I can be much more sarcastic and, I think, sometimes withering in my assessments of things than I allow to show in my public life.

FDR, JFK, LBJ [all Democratic presidents ] we have a pretty long list of presidents who maybe were not entirely forthcoming with intelligence information before they went to war, so I'd be cautious against making legal cases against the administration.

I believe in American exceptionalism, just as I suspect that the Brits believe in British exceptionalism and the Greeks believe in Greek exceptionalism.

Lobbyist influence comes from access, not money.

I would love to see an America where race is understood in the same way that the ethnic diversity of the white population is understood.

There are dangers that globalization increases inequality. There are dangers that because capital is mobile and workers are not, if we are not providing them sufficient protection, that they can be left behind in this process. And that's what we have to focus on.

Progressives should recognize common morality with religion.