We'll try to include Iraqi officers in our staffs. We will do everything we can to empower Iraqi security forces to stand up on their own and operate where they can alone.

Everybody needs to understand that I learned Arabic from the United States Army as a second language. I never spoke it at home.

But as we move from this period of what many Iraqis regard as perceived occupation, we need to move towards one of partnership.

I don't believe Iran is a suicide state.

But clearly the fact that we've gone from zero Iraqi security forces on duty in May to up to 200,000 today is an enormous accomplishment, but it's not enough.

Well, the hardest thing to do, as we know from our own experience on 9/11 is protect everything all the time.

Oh, the transition concerns me because as we move towards an important political event, it's clear to me that the terrorists and insurgents will move as hard as they can to disrupt this process.