Tom Carper: “I would like to step back for a few minutes and reflect on the debate that occurred here a few nights ago with respect…”

“I would like to step back for a few minutes and reflect on the debate that occurred here a few nights ago with respect to the war in Iraq. One of the things I like to do is to try to see if we can't find consensus--rather than just disagreeing on issues, to try to find ways to bring us together. I have been reflecting a good deal on that debate. I had an opportunity, along with two of our colleagues, Senator Ben Nelson and Senator Mark Pryor, to have a breakfast meeting with Secretary Gates at the Pentagon earlier this week. That was the first time I had ever had a chance to spend any personal time with Secretary Gates, who came to us as one of the people who served on the Iraq Study Group. You may recall that, Mr. President, he served there for most of its time and has been president of Texas A&M. He served in a number of leadership posts here in earlier administrations and was a senior official in intelligence. He is a very bright, able guy and also of very good heart, someone who, over breakfast with us, was remarkably candid in his observations, not someone who tried to sugar-coat what is going on in Iraq but who just was as honest and forthright with us. That was enormously refreshing.”