The debt-ceiling vote isn't about what will be done in the future it is about the integrity of America's commitment to support the bonds we issue. Elected officials have an obligation to maintain that integrity regardless of whether they voted for the programs that required the borrowing in the first place.

Instead of seeing these children for the blessings that they are we are measuring them only by the standard of whether they will be future deficits or assets for our nation's competitive needs.

I think Gingrich has embarrassed the party over time. Whether he'll do it again in the future I don't know. But Gov. Romney never has.

It's a question of whether we're going to go forward into the future or past to the back.

The question of armaments whether on land or sea is the most immediately and intensely practical question connected with the future fortunes of nations and of mankind.

For some reason people find me funny. It's quite hard to define why a thought is funny. It's even harder to define why a person would be funny. It's a word that I can't define at all. But whether I know quite what it is or not I seem to be it.

'Funny People' is my favorite performance of myself to date. Even though it's a comedy and there are serious moments I really felt like Leo felt like a real person. It didn't feel like I was playing myself. Whether it's a comedy or drama I just try to make it as realistic as possible.

So that's why one of my rules of parody writing is that it's gotta be funny regardless of whether you know the source material. It has to work on its own merit.

Who do I like? I am a big fan of French and Saunders - not that that they are particularly stand-up I have to say but I think they have been great for women and they are of themselves just incredibly funny whether they are male or female.

I've got some great guy friends. They can start out as crushes. But when you realize something isn't going to happen you make a choice whether or not the friendship is worth it. And it usually is. Then you can laugh about the fact that you used to have a crush on him or he had one on you.