"I'm amazed at our citizens who understand the risks, understand the hardships, who volunteer to do this,"
"this notion of stubbornness is based upon the criticism of people who didn't agree with the initial decision to begin with."
"That's why it's very important for me to remind the American people that we've got to support these military commanders, support their decisions. . . . I think anybody who's president will understand the strategic consequences of failure in Iraq."
"learn differently when they get in there and hear the intelligence I hear."
"It's real important for the president to not be making moves based upon political calendars,"
"I really view this as a first chapter of a long struggle -- not the only chapter, not the last chapter, but the first chapter.
"And I've told our people, we're going to write it . . . so that the next president will have an easier task of dealing with the threats. And that's why it's so important that we get the FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) issue right, and that's why it's so important to get the detainee issue right, because presidents are going to need the information that comes from those programs in order to defend the homeland."
"I didn't sacrifice my soul for politics."
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/columnists/orl-parker2107nov21,0,6208982.column