Miller, Perry, Solomons, Hartnett, Sturzl, Bush, Johnson, and Averitt

President George W. Bush, in an interview done by his sister, Doro Bush Koch, for StoryCorps, quoted by the Austin American-Statesman: "I would like to be a person remembered as a person who, first and foremost, did not sell his soul in order to accommodate the political process. I came to Washington with a set of values and I'm leaving with the same set of values."

Lobbyist and political consultant Bill Miller, in a Houston Chronicle story on Gov. Rick Perry's recent blasts at the federal government: "I think his criticisms are his attempt to raise his profile, and if it slows down Sen. [Kay Bailey] Hutchison, that's a good thing."

Gov. Rick Perry, quoted in the Houston Chronicle on the state of the state economy: "The fact is we're not an island. Our economy is interlaced with the other 49 states. We're certainly starting to feel the effects of this meltdown, and we expect that they will increase."

Tom Johnson, head of the faculty association at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, quoted in the Galveston Daily News on a lawsuit filed after UT Regents decided to fire 3,800 people there: "We hope that in the act of discovery and act of executing the lawsuit, we find the real reasons behind this move. It's been our suspicion for a long time — more than a suspicion — that UT wants to build a teaching hospital in Austin. They have been steadily disinvesting from UTMB."

Speaker candidate Burt Solomons, R-Carrollton, on the prospect of another term for Midland Republican Tom Craddick, the incumbent speaker, in the San Antonio Express-News: "One bump and the whole place is going up in flames. Republicans don't want that kind of session, nor, believe it or not, do the Democrats. No one wants the war wagon to keep blowing up."

Rep. Will Hartnett, R-Dallas, arguing in the San Antonio Express-News that House Speaker Tom Craddick isn't to blame for the rough ride in the last few sessions: "The House is volatile because Democrat members detest being in the minority and vigorously strive to obstruct the agenda of the Republican majority. That tension will only lessen if there is a Republican speaker who is a puppet of the Democrat members."

Frank Sturzl, executive director of the Texas Municipal League, talking to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram about the upcoming legislative session: "It's become routine for us to spend most of our time opposing things."

Sen. Kip Averitt, R-Waco, in the Waco Tribune-Herald: "Thirty-five years ago, if you called yourself an environmentalist, you were considered a communist, and you couldn’t get elected. Now if you're not an environmentalist, you're a goober, and you can't get elected."