The ugliness can sometimes be super ugly, but also a warning sign of something down below.

Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Marine Le Pen seem to have no respect for the institutions that were created after World War II, and they see a potential alliance of populists around the world who would fight Islam and restore a certain semblance of traditional values.

For the Republican Convention, I think of Trump's speech and sort of the darkness, the fear of crime, the need for a strong arm really, and so that one core theme.

Courage is the most important virtue because it is the hardest.

Jim Stavridis is the former NATO commander who is sometimes on people's lists, also very plausible, self-possessed, someone with sobriety.

It's always dangerous to overinterpret what Donald Trump says at any one moment.

Mitt Romney knows a lot. He's a very professional - a consummate professional.