QUOTABLE What they said

Cokie and Steven Roberts spoke for more than an hour about Washington politics, the importance of the press in U.S. society and their roles in it.
Steven: "The political landscape is littered with people who underestimated George W. Bush -- Al Gore most of all."
Cokie: "Since the election, we've learned that of the people who go to church one or more times a month, 80 percent voted for George W. Bush. People voted with their prayer books, not their pocketbooks."
Steven: "If Al Gore was half the politician Bill Clinton is, the election wouldn't even have been close. Bill Clinton's approval ratings defied gravity because no matter what else you think of him, Bill Clinton is a great politician. People looked at him and said, 'He's not perfect, and I'm not either.'"
Cokie: "Al Gore sighed his way through the campaign. Every woman in America knows that sigh. It's the one your husband gives you when he's tuning you out -- the one that says he'd rather be watching the ball game."
Steven: "Bush won. Now he's finding out that politicians make promises, but presidents make choices. He's learning that Washington Democrats are a tougher breed than Texas Democrats. He's beginning to understand the power in the words of the U.S. president. Most recently he has learned that you can talk agenda and issues all you want, but you'd better be prepared for a crisis. When you're president, stuff happens."