George W. Bush: “The United States is strongly committed to finding a just settlement in the Middle East.”

We are heartbroken by the loss of life and the agony so many are feeling.

Violence and vitriol must be purged from the public square. Members of other political parties are not our enemies; they are our fellow citizens.

Is it in our interest that 25 million people who would have died now live? I think it is. On behalf of a grateful nation, thank you for your hard work and God bless you.

If any voters came hoping for a kind word and a hug, they’d have to settle for the kind word.