The problem is that the things demanded by an empire, which is staying power, ruthlessness, the ability and the willingness to use its power around the world, it's something that democracies tend to be quite skeptical about.

I think that the first point to be made is there is no solution in Afghanistan. Solution I put in quotes. We live in an op-ed culture, which is to say, you always need to have a solution. The last third of that op-ed piece needs to say, Do this, this, this and this. There is no this, this, this, and this, that will make Afghanistan right.

I think if you're looking for a pure expression of evil, torture is pretty - is a pretty good candidate.

How do you have a democratic empire, how do you have an imperial foreign policy built on a democracy polity. It's like some sort of strange mythical beast that's part lion, part dragon. You know at the bottom is a democracy, and then it's an imperial power around the world.

I would not like to be in President Obama's position in making choices on Afghanistan.