Somehow liberals have been unable to acquire from life what conservatives seem to be endowed with at birth: namely, a healthy skepticism of the powers of government agencies to do good.

The world's largest debtor is a distinction of sorts, but not the one we like having.

Secrecy is for losers. . . . It is time to dismantle government secrecy, this most persuasive of Cold War-era regulations. It is time to begin building the supports for the era of openness that is already upon us.

To strip our past of glory is no great loss, but to deny it honor is devastating.

Government cannot provide values to persons who have none, or who have lost those they had. It cannot provide inner peace. It can provide outlets for moral energies, but it cannot create those energies.

You are entitled to your opinion. But you are not entitled to your own facts.

A responsible government does not triple the national debt in eight years.