Bonilla, Rodriguez, Truitt, Uresti, and Kuempel

U.S. Rep. Henry Bonilla, R-San Antonio, blaming court-ordered redistricting changes for his election loss, in the San Antonio Express-News: "They moved the goal post on us further down the field, and we couldn't score again and again."

U.S. Rep.-elect Ciro Rodriguez, D-San Antonio, on returning to Washington, in the San Antonio Express-News: "It looks like I haven't skipped a beat. I'm coming back. It looks like all I need is my toothbrush."

Rep. Vicki Truitt, R-Keller, in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram after bloggers blasted her for filing legislation they didn't like: "When you're a public elected official, you better be prepared to be slammed, and if you're not willing to then you better not be in the business."

Sen. Carlos Uresti, D-San Antonio, quoted in The Dallas Morning News calling for immediate inspections of foster homes: "It's not a secret that some of these foster homes are not up to par. Why do we wait until another child gets killed before we do something?

Rep. Edmund Kuempel, R-Seguin, talking with the Associated Press about his legislation to allow hunting by blind people who are accompanied by sighted guides: "This opens up the fun of hunting to additional people, and I think that's great."

Perry, Huckabee, Gohmert, Samples, Smith, and McCarl

Gov. Rick Perry, goofing up, as reported in the Houston Chronicle, after he was asked a question about abortion and the presidential candidates: "If that is the model, then the issue becomes very, very clear to me from the standpoint of who I want to support, and it is Mike Huckabee. And then it goes to the next level: Who do we have that is the most electable from our candidates? And I think without a doubt it is Rudy Giuliani."

Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee on his place in the polls, in The Dallas Morning News: "I'm a little more comfortable in front. I've been back there from behind. It's not very fun when all you are is an asterisk in the story."

U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Tyler, promoting guest worker programs, in the Nacogdoches Daily Sentinel: "I don't think we need any new paths to citizenship. I do think, though, that we need more workers than we have here. There really aren't enough workers."

Mike Samples, director of internal investments for the state comptroller, quoted in the Austin American-Statesman in a story on the sub-prime mortgage mess: "We don’t have any impaired assets."

Republican consultant Todd Smith, quoted in the Austin American-Statesman: "I never heard anybody say, 'I just got the right amount of property tax relief.' Republican primary voters are like everyone else: 'What have you done for me lately?'"

Texas A&M University professor Bruce McCarl, quoted in the Houston Chronicle on sharing the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on global warming: "It's just a validation. It's nice when you do strange, abstract things to realize that somebody's listening."