Carlos Gutierrez

US Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez was Monday's guest. Here are excerpts from his remarks:

"There are problems to solve. But we are better off with this great engagement, and accessing that huge market, and having another outlet for our goods than not having it. I can't think of a time when in this country we have looked at competitors and felt overwhelmed, or threatened, or intimidated."

"If I talk about the currency, somebody from Treasury will just appear right in this room, take me away, and you won't see me. I'll stay away from [discussions about the] currency."

"The solution to the trade deficit isn't that we have to make ourselves less attractive, that our growth rate is too high. The solution is to get Europe and Japan and other developed economies to adapt the kinds of policies that the president has put in place in the US in order to get our economy growing."

"The fact that this is an aligned administration, that the team knows what it wants, I think is a great sign of strength. I think it is a great sign of leadership. And I think it shows it is a well-managed administration."