The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, which Senator Lieberman and I co-authored, expanded and strengthened many of these initiatives.

We need to do more to improve our procedures and to guard against security lapses such as this one.

I think it is generally true across the board. It has been quite an impressive upgrade...

Of course, I agree with you, Senator Ensign. I appreciate your line of questioning and what you have just said.

I appreciate that you are on it.

Yes, and obviously this is very important, just to stress the point that I made in offering this question.

the law says that if we do not have this new process put in place for biomatric air exit, no new countries can come in unless they have a visa refusal rate of less than 3 percent, turned down.

I think without making too much of a point of it, even though the Headley case presents challenges to the system or questions about it, the fact is that through quite remarkable work across law enforcement and intelligence, he was…

We are dedicated to protecting the United States.

how to sensitize them to err on the side of caution when they see something that worries them

Thank you very much. That was an excellent opening statement. Obviously, you know about this area and have thought some about it.

the provision that established the Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection Directorate goes to the heart of the weaknesses that have been exposed in our Nation's homeland defenses since September 11, 2001--and that is, the lack…

Thanks very much, Senator Collins, for that very thoughtful statement.

I wanted to ask you if you have thought about how you would use that authority and others to harmonize policies, standards, and processes within the Department in a way that would not only enhance integration but make it more likely that…

this heightened sensitivity, very difficult, I understand, because the data flowing by people and all the components of the Department of Homeland Security and intelligence divisions every day is large

Thanks for your service to the country up until now, and if you are confirmed, obviously, we look forward to working with you as you develop this very important function of the Department, over which we have an oversight responsibility, to…

That is why I believe there is no substitute for victory over the Islamist extremists and terrorists in Afghanistan.

Am I right that, in the policy that the President announced last night, which does begin a transfer of security responsibility of July 2011 to the Afghans, there is no deadline for the end of that transfer; it will be based on conditions…

It does remain important to the American people, indeed the people of the world, that one day Osama bin Laden is either captured or killed or brought to justice.

A war of necessity must not just be fought, it must, of necessity, be won.

I agree with what Senator McCain said, that the President has made the right decision in embracing a counterinsurgency strategy for Afghanistan and resourcing it properly.

I want to ask you, as I read your words today, am I correct in concluding that what will definitely begin in July 2011 is a transfer of security responsibility to the Afghans, but may not include, immediately, a withdrawal of our forces…

It's obvious that he disagrees on the question of the deadline, or whatever one calls it, for July 2011, exit strategy.

We're not just going to throw the Afghans into the pool and run away, until we're sure that they can swim on their own.

The intent of our rules of engagement is always to protect our forces, to never take away from our forces the ability to protect themselves.