I think Mr. Clarke had a tendency to interfere too much with the activities of the CIA and our leadership at the senior level let him interfere too much. So criticism from him I kind of wear as a badge of honor.

I think most Americans understand that we went through a period in which American leadership was judged quite critically internationally.

In our system leadership is by consent not command. To lead a President must persuade. Personal contacts and experiences help shape his thinking. They can be critical to his persuasiveness and thus to his leadership.

I do think we know that a teacher who knows what he or she is doing knows their subject matter and knows how to impart knowledge to kids is a critical piece of closing the achievement gap.

As this body of knowledge has evolved a much more critical job for researchers and scientists has evolved into explaining and educating policy makers and the public to the risks of global warming and the possible consequences of action or of no action.

Even scientific knowledge if there is anything to it is not a random observation of random objects for the critical objectivity of significant knowledge is attained as a practice only philosophically in inner action.

I strongly support the call to greatly expand our human intelligence capability to penetrate al Qaeda and gather critical intelligence to prevent terrorist attacks on our homeland.

While the intelligence profession oftentimes demands secrecy it is critically important that there be a full and open discourse on intelligence matters with the appropriate elected representatives of the American people.

The higher the general average of intelligence all things else being equal the less the disposition to be meddlesome critical and overbearing.

I listen to them freely and with all the respect merited by their intelligence their character their knowledge reserving always my incontestable right of criticism and censure.