I want the Iraqis to understand that we are with them and that they have to make tough decisions, and we'll help them make those tough decisions for this country, for this democracy to survive. And they've made some tough decisions.

I feel a special kinship with our military personnel, veterans, and their families. After all, two of my decisions sent them into harm's way.

These demands are not open to negotiation or discussion.

The press in America has never been stronger and never been freer and never been more vibrant, sometimes to my chagrin, and a lot of times to my delight.

We know that dictators are quick to choose aggression, while free nations strive to resolve differences in peace. We know that oppressive governments support terror, while free governments fight the terrorists in their midst. We know that free peoples embrace progress and life, instead of becoming the recruits for murderous ideologies.

There are cameras nowadays that have been developed to tell the difference between a squirrel and a bomb.

I am very comfortable with the strategic decisions that I made.