Foreign policy is all about a universe of bad decisions, imperfect decisions; every situation is different. The dynamics, the atmospherics, the people, the pressures, the geopolitical realities shift.

Alliances and international organizations should be understood as opportunities for leadership and a means to expand our influence, not as constraints on our power.

(The) chain of command has failed over the years, obviously, for a lot of reasons.

Desperate men do desperate things when you take hope away. And that's where the Palestinians are today.

Bogging down large armies in historically complex, dangerous areas ends in disaster.

The president of the United States is the commander in chief, and the people who work with him at the National Security Council are his arm in working with the Defense Department. And, quite frankly, they have responsibility for all of the government. We are one component of the government.

Foreign policy is all about a universe of bad decisions, imperfect decisions; every situation is different. The dynamics, the atmospherics, the people, the pressures, the geopolitical realities shift.