Essentially, when we run a deficit, we are borrowing money to buy things that are made overseas.

The training and equipping of Iraqi security forces should be accelerated.

A timeline for bringing U.S. troops home that is negotiated with the Iraqi government would also boost the Iraqi government's legitimacy and claim to self-rule, and force the Iraqi government to take responsibility for itself and its citizens.

Similarly, establishing a firm timeline for bringing our troops home could accelerate the development of Iraqi security forces and deepen their commitment to defending their own country and their own government.

The U.S. cannot impose freedom, security, and unity in Iraq by force.

It was Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda who attacked the U.S. on September 11, 2001, not Saddam Hussein and Iraq.

In crude oil trading, we have seen a 46 percent increase over 1 year in the margins there.