“I’m glad it was an exercise in futility and nothing happened.
Now, it’s back to work.”
Ed Bajorek, resident of Houston, on boarding up his residential kitchen appliance store to protect it from Hurricane Rita
“We can all pitch in by … being better conservers of energy. People just need to recognize that these storms have caused disruption and that if they’re able to maybe not drive on a trip that’s not essential, that would be helpful.”
President Bush, urging Americans to conserve gas, after hurricanes Rita and Katrina caused gas production to drop and prices to rise
“I have overseen over 150 presidentially declared disasters. I know what I am doing. And I think I do a pretty darn good job of it.”
Michael Brown, who resigned as director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, testifying before a congressional committee about the response to Hurricane Katrina
“It’s very difficult for consumers to go to the gas pump and pay record high prices for gas and then open the business page and see where oil companies are making record profits.”
Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., on the record gross profit margins on gasoline at the nation’s refineries
“Frankly, I am sick and tired of this entire costly, frustrating and potentially dangerous situation that does nothing but generate ill will.”
John Hickenlooper, Denver mayor, in an e-mail sent to leaders of the opposing sides of the Columbus Day parade