Many years later, a psychiatrist friend of mine said something to us. He said, "Respect denial." It's a powerful force.

These were lobbyists—many of them compensated quite handsomely not to react as human beings.

For any thinking person, it (perpetual happiness) is untenable. If you're a thinking person, your upbeat sometimes, said sometimes.

There are many instances in which those at the uppermost levels of the White House were feeling the President [Barack Obama] was not fully informed of the flow of events and, in some cases, where policies were going in the White House.

Younger colleagues tended to draw untested self-confidence from their bonuses and prestigious degrees.

[Barack Obama] says at one point, "[Jimmy] Carter, [Bill] Clinton and I suffer from," what he called, "the policy wonk's disease."

Who besides guys like me are part of the reality-based community?