The great contest for the presidency is about the future, who can lead, who can get things done.

The thing that's important for me is to remember what's the most important thing.

You know, obviously I wish the violence would go down, but not as much as the Iraqi citizens would wish the violence would go down. But, incredibly enough, they showed great courage, and they want our help.

I think that the vice president is a person reflecting a half-glass-full mentality.

If I'm the president, we're going to have emergency-room care, we're going to have gag orders.

We have a duty to our country to participate in the political process. See, if you believe in freedom, you have a duty to exercise your right to vote to begin with. I'm [here] to encourage people to do their duty, to go to the polls. I want all people, no matter what their political party is or whether they even like a political party, to exercise their obligation to vote.

One of the things I learned as president is that your life is just not going to unfold the way you want it to. There will be surprises, challenges, and therefore the question is how you deal with the unexpected.