And we remember the end of our combat mission and the emergence of a new dawn - the precision of our efforts against al Qaeda in Iraq, the professionalism of the training of Iraqi security forces, and the steady drawdown of our forces. In handing over responsibility to the Iraqis, you preserved the gains of the last four years and made this day possible.

If you give up on the idea that your voice can make a difference, then other voices will fill the void

I then spoke to chancellor (Angela) Merkel of Germany and we agreed that the United States and our European allies will work closely together in the weeks and months ahead.

There are enormous resources in Greece.

Going through the legislative process is always better, in part because it's harder to undo.

You're the reason why selfless soldiers won't be kicked out of the military because of who they are or who they love.

It is possible for leaders or regimes to be cruel, bigoted, twisted in their world views and still make rational calculations with respect to their limits and their self-preservation.