Walter Reed is second to none in this kind of medicine. You're using the latest prosthetic technology to help patients overcome great challenges and resume their lives. I know firsthand — I remember coming here a couple of months ago to pin the Purple Heart on a fellow who lost both legs and one arm.

It's a little off the subject, but a responsible citizen is somebody who loves their child with all their heart, a citizen who says, I want to put my family — is a citizen I'd love to have working for me — a citizen who said, I want my family first, I weep when I think about the thought of missing my child's baseball games, the kind of guy I want working for me, the kind of guy I want working with me.

The world is more peaceful and more free under my leadership.

I love free speech.

Danny Ferry is here? Where is Danny Ferry? Yes, there he is. He and I share an interesting relationship. As you may know, his father, Bob, won the NBA Championship ring. And so Danny and Bob Ferry are only the second father/son combination to ever win a championship ring. If you get my drift. We're members of the famous fathers club. And, anyway, I want to welcome you here. You'll see where the — only the second son of a President offices is in a minute.

REPORTER: There's a poll out in which a lot of people today are wondering whether the war was really worth the cost.
DUBYA: Yes.
REPORTER:How do you respond to that, sir?
DUBYA: Yes, I don't make decisions based upon polls. I make decisions based upon what I think is important for the security of the American people.

I glance at the headlines just to kind of get a flavor for what's moving. I rarely read the stories, and get briefed by people who are ... probably read the news themselves.

Sometimes it's not easy to be the friend of George W. Bush — I know that. If you know what I mean.

I was pleased to hear that many of the airports up east are beginning to have flights leave, and that's good.

REPORTER: [The California recall is] the biggest political story in the country. Is it hard to go in there and say nothing about it?
DUBYA: It is the biggest political story in the country? That's interesting. That says a lot. That speaks volumes.
REPORTER: You don't agree?
DUBYA: It's up to — I don't get to decide the biggest political story. You decide the biggest political story. But I find it interesting that that is the biggest political story in the country, as you just said.
REPORTER: You don't think it should be?
DUBYA: Oh, I think there's maybe other political stories. Isn't there, like, a presidential race coming up? Maybe that says something. It speaks volumes, if you know what I mean.

I think it's interesting. I'm a follower of American politics.

We've got a year-and-a-while during my first term to make the world a more peaceful place and we'll deal with it. Washington loves speculation. Clearly, you love speculation. You love it. You love to speculate about... Let me finish, please, let me finish. You love to speculate about whether so-and-so is going to be a part of the administration or not. And I understand the game. But I have got to do my job, and I'm going to do it. And I'm going to do it with the Secretary of State.

As to whether or not — look, once the strategy is in place, I will let people know whether or not I'm airborne or not. In other words, I'm not trying to make any — I don't need to dramatize the decision. It's getting plenty of attention here at home. But we've got — and look, I'm just gathering enough information to be rational in what we do.

When I landed at the airport on Air Force One, I was honored to walk off, and after I saw brother and others that were there, I met a lady named Ana Cooper.

The House of Representatives will take up this issue in the coming weeks, under the leadership of a man from Illinois, a guy who I've got a lot of respect from, Speaker Denny Hastert.

I'm the master of low expectations.

I show up when they need me to call people to account, to praise, or to say, wait a minute — you told me in Jordan that you would do this, you haven't done it, why? How come? What is it? It's to keep the thing moving, keep the processes moving. They've got the man on the ground that is going to — he's just going to — I used the expression, ride herd. I don't know if anybody understood the meaning. It's a little informal in diplomatic terms. I said, we're going to put a guy on the ground to ride herd on the process. See them all scratching their heads.

I said you were a man of peace. I want you to know I took immense crap for that.

I was the guy that said they [the U.N.] ought to vote. And one country voted — at least showed their cards, I believe. It's an old Texas expression, show your cards, when you're playing poker. France showed their cards.