The Job Of The Leader Is To

Progress In Iraq Has Always Been About Teams Of People And Teams Of Teams - And Ultimately About Young Men And Women, Iraqi As Well As People From The Coalition.

I Am Neither A Pessimist Nor An Optimist. I Am A Realist, And The Reality In Iraq Is That It Has Been Very Hard And It Continues To Be Hard.

Us Forces Have Been Increased [in Afghanistan ] From Some 21,000 To About 31,000 Over The Past Two Years And A Number Of Coalition Countries Have Also Increased Their Forces, There Still Are Not Sufficient Troops.

In Afghanistan You Are Not Rebuilding, You Are Building. There Is Very Limited Infrastructure And Extreme Terrain, With Deserts In The South And Mountains So High In Some Areas That Helicopters Don't Even Fly Well At A Certain Altitude Because The Air Becomes So Thin. The Country Has A Serious Problem Of Illiteracy, Especially After So Many Years Of War And Taliban Rule.

Let's Remember That The Reason We Are There Is That We Have Vital Interests In Afghanistan, Hugely Important National Interests, As Do The Other Countries Involved.