I said， ＂I＇ve heard Secretary Gates put his prepared remarks down and tell you he needs to lay this on the line， that the American people do not want to continue to carry a disproportionate share.＂
And I said， ＂You have heard it from President Obama＇s administration. I＇ve been here and I＇ve heard it said then. And now it＇s manifested politically in America， so here＇s the bottom line.
＂Please do not ask me to go back and tell Americans that they －－ the American parents that they need to care more about the safety and security and the freedom of your children than you＇re willing to care for， that you＇re willing to sacrifice for.
＂We＇re all going to have to put our shoulder to the wagon， and move it up the hill.＂
Surprisingly， I did not lose the rapport that I really －－ I would lose rapport with some of them. I mean， that＇s a －－ that＇s a hard message. But I wanted to put it in human terms， because this is a human situation we＇re talking about.
I don＇t think that the values that grew out of the Enlightenment are something that simply exist in isolation and don＇t need to be defended. And there＇s enough other things going on in the world. We can see this.
So the argument is made for itself. The argument is made for itself. The CIA briefed me， when I came in， that my first crisis would probably be somewhere in the Korean Peninsula. My first trip overseas －－ went to Tokyo and Seoul， and I will tell you， there are two nations that are doing a lot for their own defense， and we＇re very tightly bonded. It＇s a trusted relationship.
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