There may be wonder in money, but, dear God, there is money in wonder.
One of the Baathists once told me, "If you're not careful, I'll have you put away," and those words meant death.
There's no violence worse than the violence of Iraq. For the last fifty years Iraq has been living a nightmare of violence and terror. It's been a horrible experience and people in Iraq will need a lot of time and work to get over the disastrous effects. But first we have to think about how to stop the violence, so that the bloodshed stops. In spite of everything, on the personal level I don't easily lose hope.
It's ridiculous and painful to use the Arabic of an Iraqi poet who lived centuries ago to describe what we in Iraq are suffering today.
I'm talking about the essence of humanity. Hope is mixed into the blood of every human being, everywhere and in every time.
While I was studying film at the Academy, the problems started. I wasn't a political activist directly in the time of Saddam [Hussein], because the dictator was so cruel and brutal that no one could criticize or complain. I felt futile and empty. The only solution in Iraq was to run away.
How can one talk in a classical language about a child who's torn apart in an explosion in the market near his school? People in Iraq don't talk about their joys, their problems, and the destruction of the country in literary diction.
At times truth may not seem probable. [Fr. , Le vrai peut quelquefois n'etre pas vraisemblable. ]
The decision he made with Usama bin Laden was a tactical decision. It wasn't a strategic decision. The strategic decision was made by President Bush to go after him. What President Obama has done on his watch, the issues that have come up while he's been president, he's gotten it wrong strategically every single time.
We keep a special place in our hearts for people who refuse to be impressed by us.
I would love to do something like Austin Powers to show off my comic timing.