Joe Lieberman

The intention of Senator Collins and me to call the Minerals Management Service before our Committee

Of course, the ominous note here--I appreciate hearing that--is that, as you said quite openly and directly, it could take 3 months.

I certainly agree that too much reliance was put on the blowout preventer here.

I hope that you will take a close look at the special requirements for protection that it seems to me we now have all learned have to apply to deep-water drilling, including the blowout preventers, that I fear were not applied by MMS…

But isn't it true that--and, Admiral, I welcome you to come in on this--those kinds of drills were not really to deal with a blowout in a deep-water well?

Surely, this catastrophe should prompt the Administration to reconsider that ill-conceived budget cut.

The only prayer of a chance we have to stop their nuclear program is if they have no doubts about our will, our strength, and our steadfastness.

It is time for our government to name and publish the companies that are investing in Iran.

The facts cry out for us to adopt new legislation.

One of those hostages, Moorhead Kennedy, lives in Maine and is here today. I am very pleased that he is present for this hearing.

We no longer should allow businesses to do both.

There is no greater threat to global security than the Iranian regime's quest for nuclear weapons.

In light of the danger posed by the Iranian nuclear threat, we must take every possible economic, political, and diplomatic measure to demonstrate to Iran's leaders that the price for its nuclear program has simply become too high.

It requires a kind of willing suspension of disbelief to think that the State Department has been investigating this question for 12 years without making a single determination.

Overall the reality is that nothing we have done has, in my opinion, affected at all the onward movement of the Iranian nuclear weapons program.

Rather, it must be the Congress that sets the agenda, identifies the problems, closes the loopholes and guarantees enforcement of the law of the land.

Presidents of both parties have failed to enforce the existing law.

Senator Joe Lieberman today introducing legislation to strip Americans of their citizenship if they're found to be involved in terrorism; critics say the Terrorism Expatriation Act, or the T-Act is unconstitutional.

It is just common sense to give the FBI the authority to keep terror suspects from buying guns and explosives.

I think we have had a good airing of it here today.

So presumably somebody on the No Fly List who came in to purchase a gun----

In other words, it was not legislatively mandated.

I just want to draw attention to something you said, and we will come back to it because it really is important.

To what extent can one conclude that the purchase of a firearm by somebody who is a terrorism suspect and, therefore, on the watchlist may indicate that person is moving to activate, to be operational, to actually carry out a terrorist…

I gather from previous testimony and just hearsay that Attorney General Holder has said he would support such legislation, but I gather that that has not been specifically conveyed to you.