Being president is as difficult as writing the perfect poem. And being president is as effortless as writing the perfect poem. Always a Reckoning, my first collection of poetry, was described by Booklist as 'keenly evocative.'

I have a lot of pleasures but I don't feel guilty about them.

I think it was fully justified after 9/11 to initiate a military action against Afghanistan, because we hoped to create a democracy, and have a flourishing economy, and to do away with al-Qaida, and to capture Osama bin Laden.

The best way to enhance freedom in other lands is to demonstrate here that our democratic system is worthy of emulation.

Iran is an island of stability in a turbulent corner of the world

There was never any question about the morality of hunting, but neither was there any acceptance of killing for the sake of a trophy.

I separated from the Southern Baptists when they adopted the discriminatory attitude towards women, because I believe what Paul taught in Galatians that there is no distinction in God's eyes between men and women, slaves and masters, Jews and non-Jews - everybody is created equally in the eyes of God.