To CSPAN, today.

They Better Adapt Quickly

A society in Iraq that is learning to live with themselves; a unified — a country that’s heading toward more unity, based upon a modern constitution which was approved by the Iraqi people. There will be violence. There will be criminality. But they will also see a country in which the security forces are better equipped and better adapt at dealing with the extremists.

If We Could Only Get Ahold Of That One Weapon

They will also know what I know, that the real challenge in the Middle East is to confront extremists and not allow the extremists to bully and marginalize and use their weapon of terror to gain safe haven and/or to gain an ideological advantage over the millions who want to live in peace.

A Mother Can Raise Their Child

And if we can help this government be able to create the conditions so that a mother can raise their child in peace, I think people will look back and they’ll be thankful of America.

A Very Short Treaty

That’s a great question, and it’s a difficult question to answer because a lot of people think in terms of victory — in terms of the USS Missouri, for example, where there was a treaty signed on a battleship that said, “Japan has been vanquished.”

What Day Is Today? Part I

Q The House this week, three or four days, 36 hours of debate and a resolution that is likely to be very critical of your policies. First of all, will you be watching the debate? And will it at all influence your policies in the future?

THE PRESIDENT: In terms of watching the debate, I’ve got a lot to do — I’m not exactly sure what hours they’ll be debating, but I’ve got a pretty full day, I mean, like, I started this morning at 6:45 a.m. and I’ve had meetings up until right now. So I haven’t been watching anything. Q But this will start tomorrow.

THE PRESIDENT: You know, I’ve got a full day tomorrow.

Doesn’t Approve Of Iraq

Look, if you asked me, do you approve of Iraq? And my answer is, no, I don’t — in other words, if one of those endless opinion polls reached into the White House and said, are you approving of Iraq? I would say to you, Stephen, no, I’m not.

He Had To Be Talked Into The Surge

And so, upon the advice of some smart military people and people inside — diplomats and people who understand the situation — they convinced me to add troops.

Holy Crap!

And General Petraeus will have that which he has asked for, and it’s now in place and implementing a Baghdad security plan with the Iraqis in the lead so that, sooner rather than later, we can end up getting to what Baker-Hamilton suggested, which is a posture that is over the horizon, a defense posture that helps guarantee the territorial integrity of the country.

True, He Doesn’t Understand The Tactics

I guess my reaction to all the noise about, you know, “He wants to go to war” is, first of all, I don’t understand the tactics, and I guess I would say it’s political.

What About The Time You Had To Decide What Bait To Use While Fishing?

Q Outside of declaring war in Iraq, what’s been your hardest decision?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, that’s by far the toughest decision, committing young men and women into harm’s way, whether it be Afghanistan or Iraq. I understand the consequences of that decision. The fact that — the war decision overshadows all. I can’t really come up with one right now.

And That Name Was Pandering Asshole

I think people like to label themselves certain things, but political parties grow and they — immigration is a classic issue where I made a name for being compassionate, and at the same time, understanding the need to enforce our borders on immigration.

Bushes Are Nice ‘Cause They Don’t Have Prickers. Unless They Do. This One Did. Ouch!

Well, I’m going to put out there — all they’ve got to do is listen to what I said in the State of the Union — I mean, in the Oval Office, when I spoke to the nation on this really important subject. And I would just tell my fellow Republicans who are concerned about border enforcement, you can’t enforce the border completely unless you have a plan that says people can come and do work here in America on a temporary basis in a way that is aboveboard and transparent.

Not Willing To Get Into A Pickup

And so, therefore, those who say, enforce — only enforce the border, must understand that enforcing the border requires rational policy on dealing with those who are doing work Americans won’t do and are willing to get in the back of pickups — I mean, 18-wheelers to do it.

This Is My Sandbox, I’m Not Allowed To Go In The Deep End

Can you imagine somebody — Vice President out there running and all of a sudden saying, well, I wouldn’t have done it exactly that way, the war; when things got difficult like they are in Iraq, I told the President that he should have done it this way, he chose another way. In other words, there would be the tendency for a candidate who was associated with the President to feel like they needed to distance themselves during the tough moments, like for right now.

What Day Is Today? Part II

THE PRESIDENT: I not only read her book, I sat next to her at dinner last night. Let me start over. I not only read her book, but I sat next to her at dinner — I’m not sure when we’re airing this, but anyway — last night.

Q Sunday night.

THE PRESIDENT: Sunday night. I sat next to her at dinner Sunday night.

I Pity The School </mr. t>

Thirdly, it’s a great school, and really fine academics are taught there and I would like to contribute. I’d like to have a institute contribute to the fine school.