I believe we've... we've worked very hard with the Iraqis to build a better place ever since the fall of Saddam's government.

And so I think that if the person has the funds, the network, and the equipment to do this, and also the experience, which is the key factor, then they can be quite deadly.

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.

So, these political activities will create friction in and of themselves, and in this environment of friction there'll be additional violence.

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

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.

You know as well as I do that counterinsurgency is a very nuanced type of military operation.