Our troops are the best in the world. I have absolute confidence in the ability of the troops who are here, or additional troops, to do their part.

As individuals, we will be judged in our lives by the totality of our actions. Not one thing will stand out. And I think that's how we get judged by our colleagues and that's how we get judged by the good lord.

I wake up some mornings hating me too.

I think the most important thing for us to make judgments about is what can we really do? What can we achieve?

Counting the numbers of troops is not going to define our success here.There is no military success, ultimately, to Afghanistan. The Afghans themselves are going to define what happens here. And we have to convince ourselves that we have a strategy in place that empowers them to do that and that is realistic in what our expectations are from them and on what schedule.

In the White House, you can be on the pitcher's mound or you can be in the catcher's position. Put points on the board. Show people you can govern. Deliver on what you said you were going to deliver on.

We invoke the sacrifices of our fallen heroes in the abstract, but we seldom take time to thank them individually.