The relationship between press and politician - protected by the Constitution and designed to be happily adversarial - becomes sour raw and confrontational.

So on May 1 1987 at Gary's invitation I agreed to see him one last time - to confront him face-to-face about his sincerity and with the intention of ending our brief relationship.

When I was confronted with official tuition the academic thing I could see no relationship whatever between that and the music I'd been writing since I was 11.

As a person who is not confrontational by disposition I tend to see that the quality of being confrontational is a positive attribute.

I was very aware of office politics because I was so baffled by them. So much so goes unsaid. No one says 'you're a cheeky so-and-so ' no one says 'you're so moody ' nobody ever confronts anyone else about anything. But I'm very crass and I'm very confrontational and I have a temper. I had to be hyper-vigilant in every office I worked in.

Telling the truth and confronting the challenge is what politics is about.

Confronted with the choice the American people would choose the policeman's truncheon over the anarchist's bomb.

When I was in the White House I was confronted with the challenge of the Cold War. Both the Soviet Union and I had 30 000 nuclear weapons that could destroy the entire earth and I had to maintain the peace.

You will find peace not by trying to escape your problems but by confronting them courageously. You will find peace not in denial but in victory.

What people adore about superhero movies is the signal quality of the Christopher Nolan films - their complete lack of irony when it comes to the portrayal of heroism and the need for heroes to confront evil.