04/06/2009
https://www.congress.gov...
"the Kerry-Lugar bill that is I think being considered by the Senate represents the kind of sustained substantial commitment that we're talking about--I think it's 5 years, $1.5 billion."
"There is an unsettling perception in Afghanistan and Pakistan that the U.S. is not in this for the long haul."
"Is it fair to say that we're focused clearly on al Qaeda, but that the success or failure of allied groups in Afghanistan and Pakistan... is also relevant to our security in the world?"
"Just as importantly, I think, was the President's unambiguous political commitment to defeat the Islamist extremists of South Asia."