Their overall consensus was that the trend in Iraq is negative.

I would encourage you to retain a healthy level of skepticism about that.

We just cannot allow this to happen again.

The problem that we face, the dilemma in some of our minds, is that the policy in Iraq has gone terribly wrong.

So what you are saying, General, is that our men and women who wear the uniform really are a lot like Americans back at home? They have diverse opinions, too.

I support your nomination and I wish you well.

That is why Senator Levin and I and others keep getting back to the notion of consequences...

What can we do to get them to do what is in their own best interests here, what needs to be done?

If he had first choice, he would be doing things differently there.

I think the Vice President said the other day you cannot run a war by committee.

They are probably sophisticated enough to take all this in and accept it for whatever it is worth.

Look, we do not want your brave soldiers dying here, either; I want you to leave Baghdad.

the American people are willing to be constant and strong in support of a policy they believe is likely to work

Many of us feel that it is our responsibility now to step up and to provide better direction to this whole thing.

Does a hearing like this, with the diversity of opinion that has been expressed here, undermine the morale of our troops?

I for one have concluded that a greater sense of urgency is in order here on their part or it's just not going to work.

A group of us just returned from Turkey last week and they're very concerned about attacks emanating from the Kurdish parts of northern Iraq.

We cannot let al Qaeda define how most intelligently to pursue our national security interests.