I just hope that as we discuss it you'll recognize first that Congress has made the decision, it's not yours to make.

The community is up in arms over this decision.

There's still some uncertainty about it. I just hope, Mr. Secretary, sometimes DOD has to defend its legitimate interest in the internal bureaucracies that are out there.

I remain deeply, deeply troubled by the process that resulted in this dramatic alteration of the RFP for the KC-X tanker aircraft.

Secretary Mabus and Admiral Roughead, do you feel this is a mishandling of the draft RFP and could serve as a potential area of protest?

I know you have gotten pressure from Congress on that.

It seems to me that we may be desperate enough, we may have to take some chances with leaders we believe are pretty good local leaders, and see if we can't support them.

Good leadership is important, it does make a difference, and you're providing that.

If the pending tanker RFP fails to result in a real competition, meaning at least two teams decide to bid, then we really do not have a competition.

You've confronted the cost. My criticism to you and Mr. Stackley was you emphasized cost so much that maybe you weren't evaluating which ship had the greatest capabilities.

Will you look at it? That's all I'm asking.

So you believe that?

I strongly believe we don't need to abandon our leadership in space; and second, there may be ways in which we can recognize this symbiotic relationship between NASA and DOD.

Secretary Gates, can you assure us there will not be a break in production for the GBI until DOD determines how many GBIs are needed for testing and stockpile reliability over the life of the system, as per section 233 of the NDAA for…

I would certainly agree that every dollar, every penny needs to be spent wisely.

Medicare and Social Security are on an insolvency trajectory that is very real.

Understates it. Do you agree with that, Dr. Johnson?

A contingent liability of this magnitude--an avoidable one--I mean, these other--reforming Medicare, obviously, is a huge conversation.

But, of course, you cannot simultaneously use that money to fund a new program and also extend the life of Medicare.

As I have come to realize, the actuarial unsoundness of Medicare and Social Security, you really cannot do that.

That money, that is the public debt.

It seemed to be, and this word leaked out, that deficits don't matter.

When I came here, I kind of acquiesced into the idea that public debt, well, we will just argue over it as a base, the public debt, and use those numbers.

I believe we have a culture, a history, a heritage of limited government and we have accelerated our debt situation through a number of bad decisions.

I saw Ron Paul on the television this morning. He said we are spending a trillion dollars to defend an empire.