We are in the process of trying to liberate that country. And at the moment where the war ends and the coalition forces occupy the areas where those capabilities - chemical and biological weapons - are likely to be, to the extent they haven't been moved out of the country, it obviously is important to find them.

Well, so be it. Nothing's perfect in life, so you have an election that's not quite perfect. Is it better than not having an election? You bet.

Listening to both sides does not necessarily bring about a correct judgment.

Secretary Powell and I agree on every single issue that has ever been before this administration except for those instances where Colin's still learning.

It isn't making mistakes that's critical; it's correcting them and getting on with the principal task.

In 2003, at the time I made my "Old Europe" comment, the center of gravity in NATO and Europe had long since shifted to the East. With the former Warsaw Pact countries joining NATO, the alliance has a different mix today. Some people were sensitive about my comment because they thought it was a pejorative way of highlighting demographic realities. Apparently they felt it pointed a white light at a weakness in Europe - an aging population. Europe has come some distance since World War II in becoming Europe.

Any country on the face of the Earth with an active intelligence program knows that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction.