The north must be included because we believe that, aside from the AQIM threat, there is a legitimate concern that people in the north have not benefited the way people in the south have from education, from health care, infrastructure.

I rise today to speak in favor of amendment No. 3262, which I am honored to cosponsor with Senators McCain and Levin. I thank the Senators for their disciplined, diligent, and very strong leadership of this year's NDAA process. This is an…

There are difficult choices for the government there involved between guns versus better types of decisions.

But the suggestion that we should have an area the size of Texas controlled by terrorists who are engaged in drug trafficking, kidnapping, that have had an inflow of some sophisticated weaponry from Libya is to some quite concerning.

I urge the United States to press for a strong human rights component within this military intervention.

The proximate cause of the coup in many ways was a series of military defeats, and the capacity of the Malian Armed Forces is a critical first step.

We should not hold the continued movement toward democracy hostage to the success of the military operations.

I hope that will contribute to an ongoing process of trying to expand the range and scope of testimony included in these hearings.

I don't think that level of resourcing was commensurate with the threat either.

Can we afford to wait what may well be a year for planning, training, assembly of a regional force for the completion of negotiations for a successful election?

We do need to concentrate on decentralization and making connection between government delivery of services and the individual at the community level.

I am honored to chair this hearing for the ambassadorial nominees to serve this Nation in Kenya and Lithuania.