He [Barack Obama] might have a pen, and he might have a phone, but what he does not have is the constitutional power to run this country like a dictator.

I think that most Americans don't resent people for getting rich. They want to get rich themselves.

I know that the politics around trade can be very difficult - especially in an election year.

I think we've done a pretty good job staying in touch with the American people. But at a certain point you can't help but lose some feel for what's on the ground because you're not on the ground.

Iraq will require US occupation of undetermined length.

What I've said to [my team] is, "Look, we ran our leg of the race and we did a darn good job."

There's no doubt that I'm a better president now than when I first took office. This is not a job where there's a manual, and over time you get a better sense of what's important, what's not, how to see around corners and anticipate problems, as opposed to just managing problems once they've arrived.