Verbatim: Jan. 17, 2005

“I’ve been in war, and I’ve been through a number of hurricanes, tornadoes and other relief operations, but I have never seen anything like this.”

COLIN POWELL, Secretary of State, after traveling to Indonesia to survey the tsunami damage in Banda Aceh

“We are praying for the souls of the martyrs who were killed today by the shells of the Zionist enemy.”

MAHMOUD ABBAS, front runner in the race for Palestinian President, dropping his usually civil language after Israeli tank fire killed seven Palestinian youths in Gaza

“Mighty long time.”

FANNIE CHANEY, mother of civil rights worker James Chaney, when asked for her reaction to the indictment last week of Edgar Ray Killen for the 1964 Ku Klux Klan murders of her son and Michael Schwerner and Andrew Goodman

“I feel like we have just taken a shower.”

CONGRESSMAN ZACH WAMP, Republican of Tennessee, after the House of Representatives reversed a rule change that would have allowed majority leader Tom DeLay to retain his post if indicted. The House later changed another rule to make it harder to oust DeLay if any charges are brought

“It’s better to be sworn in than sworn at.”

SENATOR PATRICK J. LEAHY, Democrat of Vermont, after taking the oath of office from Vice President Dick Cheney, who last year addressed him with an expletive

“I can be bought. I’m thinking there’s four years at Florida State for one of my kids.”

DOUG MIENTKIEWICZ, first baseman for the Boston Red Sox, who caught the ball that won the World Series for his team and then kept it. He later said he was joking about selling the ball but has yet to hand it over to the Sox for the club’s collection

“If you obtain condoms from Planned Parenthood, avoid the low-rated scented Honeydew and Assorted Colors varieties. Instead, choose the Lollipop.”

CONSUMER REPORTS, in an article rating condom performance, in which two of Planned Parenthood’s three offerings ranked the lowest of the 23 models tested. The Lollipop came in at No. 14

Sources: Washington Post; New York Times (5); Consumer Reports