He should not be satisfied. I don't know one single piece of significant advice that Secretary Rumsfeld has given the president that has turned out to be correct.

No, I'm not. And I met with him. I told him I wasn't.

We set out benchmarks. We tried to get them to accept benchmarks a year-and-a-half ago, and the president called it cutting and running. Now the president is calling for benchmarks.

But you've got to do something about these militia. And so far I see no -- no real strategy.

I still don't see a strategy for victory in Iraq.

There is no military solution to the problems we face in Iraq.

I think it's a failure of both leadership and policy. And I think, you know, one of the things you've got to look at, 99 percent of our troops over there, these are guys and women who are doing God's work. They're working hard. They're…

I think the secretary of defense should go. I don't think he should be in his office this morning.

Absolutely positively.

Look, our whole reason they taught as a nation, is that we have a value set that is different from the rest of the world in that we hold ourselves accountable, accountable to decency.

Look, I don't -- I don't know whether it would be writing discrimination into the Constitution. But it doesn't warrant the Constitution.

I can't imagine the American people wouldn't rather us be debating Iraq, and what we do about Iraq, debating Iran, debating whether or not we're going to have an energy policy, debating the things that are on the kettle now.

It seems to me it's designed to avoid debating energy policy, designed to avoid pointing out that we have not met the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission and Homeland Security.

Look, marriage is between a man and a woman. Tell me why that has to be put in the Constitution now?

Think about how many -- how few days we're going to be in session this year. And name me a year we have more problems facing the country.

It's an election year. Look, I mean, we have already passed a law saying that -- and the Defense of Marriage Act, defining marriage between a man and a woman. No one has challenged it. It's a federal law. And now we're talking about a…

This is -- this is -- it's kind of silly.

Absolutely none in my mind.

every day we see more evidence that this economy is not working for millions of Americans. One troubling trend is the growing divide between rich and poor the widening gap in income inequality and the distribution of wealth in our country…

We saw Joe Biden try to float one of those earlier this week on Iraq. They can't be the party of no forever.

I apologize. I have been misinformed. I must call up, first, amendment No. 3717, and second degree that amendment with amendment No. 3855. That is my unanimous consent request. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

Well, I am. Although I may speak long, I speak seldom. But this is very important to me and to our country. I want to make sure, whether people agree or disagree with my proposal, they understand it. And if they disagree, they know why…

I thank the Chair. I assume unanimous consent was granted. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Will the Senator suspend for just a moment while we sort out the technical issues?

I have a simple proposition I am going to present to the floor. Although on a supplemental we cannot change tax policy--we all know the blue slip rule, and to use the jargon my friend, the chairman of the committee, understands better than…

as I understand the state of play on the floor--I have been at meetings--it is that I should withhold offering any amendment now. But I am going to speak to an amendment I will be offering during the debate on the emergency supplemental…