Cluster bombs are perhaps not good in themselves, but when they are dropped on identifiable concentrations of Taliban troops, they do have a heartening effect.

"Objective" means that, in a confrontation with the evidence, you would be willing to change your own mind.

I don't think the war in Afghanistan was ruthlessly enough waged.

I'm terrified of losing my voice.

The struggle for a free intelligence has always been a struggle between the ironic and the literal mind.

The suicide-bombing community is not absolutely 100 percent religious, but it is pretty nearly 100 percent religious.

What if I pulled through and the pious faction contentedly claimed that their prayers had been answered? That would somehow be irritating.