“Thank you Your Holiness. Awesome speech.” – George W. Bush, to Pope Benedict XVI after the pontiff’s address about the importance of morality in a democracy.

“I am thrilled to be on Deal or No Deal with you tonight. Come to think of it, I’m thrilled to be anywhere with high ratings these days.” – Bush again, while making a guest appearance on the hit game show. According to Nielson Media Research, the episode was actually down 19 percent from its season average.

“These are a bunch of money-sucking manipulators. Their sole aim is to try to suck as much money out of the pockets of people who really don’t know what’s going on.” – Fisheries Minister Loyola Hearn, describing Sea Shepherd Conservation Society crewmembers arrested at sea for protesting Canada’s seal hunt.

“You defend the seal killers and I’ll defend the seals, face to face, in public. It’s easy to call people names but he should demonstrate that he has the ‘guts’ to debate me in public. My bet is he will hide behind some sort of excuse that he won’t dignify me with a debate.” – Sea Shepherd founder Paul Watson, offering to publicly debate Hearn on the matter. The offer was declined.

“We’ll be eight degrees hotter in 30 or 40 years, and basically none of the crops will grow, most of the people will have died, and the rest of us will be cannibals.” – Media tycoon Ted Turner, on what we might have to look forward to in the coming years.

“If things become out of control then my only option is to completely resign.” – His Holiness the Dalai Lama, on the recent violence in Tibet.

“I went out of my way to be accurate.” – Former Pentagon official and Iraq War architect Douglas Feith, on his new book War and Decision.

“It’s not surprising, then, they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them, or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.” – Senator Barack Obama, at a private fundraiser explaining the difficulty of winning over some rural voters.

“It’s OK to express outrage with the Chinese government’s position against Tibet, but [Canadians] should be just as outraged, if not more so...with what is being done to First Nations here.” – Phil Fontaine, Grand Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, warning about possible protests during the 2010 Winter Olympics.

“It’s been like pulling teeth.” – US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, on the difficulties of getting the Air Force to provide unmanned drones for surveillance in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“George Bush made a speech this week on global warming. The good news: he finally admits it’s real. The bad news: he wants to invade the sun.” – Comedian Bill Maher, in a monologue.