Ladies and gentlemen, we can’t be pro-ex- — pro-ex- — pro-insurrectionist and pro-American. They’re incompatible. We can’t allow violence to be norma… - Joe Biden

This decision about Afghanistan is not just about Afghanistan. It’s about ending an era of major military operations to remake other countries. We saw a mission of counter-terrorism in Afghanistan, getting the terrorist and stopping attacks, morph into a counterinsurgency, nation building, trying to create a democratic cohesive and United Afghanistan. Something that has never been done over many centuries of Afghan’s history. Moving on from that mindset and those kinds of large scale troop deployments will make us stronger and more effective and safer at home. And for anyone who gets the wrong idea, let me say clearly, to those who wish America harm, to those engage in terrorism against us our allies know this, the United States will never rest. We will not forgive, will not forget. We’ll hunt you down to the ends of the earth and you will pay the ultimate price.

Eavan Boland … was a daughter of Dublin, Ireland, and she made a career as a poet in Palo Alto, California. And she taught at Stanford University. And this was one of her last poems. And a line in the poem goes, "Remind us again now that history changes …That it belongs to us. It belongs to all of us." We gather this week in San Francisco at an inflection point in history. One of the full new challenges that's — not only challenges but new threats as well. But we have to never forget that we can change and bend the arc of history for the better if we make up our mind to do it, that together we can harness the power of the Pacific to grow our economies, to uplift our workers, to protect our planet, and to connect our people to one another and the future of greater prosperity and dignity for all. So much of history of the world will be written in the Asia-Pacific in the coming years. We must never forget that it's a history that belongs to all of us. Hopes that have always brought us forward. Hopes that, in fact, we share — 3 billion people … that we represent share in common. Hopes and aspirations that have brought us together here today.

My administration will continue to vigilantly monitor and address threats from al Qaeda, no matter where they emanate from. As Commander-in-Chief, it is my solemn responsibility to make America safe in a dangerous world. The United States did not seek this war against terror. It came to us, and we answered with the same principles and resolve that have shaped us for generation upon generation: to protect the innocent, defend liberty, and we keep the light of freedom burning — a beacon for the rest of the entire world.