IN HIS OWN WORDS
On the Rolling Stone article titled "The Runaway General": "I was surprised by the tone of and direction of the article. ... [His wife] Annie felt the brotherhood among the soldiers, each a veteran of multiple combat tours over the past decade, was evident and was something the reporter needed to see and understand. I had agreed with her. The printed story cast it in a very different light. ... Regardless of how I judged the story for fairness or accuracy, responsibility was mine. And its ultimate effect was immediately clear to me."
About President Obama's announcement of 2014 withdrawal date: "If I felt like the decision to set a withdrawal date would have been fatal to the success of our mission, I'd have said so."
On Al-Qaida: "While we had some tactical advantages, we were, in some ways, years behind the enemy. Defeating Al Qaeda would be a protracted campaign. Early on, counterproductive infighting among the CIA, State Department, Department of Defense, and others back in Washington threatened that campaign."
