Quotes from Pete Hoekstra

Western Europe has been redefining the nation state since 1945 when it formed the European Union following World War II.

The Kurds in Iraq just don't have enough military equipment - they also need humanitarian relief.

The need to remove Col. Qaddafi should be self-evident.

Ensuring that the intelligence community adheres to its responsibilities to report on its activities to Congress is absolutely essential.

Belonging to the Gang of Eight carries massive responsibility in representing all 435 members of the legislature in very sensitive national security exercises.

Choices abound in the free market. Choice creates real and immediate accountability.

A wounded Qaddafi still in power would be an ongoing threat and menace to the rest of the world.

Briefly after the 9/11 attacks, Republicans and Democrats were united in identifying the evil of the radical jihadists and fighting it.

Complying with requests from Congress is not optional. It is mandatory.

Former Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi and the radical Islamist mullahs ruling Iran share many similarities, but honesty and negotiating in good faith are not among them.

As a member and chairman of the House Intelligence Committee during the 2000s, I met with civilian and military officials in Kurdistan, Libya, Jordan, Israel, Egypt, and Yemen. They shared many of the same international defense priorities as the United States. We acknowledged our differences, but we worked from where we found common ground.

Yes, Gaddafi was a ruthless dictator and supporter of terrorism during his 40-year reign in Libya, but he had become an ally of the United States in the fight against radical jihadism after 9/11.

There are no consequences for Snowden breaking the law in Snowden's World. It's where his massively inflated ego dictates the rules and determines which he will follow.

America is the freest country on the planet, but for Snowden, this isn't enough. He is a state diplomat in Snowden land.

Islamic fundamentalists in dark areas of Libya rifled through leftover stockpiles of conventional, chemical, and biological munitions from Muammar Gaddafi's rule. Who knows where they are now?

Sports are trivial compared to matters of war and peace, but some parallels apply.

Should President Clinton have killed Osama bin Laden when he had the opportunity in 1990s? Should President Bush have sent the U.S. military into Iraq to depose Saddam Hussein in 2003? Should President Obama have withdrawn all troops from Iraq in 2011? Such questions provide no real insight into future considerations.

Clinton appears to be the sole holdout in the Obama administration in understanding the catastrophe caused by its foreign policy in Libya.

Islamists and their sympathizers hate us, and they will not stop hating us until we convert to ancient Islam. There is no middle ground or accommodation.

I've got a lot of respect for Mike Hayden.

The U.S. must remember - as the Gadhafi loyalists have and Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh are now realizing - that it cannot get into bed with groups affiliated with the jihadist movement.

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan harbor incredible promise for America once they forge an effective partnership.

House Speaker John Boehner and presumed Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell understand the art of politics.

The silence caused by politicizing speech is deafening.