Sanford, Norquist, Berman, Schieffer, and Straus

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, writing to his mistress, "Maria", in an email obtained by The State: "As I mentioned in our last visit, while I did not need love fifteen years ago — as the battle scars of life and aging and politics have worn on this has become a real need of mine. You have a particular grace and calm that I adore. You have a level of sophistication that is so fitting with your beauty. I could digress and say that you have the ability to give magnificently gentle kisses, or that I love your tan lines or that I love the curves of your hips, the erotic beauty of you holding yourself (or two magnificent parts of yourself) in the faded glow of night's light — but hey, that would be going into the sexual details... "

Americans for Tax Reform President Grover Norquist, in The New York Times: "I disagree with the idea that this shows problems for the modern Republican Party. I think instead it shows that sexual attractiveness of limited-government conservatism."

Rep. Leo Berman, R-Tyler, talking about running for governor with the El Paso Times: "The votes that I would be drawing would be from Governor Perry, because Senator Hutchison is to the left of both of us. I do not want to do that. I do not want to take votes from Governor Perry, which would perhaps make him lose this election."

Democrat Tom Schieffer, talking about the governor's race in the Houston Chronicle: "What I want to do in the campaign is to lay these things out and talk about 'em and try to come up with alternatives. And also remind people that this is not going to be easy. It's going to be really hard. And if they want to do that, I get to be governor. And if they don't want to do that, I can go make money, and I've done my civic duty of trying to lay it out."

House Speaker Joe Straus III, quoted by The Dallas Morning News when asked, in Plano, whether Rep. Brian McCall, R-Plano, can keep his post as chairman of Calendars: "Whatever he wants."