We ask the military to be in a position that, if we ask them to do a task, they are absolutely able to do it for us.

The military never uses a full word if they can create an abbreviation.

You shouldn't send people out to do a job which you cannot afford to equip them to do.

Negotiating with the Taliban must be done from a position of strength. Negotiating from a position of weakness would be a disaster.

What's hurting the U.S. economy is total government spending. The deficit is an indicator that the government is spending so much money that it can't even get around to stealing all of the money that it wants to spend. But the tip of the iceberg is not what hit the Titanic - it was the 90 percent of the iceberg under water.

While I've had so many different jobs - I've worked in law, I've worked in government, I've run for office - there's a common theme. The theme for my entire life has been about giving back.

I took a gap year myself after high school and worked on a farm near Lyon, France. I stayed with the Vallet family, picked and packed fruit, and discovered that red wine can be a breakfast drink. That led to further travel as a university student.

My mom worked as an education director.