If you shoot the people who do it and blow up their boats, they won't be back.

I would ask that be submitted and included in the record as well.

I hope that once you assume your position here, you will resist the notion to get on an airplane and go say 'hi' around the world.

In our current strategic environment, these commitments can affect force structure in the short-term but really not play out to our national advantage in the long-term.

As a maritime nation, we should improve the quality and strength of our seapower.

We run the risk, as I mentioned to General Petraeus and General McChrystal, of allowing our success to be defined by something that's never happened before, something that we can't totally control, which is something that concerns me.

The Senator Kerry-Senator Lugar bill is very important as far as I'm concerned, because it's not about the $1.5 billion a year as much as it is a 5-year commitment to Pakistan.

I think your selection, General Shinseki, is an inspired act of leadership by the incoming President.

I really believe the greatest challenge for the VA is simple leadership.

I hope you will do everything you can to reach out to the veterans' groups.

I had a great deal of heartburn over the way that those agreements were signed here.

Our military does great things, and I think you and I both feel strongly about that.

the goal of this administration is going to be more partners and fewer adversaries and to do so in a realistic way that still protects the interests of the United States.

I think what we are talking about is ways to get a co-investment with the Government and the private sector.

I know we pressed the new economic team of the President to do that, but this is the first time I have actually seen this kind of data out there.

I also believe, as I think you appropriately pointed out, should America move away from coal, India and China are not.

I would just make a comment that we would never have had a wireless system in this country without some governmental entity setting the standards.

Just to be clear again, so that if the Government came in with this recapitalization, they could then clear a secondary market of these securities.