Even Colin Powell who was everywhere before he became secretary of state, just stopped going out. I think part of it was he didn't want to be viewed suspiciously by the other people in the White House who rarely go anywhere.

I never know what I'm going to do for the Post next. Two weeks ago I had a piece on Homeland Security. This is one of my pig ongoing projects. How unprepared we are for a terrorist attack.

Social climbing and power climbing -- the two are often synonymous -- are what make Washington run. ... If there are more than two people together, if there are three, one of them is climbing.

Europe is endearingly old fashioned in its secularism.

The Europeans have fallen away from religion and the church while the rest of the world is seemingly more religious. I don't know how to explain it.

Religion is something that you need to do in silence.

Silence is deeply important in all of our lives.