What will follow will not be a repeat of any other conflict. It will be of a force and scope and scale that has been beyond what has been seen before.

In the execution of Presidential decisions work to be true to his views, in fact and tone.

America is not what's wrong with the world.

Our task, your task... is to try to connect the dots before something happens. People say, 'Well, where's the smoking gun?' Well, we don't want to see a smoking gun from a weapon of mass destruction.

Plan backwards as well as forward. Set objectives and trace back to see how to achieve them. You may find that no path can get you there. Plan forward to see where your steps will take you, which may not be clear or intuitive.

See that the President, the Cabinet and staff are informed. If cut out of the information flow, their decisions may be poor, not made, or not confidently or persuasively implemented.

Treat each federal dollar as if it was hard earned; it was - by a taxpayer.