Enjoy your time in public service. It may well be one of the most interesting and challenging times of your life.

I don't do quagmires.

The way to do well is to do well.

Presidential leadership needn't always cost money. Look for low- and no-cost options. They can be surprisingly effective.

Look for what's missing. Many advisors can tell a President how to improve what's proposed or what's gone amiss. Few are able to see what isn't there.

The Secretary of Defense is not a super General or Admiral. His task is to exercise civilian control over the Department for the Commander-in-Chief and the country.

The coalition did not act in Iraq because we had discovered dramatic new evidence of Iraq's pursuit. We acted because we saw the evidence in a dramatic new light - through the prism of our experience on 9/11.