I noticed at once that Depp had a dangerously energized intelligence . . . He was a suave little brute, but he had a wicked sense of humor and a rare instinct for escalation.

Not everybody is comfortable with the idea that politics is a guilty addiction. But it is.

Publishers are notoriously slothful about numbers, unless they're attached to dollar signs - unlike journalists, quarterbacks, and felony criminal defendants who tend to be keenly aware of numbers at all times.

A sense of humor is the main measure of sanity.

You almost have to be a rock star to generate the kind of fever you need to survive in American politics.

I knew a Buddhist once, and I've hated myself ever since.

I guess I'm just courtly until people get in my way. You'll find most Southerners are like that.