In your view, does establishing an executive agent impact the legal responsibilities and authorities of the various Services, specifically in relation to acquisition management?

I wish General Petraeus the very best.

You were a young officer following our defeat in the Vietnam War. Would you contemplate the effects of defeat in Iraq as compared with an additional, very difficult strain on our men and women in the military who are having to serve more…

I think we have arrived at a point where in fact we do need to help them a bit more in providing security.

You are being asked to square the circle, to find a military solution to a political crisis.

But we did so in response to the President's comments to the Nation on the 10th of this month, and I read from his transcript:

This hearing is on whether or not this officer has the professional credentials to fulfill this assignment requested by the President of the United States.

It is terribly unfair what you are being asked to do and what our military is being asked to do...

What I, speaking for myself, am attempting to do is to send a very clear message to the Iraqi government.

I have been quite gratified to hear all the positive references to Bosnia in this hearing.

I worry that the strategy that we are about to pursue in this country relieves pressure on the Iraqis to do what must be done.

I very sincerely but wholeheartedly disagree with those who are trying to once again up the rhetoric about our position in Iraq.

I see nothing coming from this administration that it is willing to pursue such a policy now.

the consequences of failure really I believe will be, some would say could be, disastrous for the United States, for Iraq, for the Middle East, for the war on terrorism, and for the world economy.

Are we at that number, that 1 to 50 ratio? Are we there? Will we be there with the surge?

I hope that you will take our suggestions in the spirit of not trying to embolden the enemy, but to conscientiously point out where we can take actions to save lives, and particularly those of our American GIs.

If you can help us measure how we are moving toward victory, if you can give us objective criteria...

I think every member of this committee--and I know every one of them well, on that side of the aisle, on this side of the aisle, having had the privilege of occupying that chair for some 6 years--we are not a division here today of…