Joe Lieberman

We are looking at our CENTCOM footprint.

Diplomacy without military force behind it is like music without instruments.

That would be a 'normal' relationship.

I think I would just leave that question because it is an answer that is going to be spelled out in our negotiations with them.

The failure to reach agreement or the inability to reach agreement, causing the total withdrawal of our troops at the end of this year, was not a success but a failure.

I was really interested in your answer to Senator McCain, and I appreciate it because I know it is the truth, that no military commander, including yourself, recommended zero troops, American troops, there after January 1.

The expectation was that a residual force would remain at the expiration of the SOFA at the end of this year, 2011.

The problem had more to do with the administration's unwillingness or inability, or both, on more than one occasion to provide the Iraqis with a clear position on what our government wanted.

We have been concerned... about the fact that Iran over the course of the war has been training and equipping extremist groups...

I have heard from friends in Iraq, Iraqis, that Prime Minister Maliki said at one point he needed to stop the negotiations.

I intend to support your nomination.

Today, as Senator Cardin made clear, we are considering the nomination of Roslyn Mazer to serve as Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security.

I am not sure what is broken that we need to fix. We have a good system going now.

This adds another voice into that mix that, frankly, I don't believe we need.

Would you say that that is one of the major reasons why you support putting the CNGB on the Joint Chiefs?

There is a lot of support here in Congress, but obviously, there is a lot of opposition in the military.

I am a member of the Jim Inhofe open-minded caucus because I am undecided.

Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to submit a statement in support of this important legislation, the Coltsville National Historical Park Act.

I think we have the majority and we have to find a vehicle to get this through.

You cannot share information if you cannot get information.

The system really worked brilliantly and the men and women in the field did exactly what they were supposed to do.

I do not think there is another country in the world that could have done it as well as we did.

Thanks, Senator Pryor.

These two programs have always had broad bipartisan support, and I hope we can come to a point in actually adopting the 2012 budget where we continue to have that broad bipartisan support.

The House in the fiscal year 2012 Homeland Security Appropriations bill would reduce funding for these two programs from a total $810 million this year way down to $350 million next year.