I have little doubt that while Iran might produce nuclear power for peaceful purposes that it is also seeking a nuclear weapon. A deal with Russia could delay weapons development, but it would have to be closely monitored.

Within a decade, Taiwan would be incapable of mounting any kind of credible defense, and the island would become nothing more than a security protectorate of the United States.

It still does not fundamentally alter the deteriorating security situation in the country, given the rise in sectarian violence.

If full-scale civil war erupts -- and Iraq appears to be awfully close to that at this point -- even 134,000 troops could be in a highly vulnerable position, especially when you consider how many true combat troops we have there.

We've seen these cycles of ebb and flow half a dozen times or more since the war began. One can hope that this is a permanent decline, but it's still much too early to reach that conclusion.

It's to humanize the image a bit. To show that there is a friendly, human quality to this political leader. He's not just a stern political figure.

In some ways, the symbolism of this referendum may be more important to this administration than the actual substance because the referendum is not likely to alter the underlying security environment. And, in fact, there is some chance that it may make matters even worse.

What we're seeing is the reflection of two developments -- first of all, the U.S. military being more and more into a force-protection mode, keeping its military personnel as unexposed as possible to fighting.

It's hard to really praise the safety with what happened over the weekend, but from the other side of the coin, I just have a little cut, didn't have a concussion, and I have some bruises on my lungs. You can make an argument both ways.

They've got a tough road ahead to dealing with everything.

I was fortunate to be able to speak with Paul's brother during my stay at the hospital and I was glad for that. I wish I could have spoken with his wife as well, but I want her to know that my sincerest sympathies and prayers are with her, their family and the entire Rahal Letterman Racing team.

One of the things the IRL was created for was to give American open-wheel USAC drivers a chance.

The only thing they didn't check was my underwear.

The 500 makes veterans nervous. It's a matter of bottling up those nerves and using it for you, not against you. It's a long month. You have to settle on a good pace and not come on too strong, early in the month.

I'm always going to have critics. There's always going to be people saying I'm where I'm at because of my family. It's something I've dealt with my whole career. It doesn't bother me.

I don't think there are a whole lot of people in the business who don't know who I am. I don't think it helps or hinders. I'm just a race car driver who happens to be related to a great racing family.

It's always good to come test at the Speedway, first time of the year it's always exciting for everybody. But for me I'm really excited just to be back in the car and get back to work.