Press: "Don't forget to tip the immigrant who's going to clean your room and serve your meal." U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, telling Republican conventioneers that Texas doesn't always get its fair share of federal help: "Every time I turn around, somebody is dumping on Texas." The Tonight Show's Jay Leno, on Rick Perry's proposal to put cameras along the border so that people could monitor activity on the Internet and alert officials if they see illegal crossings: "I thought of a great idea for this to pay for itself. Most people are looking at porn anyway, right? They make illegals cross naked and charge $2 bucks a minute."

DeLay, Clark, Urbina-Jones, Gilbert, Butz, Anchia, and ThompsonU.S. Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Sugar Land, in his final speech in Congress before quitting last week, quoted by the Washington Post: "Given the chance to do it all again, there's only one thing I'd change. I'd fight even harder." Retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark, on the political layout in the state and the country: "Texas is where a lot of our troubles started. A lot of the bad ideas came out of Texas. And the trail of corruption leads back to Texas. And the incompetence we've seen in Washington has its roots right here in Texas." Charlie Urbina-Jones, who ran for Democratic Party Chairman, talking to the delegates about the future of that party: "We can no longer go to the trial lawyers. They're broke. Let's be honest with each other." Democratic Agriculture Commissioner candidate Hank Gilbert, in his speech at that party's convention: "One could really say that today's Texas political outlook really sucks." Austin political consultant David Butz, on gubernatorial candidate Chris Bell, in the Austin American-Statesman: "He's going to have to become a real Democrat to mobilize the base vote. If he just tries to be a merlot Democrat he's not going to get anywhere." Rep. Rafael Anchia, D-Dallas, on Republican proposals to build a wall between Mexico and the United States: "Before we start building a fence, all of us need to know two things — how much it's going to cost and then who's going to build it." State Rep. Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston, who's running for Speaker of the House: "I want to thank the Republican Speaker Tom Craddick for spending money to renovate the Speaker's apartment, because next year, I'm gonna be staying there."