Action should be founded on contemplation, and those of us who act don't put enough time, don't give enough emphasis, to contemplation.

The 'realist' conception of continuing old-fashioned 'balance of power' politics may have been well founded in the past, but it is inconsistent with our increasing interdependent world. On moral grounds alone there can be no justification for the 20th century level of killing. To settle disputes without violence must become the primary goal of foreign policy for every nation.

The picture of the world's greatest superpower killing or seriously injuring 1,000 noncombatants a week, while trying to pound a tiny backward nation into submission on an issue whose merits are hotly disputed, is not a pretty one.

Poor planning or poor execution of plans is simply to let some force other than reason shape reality.

There is no more important task in a democracy than resolving the differences among people and finding a course of action that will be supported by a sufficient number to permit the nation to achieve a better life for all.

That's one of the major lessons: no president should ever take this nation to war without full public debate in the Congress and/or in the public.

I think the human race needs to think about killing. How much evil must we do to do good?