But figuring out Saddam Hussein was one our greatest mysteries. He marched to his own drummer and frequently as this unfolded he made decisions which were sometimes inexplicable to us and sometimes didn't look very smart.

I think above all, what we need with Iran is patience.

You know, different people are going to react different ways. And I don't think we should be intolerable because people do things a little differently.

Much of what we know about mathematics and trade comes from the Arabs. Then came stagnation, and now they're the West's whipping boy. This is a problem that cannot be solved overnight, and certainly not militarily.

We believe we are creating the beginning of a new world order coming out of the collapse of the US-Soviet antagonisms.

We have never recognized that Iran lives in a dangerous neighborhood. And it's not surprising that they want some protection. We have not been forthcoming about explaining a security relationship for the region, in which Iran can feel secure and thus maybe willing to do something.

I'm afraid that the United States is more isolated today than at any other time in my memory.