And over time, I think, as Iraqi security capacity builds, you'll see American and coalition presence there decline.

And over time, I think, as Iraqi security capacity builds, you'll see American and coalition presence there decline.

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

Nobody's more mindful of the sacrifices of our troops than those of us that command them.

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.

We've got to ensure that the quality and the capability of these forces will be good enough to withstand the challenges that the insurgents and the terrorists will present to the new Iraqi government.

You don't build a new power plant in the United States overnight. It takes years to build.