John McCain

If mindless sequestration cuts are allowed to return, the Army will shrink to 420,000 troops, increasing the risk that, in a crisis, we will have too few soldiers who could enter a fight without proper training or equipment.

We can only hope it will not take so long for the administration to realize the conditions on the ground in Afghanistan simply do not warrant a dangerous calendar-driven withdrawal of United States Forces.

I believe that we need to support our troops and ensure they have the resources they need.

I believe that should be known. Yes.

We need to work to ensure that the rhetoric that we use does not play into the hands of ISIS to be used against us as a weapon.

Nothing could be further from the truth. That is not what we are about.

This battle is not against a religion. This battle is against ISIS, plain and simple.

What's happening with regard to U.S. policy? What are we not doing that we should be doing?

It's immoral. If we lose our moral compass, then we're just like every other nation in history.

Where are we satisfied to leave someone in power that has killed 250,000 men, women, and children?

We need to be clear that we stand against this and that we stand with our allies.

The political component in Iraq is paramount importance. We need to deter the influence that the Iranians have with this--with Prime Minister Abadi.

We have to not give up on the plan that Assad must go, because there's no way that the rebels are going to stop fighting until you get some promise that this regime is going to go.

If the object is only ISIS, you're not going to find more than 4 or 5 young men who are willing to fight.

I will never forget your testimony before this committee, with General Petraeus, at a very crucial time in American history.

I think there's--it's a very complex situation and one that requires a lot of understanding.

It is an axiom that there is no military solution to the Syrian conflict.

To ultimately defeat Islamic State and end this terrible conflict, we need to change the political context.

We need to push back. We have managed some important transactions with Iran, but it is not a transformation.

We are not going to get to the table under these current conditions.

It's important politically. It would signal to Sunni Arabs in Syria and beyond that we stand with them against the butchery of Bashar al Assad.

We need to stand clearly, not in the middle of this Cold War, we need to stand on one side of it.

We see a dangerous breakdown of state authority and the balance of power.

We may well remember that we were present at the unraveling of this international order.

Four Americans being united with their families is good news.