Robert Gates: “The Iraq troop surge offers an important lesson in that regard.”

We want everything that's possible, and a lot of things that aren't possible, in a new system.

Putin believes it's his destiny to recreate the Russian empire.

the only way I could get significant new or additional equipment to commanders in the field in weeks or months--not years--was to take control of the problem myself through special task forces and ad hoc processes.

I think the only thing I would've said is that a lot of this could've been done sooner.