Bill Clinton: “Well, they were sending us a signal. We've got a lot of people retiring, and we're having trouble meeting some of our…”

“Well, they were sending us a signal. We've got a lot of people retiring, and we're having trouble meeting some of our recruitment quotas. Now, part of that is a high-class problem; it's a result of the success of the American economy. And with the unemployment rate under 4.5 percent, wages rising at twice the rate of inflation now for the last couple of years, there are so many compelling opportunities for young people outside the military that it's harder to recruit and retain. We see it in Air Force pilots, but we also see it in enlistees in the Navy and the Army. We see it across the board. So it's obvious to me that we need to raise pay, and we needed to fix that so-called retirement redux problem, you know, that I believe the Congress will go along with fixing this year. Mrs. Cohen. Sir, with all due respect, you offered the highest budget proposal in a long time--ever. But is it enough when you talk about the things we're asking of them to do? They're at the tip of the sword. I don't know how much money anybody could pay me to get me, at a moment's notice, to go to Bosnia and stay there and leave my family.”