Michael Ledeen

“You can't have a decent foreign policy without a good domestic policy.”

“It is one of the sad truths of history that tyranny is a hardy plant. It flourishes in many climates.”

“Creative destruction is our middle name, both within our own society and abroad. We tear down the old order every day, from business to science, literature, art, architecture, and cinema to politics and the law.”

“The only way to achieve peace is to vanquish the evil-doers.”

“I think that the most important thing is to be clear about the evil that we are facing. We are facing a truly evil group of people. This is not a political disagreement.”

“Freedom is not a gift from God. It is a gift that we have to win for ourselves, and we have to win it for ourselves every single day.”

“The question isn't whether we're going to be at war. The question is, are we going to win?”

“Stability is an unworthy American mission, and a misleading concept to boot. We do not want stability in Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and even Saudi Arabia; we want things to change.”

“The war against terror is a new kind of war...It is a war that is not going to be won by clever diplomacy.”

“Every ten years or so, the United States needs to pick up some crappy little country and throw it against the wall, just to show the world we mean business.”

“So far as I can see, we've got to be in a state of permanent war. We're going to have to be at war with these people for a very long time.”

“The purpose of total war is to permanently force your will onto another people.”

“They must be made to feel a deep sense of dread. We need to get into their heads and make them believe that we are capable of anything.”

“Iran is the mother of modern terrorism. To deal with the terrorists, you have to deal with the mother.”