It鈥檚 been another tumultuous start to the week for embattled Toronto Mayor Rob Ford. Between a city council vote that stripped Ford of even more mayoral powers and a series of interviews with various media outlets, the Ford saga continues to gain international attention.
Here are some of the most remarkable quotes from Rob Ford this week:
Admitting to CNN that he has made mistakes in the past:
鈥淚 made mistakes, I drank too much, I smoked some crack some time. What can I say? I made a mistake, I鈥檓 human.鈥�
Defending himself in an interview with CNN鈥檚 Bill Weir:
鈥淚鈥檓 not an addict! Why would I go and say I鈥檓 an addict when I鈥檓 not an addict. I鈥檓 not an alcoholic, I鈥檓 not a drug addict.鈥�
Answering questions about his denials when first confronted with accusations of crack use earlier this year:
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 lie. I don鈥檛 smoke crack, I haven鈥檛 smoked crack in over a year.鈥�
Answering Today鈥檚 Matt Lauer about whether the 鈥榙runken stupor鈥� excuse should make people feel better about the crack cocaine admission:
鈥淣o, not at all. But show me the video 鈥︹��
Matt Lauer, interrupting: 鈥淲hy does the video matter?鈥�
鈥淏ecause I want to see it. I can鈥檛 even barely remember it. I was very, very inebriated.鈥�
Comparing city council vote that stripped him of more powers to Saddam Hussein attacking Kuwait:
鈥淭his folks, reminds me of when Saddam attacked Kuwait and President Bush said 鈥業 warn you, I warn you, I warn you, do not.鈥� Well folks, if you think American-style politics is nasty, you guys have just attacked Kuwait.鈥�
Promising a tough election battle next year:
鈥淢ark my words my friends, this is going to be outright war in the next election and I鈥檓 going to do everything in my power, everything in my power to beat you guys.鈥�
Telling AM640 why he thinks city councillors are determined to kick him out of office:
鈥淭hey don鈥檛 like me saving money, that鈥檚 the bottom line.鈥�
Speaking to ABC's Linsey Davis after Monday's contentious vote:
鈥淎ll they did was stab me in the back over issues ... (the) same issues that I鈥檝e admitted to, that they do, but nobody knows about it.鈥�
Calling for a snap election, confident that he would win if the decision was put to the people of Toronto:
鈥淟et鈥檚 have an election right now. If they want me out, let鈥檚 call a snap election.鈥�
Telling AM640 he's considering legal action against city councillors who voted to strip him of his mayoral powers:
"I'm going to have to take these guys to court. What am I supposed to do, sit here and let these guys pound me for saving money and try to embarrass me? That's all it comes down to."
Responding to Today's Matt Lauer of if he鈥檇 be capable of handling a crisis situation in Toronto if it occurred when he was on a drinking binge:
鈥淚鈥檓 very fortunate that that hasn鈥檛 happened. It鈥檚 very few isolated incidents that it鈥檚 happened. 鈥� But that could happen with anybody at any time. Say you鈥檝e gone out drinking, or you鈥檙e ever drunk, and say something happened to your family鈥�"
Matt Lauer, interrupting: "The lives of a million people aren鈥檛 relying on my decisions."
鈥淗old on 鈥� Say your son or daughter has just gotten killed in a car accident and you鈥檙e plastered out of your mind at 3 a.m. Are you going to be able to handle that?
Lauer: "I take personal responsibility for my family. You鈥檝e got taxpayers and residents of this city depending on you."
"And I take personal responsibility for them, too."
Telling CNN鈥檚 Bill Weir why he decided to come clean about his past crack use:
鈥淚鈥檓 not going to run around and be phony and lie, and I鈥檓 not going to have someone try to blackmail me and say they have a video of this over my head.鈥�
Answering CNN鈥檚 Bill Weir when asked if it is appropriate for a mayor of a city to be smoking crack:
鈥淚 don鈥檛 look at myself as the mayor, I look at myself as just a normal, regular person.鈥�
Telling Today's Matt Lauer about what specific treatment he鈥檚 receiving:
鈥淣o, I鈥檓 not in any alcohol treatment program, I鈥檓 not in any drug treatment program. I have a weight issues. I鈥檝e been training every day.鈥�
Answering ABC鈥檚 Linsey Davis about running again for office, and possibly even for Prime Minister:
鈥淚鈥檓 dealing with healthcare professionals on a number of issues. Just leave it at that. Talk is cheap. Come back in five months and if you don鈥檛 see a difference 鈥� You can say, 鈥楻ob, I don鈥檛 believe you. Go take a drug test or a urine test or an alcohol test.鈥� No problem.鈥�
Telling councillors that their motion to limit his powers as mayor is undemocratic:
鈥淭his is nothing more than a coup d鈥�état. And if you don鈥檛 know what a coup d鈥�état means, it means that you鈥檙e overruling the government.鈥�
Accusing CNN and other media outlets of dishonesty and spinning the truth:
鈥淚t鈥檚 typical media: you guys are the same, you鈥檙e all cut from the same cloth, you guys can spin it any way you want.鈥�
