War creates its own intensity of hatred... You don't want to use force except as an absolute last resort.

One of the principles that we operate on in this country is that leaders are held accountable. The simple truth is that we went into Iraq on the basis of some intuition, some fear, and some exaggerated rhetoric and some very, very scanty evidence.

Nothing could be a more serious violation of public trust than to consciously make a war based on false claims.

It's important. One of the principles in the United States is civilian control of the military.

Everybody in the military has a reputation, and usually it doesn't come out to the public.

Europe and America must act together in the face of evil. It's high time for Americans and Europeans to restore that unity and be able to take actions collectively together.

I don't think you can solve what's going on in Iraq unless you can deal effectively with the region and you can't deal effectively with the region if you start with the premise that you can't talk to people who disagree with you.