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"U.S. administrations tend to demonize the nation's adversaries and imbue them with theologically apocalypic characteristics. They become "isms"--communism, socialism, terrorism--whose individual parts become as indistinguishable as the ingredients of cake batter. Lumping diverse threats together, the United States magnifies the overall hazard to its interests. In reality, not all threats are created equal, and the whole is usually less than the sum of its parts."

--Robert Landauer, syndicated columnist for "The Oregonian"