Before the Iraq war I was quite disturbed by some of the neoconservatives, who were saying things like, 'What is the point of being a superpower if you can't do such-and-such, take on these responsibilities?' The point of being a superpower is that people will leave you alone.

It may be expecting too much to expect most intellectuals to have common sense, when their whole life is based on their being uncommon -- that is, saying thing…

If the battle for civilization comes down to the wimps versus the barbarians, the barbarians are going to win.

I'm always embarrassed when people say that I'm courageous. Soldiers are courageous. Policemen are courageous. Firemen are courageous. I just have a thick hide…