One of the things that bothers me most is the growing belief in the country that security is more important than freedom. It ain't.

The best thing going for us is Al Gore. I cannot conceive how the American people could elect him. On the other hand, I couldn't conceive how they could elect a Jimmy Carter or Bill Clinton - especially Clinton in '96.

That government is not a necessary good but an unavoidable evil.

One other thing I think a conservative believes is that the parents, not government, are and should be responsible for the upbringing and behavior of their children.

I'm not a social friend of the Reagans. That's by their choice and by mine. They don't drink enough.

...guns do more than protect us from criminals; more importantly, they protect us from the ongoing threat of government.

There are many things in America worth conserving. But I am one of those conservatives who believes the most important of those things is liberty. Without liberty, without individual freedom, what is left to conserve isn't worth all that much.