My administration has been calling upon all the leaders in the - in the Middle East to do everything they can to stop the violence, to tell the different parties involved that peace will never happen.

The business pages of American newspapers should not read like a scandal sheet.

I remember, right after Hezbollah launched its rocket attacks on Israel, I said: This is a clarifying moment; this is a chance for the world to see the threats of the 21st century, the challenge we face.

Sometimes armchair quarterbacks are doing it to enhance their own image. I'm just not comfortable with that idea.

Freedom is the direction of history, because freedom is the permanent hope of humanity.

From the beginning, I said that Israel, one, has a right to defend herself, but Israel ought to be cautious about how she defends herself. Israel's a democratically elected government. They make decisions on their own sovereignty. It's their decision-making that is what leads to the tactics they chose.

In the long run, stability cannot be purchased at the expense of liberty.