Robert Gates: “And sometimes, they send people to spy on us. And they're our close allies.”

Putin feels that he has a destiny to recreate the Russian Empire.

the real problem with United States policy in the Middle East is the lack of a clear strategy.

the only way I could get significant new or additional equipment to commanders in the field in weeks or months--not years--was to take control of the problem myself through special task forces and ad hoc processes.

I think that it's still a problem for the Saudis.