It's time for us to change that strategy.

I did not see the president charting out a new course that would persuade either myself or the American people that -- that we're going about this thing in the right way.

What we can't do is continue the approach that does not ensure the sort of political solutions that are needed in Iraq.

I think it's important for us to have these conversations with him and see if we can work together.

He brings electricity to this race. He brings an alternative to Senator Clinton.

There are only so many donors that can give the big kind of money that you need.

Politics has become so bitter and partisan, so gummed up by money and influence, that we can't tackle the big problems that demand solutions.

Are there any circumstances that you can articulate in which we would say to the Maliki government that enough is enough and we are no longer committing our troops?

Certainly, I didn't expect to find myself in this position a year ago. I've been struck by how hungry we all are for a different kind of politics.

What leverage do we have that would provide us some assurance that, six months from now, you will not be sitting before us again, saying, well, it didn't work?

Both Republican and Democratic senators expressed grave concern about the situation in Iraq. I personally indicated that an escalation of troop levels in Iraq was a mistake.