While I'm throwing out quotes, one of my favorites comes from John Jacob's biography of Phil Burton, the liberal firebrand Congressman from San Francisco who was a major political mover and shaker in California and national politics from the 50's until his death in 1982.  Nancy Pelosi currently holds his old seat and if you've ever spent time in a National Recreation Area you probably enjoyed one of the fruits of his many labors. 

Despite a very coarse personal style, Burton was the quintessential legislative genius with a penchant for not only being on top of every small detail of legislation but also knowing how to form the most unlikely coalitions of liberals and conservatives to pass his legislation.  Frankly he could be very intimidating to both friend and foe alike.  Early in Jacob's book there is a quote that probably best sums up Burton's political philosophy:

You have to learn how to terrorize the bastards....If you start giving these special interests what they should end up with, they don't lose a dime, they have no limit on their greed or their view of their own self-worth and power.... Do not make them figure out how much they're going to get, but how much they've got that they're going to lose.  Most of my colleagues work it the other end:  they kiss the asses of everyone.

Now read this New York Times piece about how having given the Oil and Gas industries billions in tax breaks and subsidies Congressional Republicans have basically resorted to begging, yes, begging these same industries, who after all keep posting major earnings records, to increase output and build more refineries.  Basically, they gave away the farm and now have to fall back on the good will of their patrons....I miss the Phil Burton's of the world.