Congress, the press, and the bureaucracy too often focus on how much money or effort is spent, rather than whether the money or effort actually achieves the announced goal.

When you raise issues with the President, try to come away with both that decision and also a precedent. Pose issues so as to evoke broader policy guidance. This can help to answer a range of similar issues likely to arise later.

The Federal Government should be the last resort, not the first. Ask if a potential program is truly a federal responsibility or whether it can better be handled privately, by voluntary organizations, or by local or state governments.

You will launch many projects, but have time to finish only a few. So think, plan, develop, launch and tap good people to be responsible. Give them authority and hold them accountable. Trying to do too much yourself creates a bottleneck.

If you foul up, tell the President and correct it fast. Delay only compounds mistakes.

When cutting staff at the Pentagon, don't eliminate the thin layer that assures civilian control.

Make decisions about the President's personal security. He can overrule you, but don't ask him to be the one to counsel caution.

Members of the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate are not there by accident. Each managed to get there for some reason. Learn what it was and you will know something important about them, about our country and about the American people.

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.

In the execution of Presidential decisions work to be true to his views, in fact and tone.

Death has a tendency to encourage a depressing view of war.

Prune - prune businesses, products, activities, people. Do it annually.

Oh my goodness gracious, what you can buy off the Internet in terms of overhead photography. A trained ape can know an awful lot of what is going on in this world, just by punching on his mouse, for a relatively modest cost.

I can't tell you if the use of force in Iraq today will last five days, five weeks or five months, but it won't last any longer than that.

You're thinking of Europe as Germany and France. I don't. I think that's old Europe.

Know that the amount of criticism you receive may correlate somewhat to the amount of publicity you receive.

Don't speak ill of your predecessors or successors. You didn't walk in their shoes.

I don't do quagmires.

Plan backwards as well as forward. Set objectives and trace back to see how to achieve them. You may find that no path can get you there. Plan forward to see where your steps will take you, which may not be clear or intuitive.

Amidst all the clutter, beyond all the obstacles, aside from all the static, are the goals set. Put your head down, do the best job possible, let the flak pass, and work towards those goals.

Treat each federal dollar as if it was hard earned; it was - by a taxpayer.

Politics is human beings; it's addition rather than subtraction.

Arguments of convenience lack integrity and inevitably trip you up.

Don't divide the world into 'them' and 'us.' Avoid infatuation with or resentment of the press, the Congress, rivals, or opponents. Accept them as facts. They have their jobs and you have yours.