From kindergarten to graduation, I went to public schools, and I know that they are a key to being sure that every child has a chance to succeed and to rise in the world.

There's overwhelming evidence that there was a connection between Al Qaeda and the Iraqi government.

I have not suggested there's a connection between Iraq and 9/11, but there's clearly an established Iraqi track record with terror.

Except for the occasional heart attack, I never felt better.

...And while everybody was tremendously impressed with the low cost of the conflict, for the 146 Americans who were killed in action and for their families, it wasn't a cheap war. And the question in my mind is how many additional American casualties is Saddam worth? And the answer is not very damned many.

In our own country, we take democratic values seriously - and so we always have a vigorous debate on the issues. That's part of the greatness of America, and we wouldn't have it any other way.

We have no intention of ignoring or appeasing history's latest gang of fanatics trying to murder their way to power.