The Iraquis can see it. The Kurds can feel it. The jihadists are counting on it.

Clashes of values and the struggle for primacy constitute a constant in human history that accounts for that other constant - conflict and war.

Preemption is a kind of pre-deterrence that stops the threat at an earlier, safer stage.

I believe in what I believe, and I think after all these years I've heard a lot of arguments, and I'm convinced by the superiority of the arguments that are made on the conservative side. I think that's a better way to run a society.

Doves oppose war on the grounds that the risks exceed the gains. War with Iraq could be very costly, possibly degenerating into urban warfare.

When a party is in opposition, it opposes. That's its job. But when it comes to power, it must govern. Easy rhetoric is over, the press of reality becomes irresistible. By necessity, it adopts some of the policies it had once denounced. And a new national consensus is born.

I'm a former Red Sox fan, now fully rehabilitated.