"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...." -
  --  Laura bush