David Gergen

It's been a standard American practice. When we can, we want to buy our way out of a problem than fight our way out of a problem.

I think what's important to understand is when we went in the first time back in 2001, the U.S. military thought, 'We don't want to keep a whole lot of troops here.'

But John, I think the point the president and the White House has to come back to is they've got to come -- and they've got to come away from their tentativeness and get off this thing and come out very squarely what they want to do.

It sure doesn't help President Obama, does it? You know, there are going to be a lot of Americans, John, I think, who are going to say, after reading that, why in the devil should we spend one more American life saving the Karzai brothers…

I think it's very important whether you also protect the highways, they connect the cities, and you also protect some of the agriculture areas.

It sure doesn't help President Obama, does it? There are going to be a lot of Americans, John, I think who are going to say after reading that why in the devil should we spend one more American life saving the Karzai brothers?

But the point is, we're not there to save the Karzais. We're there to prevent terrorism here in the United States.

If you're Roger Ailes sitting there at FOX, you've got a big Cheshire cat grin on your face. You just love this, to have the White House come into this thing.

They ought to be focusing on uniting and getting the Senate Finance Committee to pass out that bill tomorrow. That will be a big accomplishment on health care.

They should focus on governing. And as I say, let this go. And I just don't think they'd get anywhere. Fox is always going to have the last word because inevitably the White House has got other things to worry about.

I don't think that they're afraid of Fox News. They just hate them, you know, and some of the people who represent Fox News. They just hate what they've done to them and some of the criticism.

I think they should focus on governing, and, as I said, let this go. And I just don't think they get anywhere.

This threatens a deeper level of polarization on international affairs.

I just think that's very dangerous for him. And let's salute John McCain today for being as gracious as he was.

All my experience in the White House points to the idea that if an American president is popular in public's overseas, it strengthens its hand in negotiation and diplomacy.

If an American president is popular in publics overseas, it strengthens his hand in negotiation and diplomacy.

It seems premature... they clearly are betting on the expectations, rather than realization, on ideals, rather than realization.

If we don't go with big troop increases, that we could well lose the war.

We don't have much choice.

It will be very shortsighted. And it could leave Afghanistan in chaos.

There are just very much -- I'm sure there are dagger points, Anderson. But there is clearly a sharp division. And it's a rift that could be the sharpest break we've seen in years between a president and his commanding general in the field.

It's not real health care reform.

It is -- and the president, very notably -- shifted the emphasis to health insurance reform.

If you look at the Democrats who voted against the public option today in the Senate Finance Committee, there were five of them.

For 75 years, the Democratic dream has been to create universal health care coverage to make sure every American has health insurance.