It’s so much more complicated than everyone’s making it out to be. The federal response has been quite coordinated. It’s how it interfaces with the state and local.

You can’t codify homeland security into a neat box, … You cannot separate foreign, health, agricultural, economic, energy and other policies. And all of it raises other issues, like freedom of privacy.

He combines high-tech means with very rudimentary means. That makes following his tracks a very daunting task.

Short of breaking up the federalist form of government, you are going to have the federal response in support of state and local authorities,

Our long-term success depends upon meeting and addressing the twin goals of security and commerce. We can and must have both.

As tough as the federal issues are, it’s the men and women in the frontlines … who will ultimately determine if the battle is won or lost.

We have trained against similar scenarios, but it’s not the same as a crisis unfolding before your eyes.

The insurance sector can be a huge enabler. Historically, it’s been able to induce changes in behavior much more effectively than government has.

Terrorism first and foremost is a psychological weapon aimed at undermining policies and values. It’s a tough balance.

I don’t know how accurate the polls are, but he needs help.

As we look out into the future, the most valuable information is not only going to come from the top down – where most of it’s coming from now, from overseas – but also from...

Being a senior and possibly needing more health care in the future, I’d like to see him talk about getting costs under control.

The last thing we can afford to do is give another reason for the intelligence and law-enforcement communities not to share info with its customers on the front lines, … Culturally these communities have adhered...

I doubt if you are going to have people who are willing to wait. I think a lot of people will panic.

We’ll never be in a position where we can protect everything, all the time. We can’t afford it, and we don’t want to infringe on the values we’re trying to preserve.

These things don’t happen overnight.

The government should be getting its own house in order first,

In a weird way, the interagency review allows the US to hold international companies to a higher level of standards and accountability. There are some legitimate security concerns, but it’s going to come down to...

There are a whole host of factors that you can practice against. But to be honest, it’s not the same as living through it,

People may want to simplify the chain of command and make one person accountable, but under our federal system, … responsibility starts at the local level and works its way up from the bottom. And...

You want to go beyond simply guards, guns, gates. You want things that have a capacity on the equipment side to last. It’s making sure that what you buy can actually be sustained.

We have limited resources, unlimited vulnerability, and a flexible adversary. There are many cities that can make a good justification, but our limited resources have to be spent wisely.