The attacks of September 11, 2001, were spectacular, riveting, grim, costly and searing. The shock that they caused reverberated throughout the world. What happened in New York and Washington and Pennsylvania ended the lives of thousands of people and changed the lives of many more. But they did not change the world.

The American empire will not disappear... because America does not have an empire.

The American political system is so porous, it's so open, it's so frustrating for those who are trying to make policy.

American influence in the world is certainly considerable, but the United States does not control, directly or indirectly, the politics and economics of other societies, as empires have always done, save for a few special cases that turn out to be the exceptions that prove the rule.

The war on terror, I believe, will be waged by effective intelligence and police work and cruise missiles.

The windfall of great riches can, if mismanaged, make things worse, not better, for the recipients.

The government can give citizens opportunity and it's their responsibility to take advantage of it.