David Talbot: The Rise of America's Secret Government and the Deep State

“Our country’s cheerleaders are wedded to the notion of American exceptionalism.  But when it comes to the machinations of power, we are all too similar to other societies and ones that have come before us.  There is an implacable brutality to power that is familiar throughout the world and throughout history.”

David Talbot, The Devil's Chessboard


"The argument that the two parties should represent opposed ideals and policies, one, perhaps, of the Right and the other of the Left, is a foolish idea, acceptable only to doctrinaire and academic thinkers.  Instead, the two parties should be almost identical, so that the American people can 'throw the rascals out' at any election, without leading to any profound or extensive shifts in policy."

Carroll Quigley, Tragedy and Hope