Usually when reporting on powerful public figures, the press advisor and I would have had a conversation that established what journalists call 'ground rules,' placing restrictions on what can and cannot be reported. — Michael Hastings Copy Share Image
For me, when I go in to write a profile, and no ground rules are laid down, and I'm there to write an on-the-record profile and cover readings while in the room, then that means it's on the record. — Michael Hastings Copy Share Image
I have a deep-seated skepticism about the morality of violence. Violence is almost always morally corrosive. — Michael Hastings Copy Share Image
The humanitarian argument is so selective I find it difficult to swallow. It's not even so much about the choice as to where we… — Michael Hastings Copy Share Image
If Bill O'Reilly is calling you a far-left critic, in my book, no matter what your political persuasion is, that's probably - that probably… — Michael Hastings Copy Share Image
I'm post-cynical on this stuff. I look at the El Salvador model as the glory days: Why don't we just fund the death squads… — Michael Hastings Copy Share Image
Whether or not Afghanistan would be a peaceful nation-state had we not gone into Iraq I doubt. Afghanistan is going to be Afghanistan, no… — Michael Hastings Copy Share Image
One of their major initiatives was getting all officers on Facebook. So the question is, why are these people who are there to train… — Michael Hastings Copy Share Image
It was interesting watching the Afghanistan war review deliberations, this three-month process where Barack Obama did the most thorough foreign policy review ever by… — Michael Hastings Copy Share Image
Inside the White House there were always extreme amounts of doubt about whether they should be escalating in Afghanistan. In fact, most of the… — Michael Hastings Copy Share Image
The State Department is essentially... I was going to use the word useless. But I don't know if that's correct. — Michael Hastings Copy Share Image
If someone tells you something is off the record, I don't print it. If they don't tell me something is off the record, then… — Michael Hastings Copy Share Image
If you polled the military in Afghanistan as to how many think we should be there or not, the numbers would probably be similar… — Michael Hastings Copy Share Image
Afghanistan would have been difficult enough without Iraq. Iraq made it impossible. The argument that had we just focused on Afghanistan we'd now be… — Michael Hastings Copy Share Image
