Insight: “Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak. Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.” —Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

Friendly fire: “Why does [my dad] hate us / the American dream so much?!?!?!?! Reality is: most legislators have never built anything… so I guess it’s easier to mindlessly and haphazardly try and tear stuff down.” —Senator Ron Wyden’s son, Adam

A trip down memory lane I: “You leave those billions of dollars of weapons behind [in Iraq], I promise they’re going to be used against your grandchild and mine some day.” —Joe Biden, who left billions of dollars of weapons behind in Afghanistan, August 2007

A trip down memory lane II: “No great nation can be in a position where they can’t control their borders. It matters how you control your borders. … I’ve been arguing for the need to put more protection at our borders, meaning that you have more border guards. … You have to have a significant increase in the security at the border, including limited elements where you actually have a fence.” —Joe “Open Borders” Biden, August 2007

Theater of the absurd: “COVID-19 has disrupted supply chains around the world. Now, even in the midst of a historic economic recovery, Americans are facing prices that are just too high. We must pass the Build Back Better Act to lower costs for working families and help get people back to work.” —Joe Biden

The BIG Lie: “I think it’s important to also stress that [the reconciliation bill is] not going to cost anything for the American taxpayer.” —Kamala Harris

Who knew? “Things are a lot better in this country than they were a year ago.” —White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain

Grand delusions: “Joe Biden didn’t create the bottlenecks or inflation, and I don’t know what he or any president could do to stop it right now.” —NPR’s Mara Liasson

Famous last words: “Everyone from the Federal Reserve to Wall Street agree with our assessment that inflation is already expected to substantially decelerate next year.” —White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki

Non compos mentis I: “A lot of the talk about inflation … in general out there has been — it’s become a political cudgel and it shouldn’t be.” —Jen Psaki

Non compos mentis II: “Our view is that the rise in gas prices over the long term makes it an even stronger case for doubling down our investment and our focus on clean energy options.” —Jen Psaki

Damage control: “For anyone who needs to hear it. [Kamala Harris] is not only a vital partner to [Joe Biden] but a bold leader who has taken on key, important challenges facing the country — from voting rights to addressing root causes of migration to expanding broadband.” —Jen Psaki

Lack of self-awareness: “You know how we feel about misinformation. We’re against it.” —Jen Psaki

Priorities: “We’re honest about the differences [with China regarding oppression], and we certainly know what they are, and we’ve articulated them. But that’s not my lane here.” —Climate Czar John Kerry

And last… “Our national problems usually do not cause nearly as much harm as the solutions.” —Thomas Sowell