We've got to be more realistic in our foreign policy. We've got to know what we can do to affect, positively, the world and what we cannot do.

The administration may have postponed Iran's nuclear programs, but this has come at the cost of unshackling Iranian power and ambition.

This should be yet another lesson, as if we needed it, that diplomacy in the absence of leverage is a recipe for failure.

McCain, Senator John

But we must ask ourselves are we doing everything we can for them. Are we serving them with a similar degree of courage in the performance of our duties? The answer I say with profound sadness is we are not.

We have got a lot of issues, but I appreciate the fact that you have outlined for this committee and I hope for the American people the necessity of us addressing these challenges.

Considering the additional acquisition authorities Congress provided the Service Chiefs in the Fiscal Year 2016 National Defense Authorization Act, and is proposing in the Fiscal Year 2017 NDAA, what specific actions will you take…

To move forward with any certainty, the threat of sequestration must be eliminated.

Through it all, we lose sight of the fact that the dysfunction of Washington has very real consequences for the thousands of Americans serving in uniform and sacrificing on our behalf all around the Nation and the world.

Far too often, Washington is governed by crisis and stop-gap deals like continuing resolutions, omnibus spending bills, and episodic budget agreements that are a poor substitute for actually doing our jobs.

These people are saying they want to cross the line and die for their country.