I wish you success because the lives of a lot of young Americans are in your hands.

General, that situation has existed before this surge. I find it hard to believe that you would give as your best advice to this committee that the differential, probably 40,000 troops in terms of doctrine, is going to be made up by…

You mentioned ethnic cleansing.

The other issue, General, that has come up, I was out last fall.

In response to Senator McCain's question about what happens if we announce some type of withdrawal.

The new strategy sounds a lot like the old strategy to me.

It's an obvious flaw, or an obvious shortcoming in this plan.

I don't think we have everything we need.

Admiral, your patriotism serving the Nation is remarkable. You are well qualified to assume a very daunting task.

I don't think that's a very good assumption, since we have never gotten that, in the last 3 years.

He has needed help for 2 or 3 years and it has not arrived.

I have not seen a lot of commitment outside of DOD to succeeding in Iraq.

the insurgency it is a Sunni insurgency.

a military strategy alone without a functional Iraqi government and without the support of non-DOD agencies cannot effectively prevail in Iraq.

the Shia militia are deliberately avoiding contact with us.

this strategy of a surge I think is probably compromised by the same factors.

I just fear that you're going to be placed in an impossible situation.

the cancer is militias, both Sunni and Shia.