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

It doesn't make a lot of sense for us to borrow money from the Chinese to go give to another country for humanitarian aid. We ought to get the Chinese to take care of the people.

We have throughout our history been tested when it comes to the institutions of our democracy. And thank God our forefathers were smart enough to establish a government of checks and balances to make sure that power cannot be centralized in any one branch of government. And those institutions have proven themselves.

The reality is that the United States military alone cannot be all things to all nations. We will sharpen the application of our resources, better deploy our forces in the world and share our burdens more and more effectively with our partners. And frankly, all our allies need to do the same.

I don't think there's any question that America is safer as a result of the bin Laden operation.

Red lines are kind of political arguments that are used to try to put people in a corner.

The political and substantive reality is that the agenda has to change. I don't think they have any choice.