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.

I've been — since I've been your President, I want to remind you we have been through a recession, we have been through a terrorist attack, we have been at war, we have had corporate scandals, we have had major natural disasters.

Let me talk about energy very quickly. I'm fully aware that people are paying dearly at the pump. The other day at a press conference I said it's like a tax. It's a tax on you. The more that gasoline goes up, the more you're paying — the more you're paying for the pump, the less money you have in your pocket to spend for your family. I will tell you it's taken us a while to get in this fix, and therefore it's going to take us a while to get out of the fix.

The stakes are high, really high in Iraq. General Petraeus is beginning to carry out the strategy, yet the Democrat leaders in Congress have chosen this time to try to force a precipitous withdrawal.

And the definition of success as I described is sectarian violence down. Success is not no violence. There are parts of our own country that have got a certain level of violence to it.

First of all, Petraeus, General Petraeus is an expert on counterinsurgency, and his top priority is to help the Iraqi leaders — who, by the way, were elected by nearly 12 million of their citizens — secure their population.

This is an interesting, different type of war.

Information is moving — you know, nightly news is one way, of course, but it's also moving through the blogosphere and through the Internets.

Our greatest strength — well, let me — gas prices are coming down, which, by the way, is positive for the American consumer, American people.

We got a recession because we went to war.

For the sake of job growth, let's put those tax cuts we've already got in place, in place today so people can find work.

I know there's people hurting here in Silicon Valley.

We also understand the habits of freedom are more likely to make the world a more peaceful and hopeful place.

I'm grateful to all of you, who remind us that a great people must spend time on bended knee, in humility, searching for wisdom in the presence of the Almighty.

And throughout our history, in times of crisis and in times of calm, Americans have always turned to prayer. And this year's event has special meaning. Since the attacks of September the 11th, millions — millions — of Americans of every religious faith have been led to prayer. They have prayed for comfort in a time of sorrow, for courage in a time of fear and for understanding in a time of anger. They have prayed for wisdom in the midst of war and for strength on the journey ahead.... Prayer also deepens faith, reminding us of great truths: Evil and suffering are only for a time; love and hope endure. Even in the world's most bitter conflicts, prayer reminds us of God's love and grace, His mercy and faithfulness, the hope He provides and the peace He promises.... I want to thank you all for coming here to the White House to celebrate this special day, for your devotion to prayer, and for your love of this country, and for the Lord who has blessed it for so long.

We're dealing with centuries and years of hatred, and I understand that.

After all, a week ago, there were — Yasser Arafat was boarded up in his building in Ramallah, a building full of, evidently, German peace protestors and all kinds of people. They're now out. He's now free to show leadership, to lead the world.

I had great visits with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. They're — according to some American newspapers, they're, you know, very much engaged, and I appreciate that. I'm pleased with that. I think that's a positive development.