I have somehow, continued to miss Oktoberfest so that's probably something that is better for me to do as a former president rather than as president, I'll have more fun.

I've never said that troops should be withdrawn. What I've said is, is that we've got to make sure that we secure and execute the rebuilding and reconstruction process effectively and properly, and I don't think we should have an artificial deadline when to do that.

What I value most about Pastor Wright is not his day-to-day political advice. He's much more of a sounding board for me to make sure that I am speaking as truthfully about what I believe as possible and that I'm not losing myself in some of the hype and hoopla and stress that's involved in national politics.

Democracy is hard work.

We need to internalize this idea of excellence. Not many folks spend a lot of time trying to be excellent.

I don't think [pot] is more dangerous than alcohol.

This doesn't mean abandoning our values and ideals; wherever we can, it's in our interest to help foster democracy through the diplomatic and economic resources at our disposal.