We are planning to remove all of our troops from Iraq by the end of the year.
The message they need to know is: we're going to do everything we can to defend our forces.
I want to thank you on their behalf for your dedication and for your support, particularly in a time of war.
We do not have to make a choice between fiscal security and national security.
I want to thank you, on their behalf, for your support in a time of war, and for your determination to join me in doing everything possible ...
We must preserve capabilities that are most important to protecting our vital interests, and we must avoid hollowing out the force and break...
I know you share my concern about sequester.
It is profoundly in the American national interest that it emerge as a strategic partner for the United States.
We believe a relationship with the ISF will be an important part of a broader enduring partnership with the Iraqi people.
This isn't a cost that we ought to bear. It's a cost that NATO and others ought to bear as well.
I think the key is not to take the simple way out, which is to reduce everything by some kind of percentage across the board.