When John Timoney swooped into the Magic City six years ago, watching him play up to the local media was like seeing Robert Duvall play Lt. Colonel Bill Kilgore in Apocalypse Now.
The sight of Timoney on his police bike taking out demonstrators during the 2003 Free Trade Area of the Americas summit evoked visions of Kilgore catching waves and inhaling the sweet smell of Napalm off the Vietnamese coast.
But Timoney always had the sharper tongue. So Banana Republican is a little sad that his reign as Miami's top cop will soon end. I'm gonna miss his potty mouth.
And as the countdown to Timoney's boot party begins, I've decided to look back at some of the chief's most memorable public comments.
Let's begin with an evening boat ride to Vizcaya park on November 19, 2003, the day before tha main protests against the FTAA. Miami Herald reporter Oscar Corral was with Timoney, jotting down his every word. Timoney said of the protestors:
If they don't do anything by tomorrow night, pardon the expression, but they look like pussies.