It's very hard to stand up to the government which is saying that publication will threaten national security. People don't seem to realize that reporters and editors know something about national security and care deeply about it.

Those [Watergate] tapes are going to take me to my grave with a huge smile on my face.

Generals who can write always make me nervous.

The Nixon administration really put a lot of pressure on CBS not to run the second broadcast.

The first rough draft of history.

Sometimes I am convinced there is nothing wrong with this country that couldn't be cured by the magical implantation of ethical standards on us all - leaders and followers. Until that becomes doable, the Center for Public Integrity is just about the best thing we have going for us.

In the perfect world every source could be identified, but like the man said, "It's not a perfect world."