The New York Times: on Foreign Policy

James Mattis: Supports NATO alliance principle of collective defense

Mattis also put daylight between himself and Trump on NATO and indicated strong support for the alliance's principle of collective defense. "My view is that nations with allies thrive, and nations without allies don't," Mattis said.

Mike Pompeo: Investigate Russian interference with U.S. election

Pompeo signaled that he agreed with the assessment of United States intelligence agencies that Russian President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia tried to promote Trump's candidacy and to undermine the presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton, describing the report that was delivered last week to Trump and President Obama as "sound."

Bill Weld: Priority is not "no fly zone" but to stop killing in Aleppo

Bill Weld: Clinton's "no fly zone" for Syria risks war. Our policy would have been more restrained than hers. Half of the population of rebel-held Aleppo have said they will leave if there is a path. I am afraid that Assad is going to take the territory. My priority now would be to prevent further slaughter of innocents in Aleppo.

Rick Perry: Cancel any nuclear deal Obama makes with Iran

Jeb Bush: Pressured father's V.P. staff to help Cuban prisoners

Jeb Bush sought to arrange a meeting between his father and exile leaders. He called for economic sanctions that would "tighten the noose on Castro." And he questioned the Justice Department's prosecution of a Cuban militant who had already been incarcerated in "Castro's jail for 23 years."

Jeb Bush also sought a promotion for an Army colonel who he noted could become the first United States general of Cuban origin. The president's staff thought better of acting on that request. "Armed Services promotion board reacts very negatively to any sort of political pressure, perceived or otherwise," wrote one of his father's top aides.

Chris Christie: Given who I am, Putin would not have invaded Crimea

According to an audio recording of the event, he said Putin had taken the measure of Obama. "I don't believe, given who I am, that he would make the same judgment," Christie said. "Let's leave it at that." One attendee described Christie's answer as disturbingly heavy on swagger and light on substance.

Christie places tremendous value on the personal projection of authority, as evidenced by his suggestion that Putin would think twice about challenging him. "Foreign policy, in my view, is about human relationships," Christie said at an American Enterprise Institute conference. "Men and women across the world judge each other," Christie said, "and they take a measure of the person based on your actions and your words." With Obama, he said mockingly, "words matter more to him than actions."

Jason Carter: Declares his powerful connection to Israel

The former president's views on Israel are not the only ones to make his grandson squirm. Of the elder Carter's call to ban the death penalty, his grandson said, "I love my grandfather, but we disagree."

The elder Mr. Carter has plunged into his grandson's campaign. "He got elected governor of Georgia by shaking 600,000 hands," the younger Mr. Carter said. "That's what he would tell you: 'You've got to go to the grocery store and shake everybody's hand.' "

Jeb Bush: Leading from behind is so odd to me

Even as he sharply criticized President Obama for his handling of foreign affairs and health care, Bush made clear that he would run against the style of politics that has characterized recent Republican nominating contests.

He was more willing to criticize Obama, naturally. "Leading from behind is so odd to me," he said of the president's foreign policy. And he said it was absurd for Obama to be "doing a victory dance" over the enrollment of seven million people in his new health care program given what Bush considers its deep structural flaws.

Marco Rubio: Only America can stand up to world totalitarianism

Rubio sought to link the right's resolute belief in American exceptionalism with a call for the US to play a more robust role in confronting bad actors on the world stage: "There is only one nation on earth capable of rallying and bringing together the free people on this planet to stand up to the spread of totalitarianism," Rubio told CPAC attendees, offering a tour d'horizon of affairs in China, North Korea, Iran, Venezuela and Russia.

That posture stands in contrast with Sen. Rand Paul, who argues that the US should be wary of foreign intervention.

Pat Roberts: Opposed UN ban on discrimination against disabilities

Roberts opposed a United Nations treaty banning discrimination against people with disabilities after being personally lobbied to support it by his predecessor, former Senator Kassebaum, and by former Senator Dole, who uses a wheelchair. Roberts said he did not trust the UN.

"I'm disappointed in Pat," said Kassebaum, referring to both the treaty vote and his larger reluctance to stand up to his party's right wing. "You're not sent there just to go whichever way the polls tell us."

Dole, who supports Roberts, acknowledged that his old friend's vote had irritated him "a little bit." "My view is we need to be a party of inclusion, and that includes moderates as well as conservatives," Dole said.

Roberts's aides candidly acknowledge that the moves [ensure against losing in a Tea Party primary].