Let's invite a genuine contest of ideas within our party and with the other party for conservationism, as Ronald Reagan told us, is not a narrow ideology.

We were elected to reduce the size of government and enlarge the sphere of free and private enterprise. We increased the size of government and the false hope that we could bribe the public into keeping us in office. And the people…

The day after 9/11 we should have begun to increase significantly the size of the Army and Marine corps. But we did not.

We have made a great many mistakes in this war. And history will hold us to account for them, just as the voters did last week.

I don't understand that tactic, General.

But I would say roughly you need another 20,000 troops in Iraq.

Common sense conservatives believe that the government that governs least governs best.

I am of course disappointed that basically you're advocating the status quo here today which I think the American people in the last election said that is not an acceptable condition.

I think you can look back and say that more American troops would have been advisable in the earlier stages.

Basically, you're advocating the status quo here today, which I think the American people, in the last election, said, that is not an acceptable question.

I regret deeply that you seem to think that the status quo and the rate of progress that we are making is acceptable. I think that most Americans do not.