Noted & quoted.

• Position: Soundbites

'I'll vote even if it's dangerous, because we need to make sacrifices to get Iraq out of this mess.'

--Ahmed al-Sinjari, 19, a resident of Baghdad, on the potential risks of participating in Iraq's January 30 elections. (Reuters, Nov. 23)

'I am confident that the terrorists are aware that ... we've got additional security measures that didn't exist a couple years ago.'

--Tom Ridge, Secretary of Homeland Security, announcing his resignation from the position. (The New York Times, Dec. 1)

'You can have a...