Prime Minister Maliki is elected. He is a politician like we are.

I think the American people are uneasy. They are troubled.

It is hard and it is slow, and there are good days and bad days, good months and bad months.

I think you've said that our defenses for missile defense capabilities should keep pace with the threat.

I don't believe any military has ever been better equipped, better supplied than this one has.

Better they do it imperfectly with their own hands than you do it perfectly with yours.

I do not want to send a single person there that is not necessary.

It's obvious, from our perspective, they're all losing, the whole country and the region is losing, and it's sad, beyond belief.

If you bring in too much support it could erode or lessen the pressure on them to assume responsibility.

It is our soldiers there, our policy that we need to execute.

It seems that the threat is stepping up its pace.

A poor plan violently executed today is better than a good plan tomorrow.

But war requires leadership. Leaders make hard decisions. They accept responsibility for their decisions and we live with those decisions.

I think you share it, that we want to keep the pressure on the Iraqis to step up their capability so it is their country and their nation that they are defending.

If this endeavor of a pluralistic democratic entity in Baghdad is going to survive, it's going to require political courage and leadership.

Are you willing to use the courage and determination that you're famous for to stand up for our soldiers there?

They're entitled to the best equipment, the best strategy--that's important, a good strategy--and execution of that strategy.

if you conclude that we need 2 to 3 times the number of prison bed spaces as I believe we do in the immediate future, and probably 5 to 10 times in the long term, will you push the bureaucracy to get moving on it?