The White House was so eager to rid itself of Iraq that it was willing to withdraw rather than lock in arrangements that would preserve our influence and interests.

My whole life has been dedicated to public service.

If we don't do something to simplify the tax system, we're going to end up with a national police force of internal revenue agents.

After every major conflict - World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the fall of the Soviet Union - what happened was that we ultimately hollowed out the force, largely by doing deep across-the-board cuts.

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.

The president is out there today trying to talk about health care, and the reality is nobody cares about what he's saying on health care because this news is consuming everything. No president could tolerate that or should tolerate it.

I don't engage in hypotheticals.