I didn't join the International Criminal Court because I don't want to put our troops in the hands of prosecutors from other nations. Look, if somebody has done some wrong in our military, we'll take care of it. We got plenty of capability of dealing with justice.

I sent American troops to Iraq to make its people free, not to make them American. Iraqis will write their own history and find their own way.

Listen, committing troops ought to be — is — the last option for me. It's the hardest thing a president does....(Tuesday) I gave a speech to the nation about a way forward in Iraq. I'm confident Iraq is going to be a free and democratic nation. Before I did so, I met with 38 families, all of whom had a loved one die in Iraq and Afghanistan. And it's hard to do that. It's hard to know that my decision put these kids in harm's way and they didn't come back to the arms of their loved ones....

An immediate withdrawal of our troops from Iraq will only strengthen the terrorists' hand in Iraq and in the broader war on terror,

We will stay in the fight until we have achieved . . . the victory our brave troops have fought for.

We want to get it in front of the public as soon as possible because we want the troops to come home as soon as possible.