If the Iraqis fail to implement the reforms, if they fail to get a handle on the violence, there's nothing the United States can do, militarily or otherwise, that can solve those problems. They have to assume the primary responsibility to govern themselves.

You don't deploy forces into harm's way without knowing what's going on.

Well, the United States is a Pacific power. And we have always had a presence in the Pacific.

I don't engage in hypotheticals.

Obama really does recognize the threats that are out there; I think he understands the world. He understands the role of America in that troubled world.

Sexual assault has no place in the military. It is a violation of everything that the US military stands for.

The most important thing we can do is prosecute the offenders, deal with those that have broken the law and committed this crime. And if we can do that then we can begin to deal with this issue and send a signal this is not a problem that we are going to ignore in the United States military.