Quotes of the year

Thanks to Tim Blair for this assortment of gems. I'll post some of my favorite quotes from 2006 below.

• "WILL Beazley win? Oh, yes. You see if I am right." – a 2007 election prediction from political expert Bob Ellis
• "The commander made an operational decision to protect the safety of his officers." – NSW Police Commissioner Ken Moroney explains why police didn't pursue Cronulla revenge attackers
• "I'm reluctant even to raise this as an issue, for fear someone will set fire to the building." – Sydney ABC radio morning host Virginia Trioli on those cartoons
• "We are altering the balance of energy between our planet and the rest of the universe." – Al Gore continues losing his mind
• "Activities which are not compatible with western standards." – an ABC news description of Hamas suicide bombings
• "Why doesn't the Government hold an inquiry into the video evidence of US Army Ranger Jessie Macbeth? Macbeth served in Iraq for 16 months and regrets that he was ever part of the invasion and occupation." – the Age's Terry Lane falls for a hoax; Macbeth never served in Iraq
• "I would love to kill George Bush." – Nobel peace laureate Betty Williams, speaking to Brisbane schoolchildren
• "Gender inequalities will likely worsen with climate change." – page 23, chapter four of the Stern Report
• "If even the leaders of the green movement are not prepared to live without flying for pleasure then how can we expect that of other people?" – environmentalist George Monbiot, who soon afterwards flew to Canada to promote his new book