How is the bank any worse off with cram down under bankruptcy--the fact is that the security they have is the cram-down amount--the value of the house is the security for the loan.

I mean that we've got more agreement.

As we look at public/private which often times involves tolling, making sure that they've got to stay in the game is very important.

One of the things I think we always have to watch out for as we look at public/private partnerships is making sure that the private sector actually has some skin in the game.

I'm looking forward to working with all of you.

I wonder if you--I know this is very early in your thinking process, but have you given any thought to the 11 separate agencies you have within the Department and how the boxes are aligned?

I really wonder if we're going to take a fresh look at metrics.

Do you have an idea about how these monies are going to be paid to this national army?

I wrote and introduced my first day in office, that 75 percent of the soldiers in the Army leave the military on or before the end of their first enlistment.

I'm here to tell you, we have a stewardship toward these people and if we, the civilian leadership, don't articulate this stewardship, in a lot of cases it's not going to happen.

I would just like to reiterate a few points that I made on this before, that it is properly before the OSD...

Why, 6 years then after September 11, were we asking civilian contractors to teach our military people how to perform military functions?

If you shoot the people who do it and blow up their boats, they won't be back.

I would ask that be submitted and included in the record as well.

I hope that once you assume your position here, you will resist the notion to get on an airplane and go say 'hi' around the world.

We have a stewardship to those people, that's quite a bit different than the way we address the career force.

We're entering a period where DOD, and I think the people at this table understand it--other people in DOD have to realize that these budgets are going to get a lot tighter, these programs are going to have to be justified.

Stability is one issue. But being mandatorily committed to coming to the defense of a country...is very troublesome.