Years ago I used to think it was possible for a novelist to alter the inner life of the culture. read more

Years ago I used to think it was possible for a novelist to alter the inner life of the culture. Now bomb-makers and gunman have taken that territory. They make raids on human consciousness. What writers used to do before we were all incorporated.

Is it the extremist, or the media, that blow things up

Is it the extremist, or the media, that blow things up

I had to stop driving my car for a while... the tires got dizzy.

I had to stop driving my car for a while... the tires got dizzy.

I can't swim. I can't drive, either. I was going to learn to drive but then I thought, well, what read more

I can't swim. I can't drive, either. I was going to learn to drive but then I thought, well, what if I crash into a lake?

While we must remain determined to defeat terrorism, it isn't only terrorism we are fighting. It's the beliefs that motivate read more

While we must remain determined to defeat terrorism, it isn't only terrorism we are fighting. It's the beliefs that motivate terrorists. A new ideology of hatred and intolerance has arisen to challenge America and liberal democracy

A driver is a king on a vinyl bucket-seat throne, changing direction with the turn of a wheel, changing the read more

A driver is a king on a vinyl bucket-seat throne, changing direction with the turn of a wheel, changing the climate with a flick of the button, changing the music with the switch of a dial.

The world today has a strong democratic core shaped by American ingenuity, sacrifice, and spirit. But on the periphery are read more

The world today has a strong democratic core shaped by American ingenuity, sacrifice, and spirit. But on the periphery are many unstable and dangerous places, where terrorists seek to impose a medieval dark age. As we learned so brutally and so personally, we do face a new threat. But we also face a renewed choice - between isolation in a perilous world, which I believe is impossible in any event, and engagement to shape a safer world which is the urgent imperative of our time.

Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is read more

Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?

The greatest threat to freedom, as well as the most formidable enemy of it, is a supported cause against it.

The greatest threat to freedom, as well as the most formidable enemy of it, is a supported cause against it.