People didn't have the political guts to stand up against an American war.

I did frequently refer to my war record in World War II, but not in any flamboyant way.

I was the guy who was constantly speaking out against the Vietnam War. I have no regrets about that.

It is not patriotic to commit young Americans to war unless our national security clearly requires it.

I thought the Vietnam war was an utter, unmitigated disaster, so it was very hard for me to say anything good about it.

There is a strong tendency in the United States to rally round the flag and their troops, no matter how mistaken the war.

It's a tough thing, to know what to do about a war that deep in your gut you feel is wrong and yet watch your peers going off to fight in that war.

Peace is not the absence of war, but a virtue based on strength of character.

Part of what I loved - and love - about being around older people is the tangible sense of history they embody. I'm interested in military history, for instance, because both my grandfathers fought in World War II. I'm interested in writing because one of those grandfathers wrote books.

Here is a pretty good rule of thumb for Democratic Presidents: if it didn't work for Franklin D. Roosevelt, who won four terms and a World War, it probably won't work for you either.