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

When asked for your views, by the press or others, remember that what they really want to know is the President's views.

The reality is that [Barack] Obama has some 15 countries in the current Libya coalition. President Bush put together close to 50 countries for the Afghan coalition, some 40 countries for the Iraqi coalition, more than 90 countries for the Proliferation Security Initiative and over 90 countries in the Global War on Terror.

Success tends to go not to the person who is error-free, because he also tends to be risk-averse. Rather it goes to the person who recognizes that life is pretty much a percentage business. It isn't making mistakes that's critical; it's correcting them and getting on with the principal task.

Don't necessarily avoid sharp edges. Occasionally they are necessary to leadership.

I can't tell you if the use of force in Iraq today will last five days, five weeks or five months, but it won't last any longer than that.

Know that the immediate staff and others in the Administration will assume that your manner, tone and tempo reflect the President's.