[Sheehan] deserves some consideration, and I think that should have been done right from the beginning.

(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.

There are always consequences to actions that you take. There are consequences to inaction. And thinking through, asking the questions, "Well, then what happens? What comes next?" is critically important.

I don't get into the book-telling business of conversations I have with the president. That's not my style, and I don't think that's a responsible thing to do.

This is a complicated time to govern in the world today because of so much going on and it's coming at us at such an unprecedented rate.

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