I recognize the need to provide the press - and, through you, the American people - with information to the fullest extent possible. In our democracy, the work of the Pentagon press corps is important, defending our freedom and way of life is what this conflict is about, and that certainly includes freedom of the press.

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.

Napoleon was asked, "Who do you consider to be the greatest generals?" He responded saying, "The victors.

There's another way to phrase that and that is that the absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence. It is basically saying the same thing in a different way. Simply because you do not have evidence that something does exist does not mean that you have evidence that it doesn't exist.

The Cold War was a war, and we won it.

I believe what I said yesterday. I don't know what I said, but I know what I think and I assume it's what I said.

If you develop rules, never have more than ten.