A sampling of noteworthy memes in the year 2004, loosely ordered for effect. Enjoy.

The most important -- and interesting -- questions are structural.

"Fuck yourself," said the man who is a heartbeat from the presidency. "We don't play games at The Washington Post and use dashes." "I felt better after I had done it."

Teenagers nowadays are both more connected to the world at large than ever, and more cut off.

cellphone-based alibi clubs

More research anywhere creates more possibilities for innovation everywhere.

Do you understand the difference between "Is it worth buying?" and "Can it be sold?"

The era of cheap oil is over.

The Internet peering model is fundamentally broken.

"The thing is, this is a lousy business."

Let's talk about the consequences of the aging baby boomers.

Relationships can be hard work, but they are worth it.

When was the last time a talk show changed a mind?

Intelligence is moving to the edges and the edges are found on the Asian mainland.

In China, Bill Gates is Britney Spears. In America, Britney Spears is Britney Spears.

All entertainment concepts must be run through the Vulgarizer.

"I need to be managing a sexier project."

Values Voters Are Prone To Sinful Behavior.

Its sole function is to sell the naughty lifestyle.

Why the granny panties?

The Middle East must be Born Again!

War may be hell, but infowar is making a bid for heaven.

Personality is destiny.

"There's a certain tone in politics that I aspire to, that allows me to disagree with people without being disagreeable."

"chicken hawks"

Saudi Arabia is the golden egg.

Powell: "Very embarrassing. I am not a happy camper over this. We were wrong." Bush: "I wasn't happy when we found out there wasn't weapons, and we've got an intelligence group together to figure out why."

"It takes half a second for a baby to throw up all over your sweater. It takes hours to get it clean."

typical postwar "untidiness"

Bush: "I've made some mistakes in appointing people, but I'm not going to name them. I don't want to hurt their feelings on national TV."

"No. No. I'm not going to be your monkey."

America, partnering with the best-armed insurgents, allying with the weaker against the stronger.

"You can't talk sense to them," Bush said, referring to terrorists. "Nooooo!" the audience roared.

Moore unfurled what is perhaps the central insight of his oeuvre, that Americans are kind of crappy.

"Bush might be unpopular in Italy, the Iraqi war is not popular in Italy, but Italians know damn well that in 1944, they were liberated by America from the Nazis."

Fight the cult of process.

"You can't fight here! This is the war room!"

It is definitely interesting getting shot at for the first time.

"If you go ahead, we will do everything possible to discredit you."

Hey, I'm not a time burglar!

"The less killing we do, the better."

The definition of victory in the war on terrorism is when nothing happens.

"Succeeding in Iraq is like a cattle drive."

I stood, dumb as a cow, and watched two choppers / Collide like fists and spin across the sky.

"The things you see when you don't have a gun"

Debates between the prejudiced and the ill informed.

People used to complain that selling a president was like selling a bar of soap. But when you buy soap, at least you get the soap.

Wal-Mart is the largest private employer in Mexico.

Empathize with your enemy.

Fighting rebels is "like eating soup with a knife."

"The nature of discovery is changing. It has huge ramifications. We can show people things they don't ask for."

We can't learn to see until we realize we are blind.

Belief not tempered by doubt poses a mortal danger. Wisdom is knowing what we don't know.

Galileo was an astrologer. Newton was an alchemist.

In Swaziland, 40 percent of those ages 15-49 are HIV positive.

This war can be lost by the military, but they cannot win it for us.

You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you. -- Trotsky

People say to me, "Whatever it takes." I tell them, It's going to take everything.