There's been a slow death in a way. On the positive side there are films getting into the Academy Awards that wouldn't have but on the negative side financiers are now dominant and making all the decisions. I can't count the ways a director's vision is compromised.

I was really fascinated by politics. It always has been part of my view that politics really is a calling or you wouldn't go into it because it's demanding and potentially has a toll on you and your family.

I first came to think about media and politics in the late 1960s having observed some distortions up close but since then I wouldn't say that my personal experience has remained an important motive for my writing about media.

People not just reporters are more interested in politics than in government so the actual issues wouldn't be something that interested them.

If I weren't doing the politics I wouldn't be doing my job.

First of all I think it's odd that people who cover politics wouldn't have any political views.

The advantage of the internet is that it has taken away the charade of politics. China has heard of democracy and people know about certain concepts they wouldn't have previously.

I think we will always have the impulse towards visual poetry with us and I wouldn't agree with Bly that it's a bad thing. It depends on the ability of the individual poet to do it well and to make a shape which is interesting enough to hold your attention.

Well I still write poetry but I wouldn't call myself a poet.

I challenge anybody to say that I wouldn't know how to approach foreign policy because unlike some of the other people I at least have a foreign policy philosophy which is an extension of the Reagan philosophy. Peace through strength and my philosophy is peace through strength and clarity.