September 18, 2006 Update

• "Religious people in general are so discriminatory against other people, and that really disturbs me. My idea of religion is we all love and respect. We all sin, but we still have common decency and respect for other people. So right now I'm struggling with my idea of what religion is."
  Thanks Fendi!
• "I don't know anything about a lot of things, but I would ask somebody and try to make a fair, honest decision for the majority of the people. Not the rich, not the poor, not the black, not the white. When you get elected to public office, you're supposed to represent everybody. Your job is not to take care of the rich or the poor or the black or the white. Your job is to take care of everybody."
  Thanks Fendi!
• On NBATV, Andre Aldridge interviewed Barkley and they talked about how Philadelphia changed his personality:
  Charles Barkley: When i went to Philadelphia, it changed my personality 360 degrees.
  Andre Aldridge: Let me help you out Charles, I think you meant 180 degrees.
  Thanks Jay!
• "The Republicans are full of it. The Democrats are a little less full of it."
• On her 17-year old daughter not dating yet: "Thank goodness. I just hope she doesn't start before I go in the Hall of Fame. That way, I won't have to kill anybody before I get inducted."
• "I always thought if a big man can't get 10 rebounds a night, he shouldn't be playing. Any big guy who can't get 10 rebounds a night, that [ticks] me off. That's why the game [ticks] me off at times, because rebounding is strictly just hard work. Come on now, a big guy's gotta get 10 rebounds. That's hard work and effort. I always thought scoring was overrated. If you want to score a lot of points, all you have to be is a gunner."
• Asked if he had ever been in the governor's office in Montgomery, Barkley said no. "They don't let many black people in the governor's mansion in Alabama," he said, "unless they're cleaning."
• Talking about the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina: "..I cannot believe in the United States I see people on television for two or three days begging for food and water. That shouldn't happen here."
• "You shouldn't belong to a political affiliation. Everybody should be an independent. The way it is now you're hamstrung to a particular party. That's not right."
• A classic '92 Dream Team quote, after the USA played Angola and Charles had elbowed an Angolan national team member in the chest. When asked about it, he responded: "I shouldn't have done that. He probably hasn't eaten in weeks."
  Thanks Jeff!

Thanks Tommy for bringing a 2003 CNN discussion between Charles and Michael Savage to my attention. The quicker mind definitely was on display when these two sparred:

• BARKLEY: I hope you sell a lot of books. And I never heard of "The Savage Nation," don't care about "The Savage Nation." I care about this nation.
  SAVAGE: Well, I don't care what you heard. I don't know who you are. I'm on 300 stations. People love me, man.
• SAVAGE: What do you do? I don't even know who you are. I have no idea who you are. What are your qualifications?
  BARKLEY: That makes two of us.
• SAVAGE: What do you do?
  BARKLEY: What do I do? I work for CNN and TNT. That's what I do. What do you do?
  SAVAGE: Excellent. Can you please tell me -- what's your education level?
  BARKLEY: This is what I do. I went to Auburn University. I went to Auburn University.
• BARKLEY: No disrespect to your father -- he's an immigrant?
  SAVAGE: No, he's dead.
  BARKLEY: No, I'm saying he was an immigrant.
  SAVAGE: So?
• BARKLEY: You know it's interesting. You said 30 percent of the criminals are illegal aliens. Is that what you said?
  SAVAGE: That's when I read.
  BARKLEY: It sounds like -- so 70 percent of our own people.
  SAVAGE: So?
  BARKLEY: That's my point. You're blaming 30 percent of the people for the problem, when 70 percent of the people, they're friends of ours, they're our family members. Why are you blaming a small 30 percent and not blaming that 70 percent?
  SAVAGE: I have no idea what you're talking about. Your logic seems to be so screwed up, you can't even present an argument. I don't know what you are saying.
  NEVILLE: Oh, come on, Michael. Oh, come on, Michael.
  BARKLEY: You know what Michael is? Michael is one of them guys who is really, really smart, who's an ass.
• BARKLEY: Man, everything gets blamed on the Clintons, every single thing in this world. I think Bill Clinton shot JFK, too.
• "Well, the thing that's interesting to me -- and this is like my biggest complaint with the whole political process and anybody. I'm trying to figure out -- they throw these words around like liberal, moderate, conservative. And we are like idiots. We sit here and choose sides. Man, I don't care what it is. Let's just solve these problems."