"As we enter the Sunni Triangle, we pass several U.S. military convoys traveling the seemingly endless road leading to Ramadi. Although sticking close to a convoy near Ramadi may inhibit the Ali Babas, it also attaches you to the U.S. military, the primary target for IEDs (improvised explosive devices). These roadside bombs are often triggered by cellular phone, enabling specific targeting. So we take our chances alone, rocketing through Ramadi and Fallujah at 120 mph. As we race through Fallujah, I take selfish comfort in the sight of black smoke billowing in the aftermath of the recent shelling of a one-story building several hundred yards off the highway, figuring that the closest guerrilla fighters might currently be occupied or on the run from U.S. soldiers."

"Yes, well, what Iran is looking for here is confrontation. The Iranian regime thrives on it. They want to stand up to the West. They want it -- they're inviting confrontation. They're holding innocent hostages. The only thing the West can do is to exercise patience, diplomacy, a diplomatic process. It could take longer than we think. But that's what worked in the Iranian hostage crisis back in 1979 and 1980 and it's likely to work again."