James L. Jones is a retired General of the U.S. Marine Corps, a former Supreme Allied Commander, the top commanding officer of NATO military forces and former Commandant of the Marines. Jones currently serves as the President and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Institute for 21st Century Energy.

General Jones was named as the national security adviser for the Obama administration on December 1, 2008.Wall Street Journal: Obama Picks Clinton, Gates to Lead... (December 1, 2008)

• "When a leader judges somebody, I expect them to make sure that they judge them in the context of the good of the whole, not because that person irritated them or made them look bad. That's not what leadership is about. Leadership is about mentoring, education, and forming a bond."BNET: A band of warriors: Interview with USMC Commandant Gen. James L. Jones Jr. — Gen. James Jones on his command of the Marine Corps
• "I try my very best to be okay. What I think is, we are not only judged by actions of one or two people or 10 or 20 or whatever it is, but we're talking about hundreds of thousands and millions of people who define the American character and not these isolated incidents."Leatherneck Forum: SPIEGEL Interview with US General James Jones — Gen. James Jones, when asked if he's okay looking at himself in a mirror