Rohrabacher is a Republican serving his 12th term in Congress representing California's 46th District, stretching along the Pacific coastline of Los Angeles and Orange counties. He's also chairman of the Oversight and Investigation Subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. What concerns do you have regarding aid to Pakistan and our bilateral relationship with them?

The Pakistanis have been playing us for suckers for years. ... As far back as the Reagan administration, we were misled to believe that the Pakistani military and political establishment was not anywhere near as radical as they actually are. ... I have no faith that the Pakistani government is going to keep their word to us or is not acting in a totally deceptive way when they make deals with the U.S.

What should we be doing in Afghanistan to mitigate the resurgence of Taliban?

The most important thing we can do to prevent the further growth of support for the Taliban is to get our troops out of direct conflict with the Afghan people as soon as possible.

You have spent a great deal of time in Afghanistan. What do you believe we can learn from your experience with the Afghan people?

I met with a group of several hundred tribal and local leaders in Northern Afghanistan, shortly after the liberation from the Taliban. We came to an understanding that decentralization and what our country called "states' rights" and limited government was something they wanted. ... These tribal leaders seemed to have the same inclinations as those who fought for freedom in the U.S. 200 years ago.

You worked for Ronald Reagan for 7 1/2 years. What was the greatest foreign policy lesson you learned from him?

He believed in being very tough when it came to policy and principle, but very kind when it came to people. ... However the number one lesson I learned from Reagan was to let the enemies of your enemies do the fighting!

Sara Carter