Alliances and international organizations should be understood as opportunities for leadership and a means to expand our influence, not as constraints on our power.

Our alliances should be understood as a means to expand our influence, not as a constraint on our power. The expansion of democracy and freedom in the world should be a shared interest and value with all nations.

The 21st century will require a re-affirmation and re-definition of our alliances and international organizations.

We're isolating ourselves in the world ... And I think that the leadership of the Pentagon has done that in many ways to us, ... This issue of a secretary of defense not personally signing these letters is just astounding.

When I came to the Senate in 1997, the world was being redefined by forces no single country controlled or understood. The implosion of the Soviet Union and a historic diffusion of economic and geopolitical power created new influences and established new global power centers - and new threats.

That means they are either going to have to be in a position sometime next year to really step up in governing themselves, defending themselves, supporting themselves, or we can't continue to stay there indefinitely,