Mr. President [Lugo of Paraguay], I've been impressed by un corazón grande. You care deeply about the people of your country. And I have felt that compassion.

By undertaking new cooperation on civil nuclear energy, India will be able to count on a reliable fuel supply for its civilian reactors, meet the energy demands of its people, and reduce its independence on fossil fuels.

The American people expect the nomination process to be as free of partisanship as possible, and for senators to rive above tricks and gimmicks designed to thwart nominees.

The SEC is also requiring certain investors to disclose their short selling, and has launched rigorous enforcement actions to detect fraud and manipulation in the market. Anyone engaging in illegal financial transactions will be caught and persecuted.

And finally, the people in Louisiana must know that all across our country there's a lot of prayer — prayer for those whose lives have been turned upside down. And I'm one of them.

It's a little bit reminiscent of what was taking place in Iraq a couple of years ago, where the enemy knows that they can affect the mentality of the American people if they just continue to kill innocent folks. And they have no disregard for human life.

We do not want the enemy to have safe haven. Of course — unless, of course, your attitude is, this isn't a war. So if that's the case, it wouldn't matter whether we succeed or not. But it is a two-front war. And I say there's other fronts, but there's other fronts where we're taking covert actions, for example.

We're trying to help get this — AU troops in Africa, throughout Africa into Sudan. And we're working with the French on the issue of Chad. And it's a complex situation, and sadly enough, innocent people are being displaced and are losing their life.

Lieutenant Governor, proud to be with you. This man wear the uniform of the United States military, and I'm proud to be with this veteran, and now public servant for the state of Maryland.

We pray that America will strengthen those who serve nuestros hermanos y hermanas in need. We pray for the continued success of faith-based and community groups like Esperanza — all aiming to transfer our great country one heart, one soul, one conscience at a time. I was proud to hear of the work of Esperanza in Philadelphia. I've known Esperanza for ochos años.

Organizations like yours have shown the ability to save and change lives. And in your mercies of love and mercy, you must always have a strong and reliable partner in government.

Part of the faith walk is to understand your weaknesses, and is to constantly try to embetter yourself and get closer to the Lord. And that's a daily occurrence.

Just think about what life was like in Afghanistan under the Taliban, with al Qaeda driving the agenda. This is where girls have no rights. You can't worship freely. This is a very dark, grim vision that they believe they must spread far and wide. That's what they think. And one way they achieve their objectives, of course, is to intimidate by death. There's no rules with these people. There's just — so America has got to understand that in order to find them we've got to get in their heads. If you're facing a nation, you can find the nation. If you're facing people that burry in failed states you've got to understand how to find them.

How can you possibly have an international agreement that's effective unless countries like China and India are not full participants?

We want people ownin' their home — we want people ownin' a businesses, we want people ownin' their own homes, we wanna help 'em stay, and Congress can help by passing responsible legislation that modernizes the Federal Housing Administration, reforms Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, allows state housing agencies to issue tax-free bonds to refinance subprime mortgages. There's a way to help people.

During the recent fighting in the Basra province, our nations coordinated our support for the Iraqi security forces as they took on extremists and criminals. Most thankful for the brilliance of the British helicopter crews that fired under courage and helped evacuate wounded Iraqi soldiers.

And so, so long as I'm the President, my measure of success is victory and success.

Some of the incentives in the pro-growth package are for small businesses and businesses with accelerated appreciation, incentives to invest.

There's no doubt where he [Russian President Vladimir Putin] stands. That's why I like him. You don't have to guess. And he is concerned about it. Yet Russia appreciates the confidence-building and transparency measures that we have proposed, and declared that if agreed and implemented, such measures will be important and useful in ensuring Russia concerns.

I understand that a citizen says, wait a minute, we're contributing soldiers in Iraq, and yet we're not necessarily treated like other nations in the European collective, or European Union. And those frustrations are clearly understandable. That's why I went to Congress and tried to get them to modernize the visa law. And all they — although they changed the law, it still creates certain hurdles for nations like Romania. And I assured the President that we will work with him as best as we can to adhere to our law and to, at the same time, understands the contradictions. It's — hopefully, the new law will — and our cooperation will make it easier for Romanian citizens to come and visit their relatives.

We've had seven years working together, a chance to have some pretty candid exchanges. And secondly — and this is his [Russian President Putin's] last — this will be our last face-to-face meeting as a presidency, and I'll thank him.

Afghanistan is the most daring and ambition mission in the history of NATO.

I can't understand a mentality that doesn't recognize that causing America to be treated equally is not in our interests.

Removing Saddam Hussein was the right decision early in my presidency. It is the right decision now, and it will be the right decision ever.

I, I have got to know John [McCain] well in the — uhh, last eight years. I, I've campaigned against him, and I've campaigned with him. Laura and I have spent time in their house. It's a man who deeply loves his family.

And so, [Lieutenant] General [Ray Odierno], I want to thank you for your service. And I appreciate the fact that you really snatched defeat out of the jaws of those who are trying to defeat us in Iraq.

We saw many others who have new hope because of PEPFAR — including a 9-year-old girl who is HIV-positive. She was smiling at the clinic with her grandmother, because — sitting at the clinic with her grandmother because her mom and dad had died of AIDS.

Welcome. Laura and I are glad you're here. Uhh, Rex, thank you for taking the lead for Ford's Theatre. Uhh, if, uhh, our, any citizen wants to know how ta — uhh, make a solid contribution to Washington, D.C., support Ford's Theatre. It's worth it. Uh, members of my Cabinet, thanks for comin'. Members of Congress, we're glad you're here. I've got two, two task. One is to present the Lincoln Medal, and, uhh, invite you to a buffet.

Now I want you — I'll make sure you understand in the State of the Union that this package certainly doesn't mean we ought to do something else on taxes.

I can press when there needs to be pressed. I can hold hands when there needs to be — hold hands.