Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to temporarily set aside the pending amendment and call up the following amendments en bloc: Senator McCain's amendment No. 1281 regarding the transfer of arms to Georgia; Senator Blunt's two…

Mr. President, I would like to give my thanks to the Senator from Alabama for his comments about the concerns he has about our detainee policy and about how important it is that we have the right policies in place to protect Americans so…

I thank the chairman. He is very kind, and it has been wonderful to serve under his leadership on the Armed Services Committee, of which I would say, one of the great experiences in the Senate is that the Armed Services Committee--in a…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent on behalf of other Republican Senators to temporarily set aside the pending amendment and call up the following amendments en bloc: amendment No. 1179 on behalf of Senator Graham; amendment No. 1230…

Mr. President, I would like to thank the chairman of the Armed Services Committee for such a thorough analysis of the detainee provisions represented in section 1031 through 1034 of the Defense authorization bill. This is a very important…

I will ask the Senator quickly. The Senator from Illinois said we have only had six civilian trials with terrorists.

I would agree with that. The Senator has already pointed out how important it is to have these provisions in place to give the officials who do this work every day whom we have so much respect for the ability to gather intelligence. We…

That is right. That is the law of the land. That is what is reflected in this provision in the Defense Authorization Act. It is reflective of case law issued by our U.S. Supreme Court, which in not only that case but in subsequent cases…

I would agree with the Senator from South Carolina that unfortunately there are threats we face within our own country from homegrown radicalism. But also let's not forget, this amendment, in terms of the military custody, applies to…

I would say to my colleague from South Carolina, when he spoke on the floor he captured the most important part of this; that is, without the amendment we have been debating, we do not even give our military, law enforcement, intelligence…

Yes, this is a very high priority of the Air Force, because in this difficult time when they are making reductions, this is an area where they can meet our national security needs. Yet Congress has actually asked the Air Force to maintain…

I ask unanimous consent that the reading of the amendment be dispensed with. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The amendment is as follows: (Purpose: To exclude cases in which pregnancy is the result of an act of…

Six military commission trials and hundreds of civilian trials of terrorists. I would ask the Senator, did the administration suspend military commission trials for a period of time?

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to set aside the pending amendment and to call up amendment No. 1120. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The clerk will report. The bill clerk read as follows: The Senator…

Yes. Actually, this amendment I am bringing forward is consistent with the administration's budget request they submitted for the Congress's consideration. So this is a situation where, after a careful hearing we had before a subcommittee…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to set aside the pending amendment and call up amendment No. 1065. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection? Without objection, it is so ordered. The clerk will report. The bill clerk read as…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that reading of the amendment be dispensed with. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The amendment is as follows: (Purpose: Relating to the force structure for strategic…

Mr. President, as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and as the ranking member of the Readiness Subcommittee, I wish to speak for a few moments and comment on the National Defense Authorization Act. I will begin by thanking…