Roland Burris: “So that means that when it hits the battlefield we don't have our warriors out there with equipment that's failing or…”

So you could then withdraw one battalion or a squadron can go home and say, 'well, now we've started our withdrawal,' and then we halt it to see because we don't know what the conditions are?

But how do you reconcile that with, we will begin to assess it?

In July 2011 we believe--I am comfortable it is his intent we start to reduce the overall number of U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

Although we do not always agree, as the debate on this floor will often show, I am always struck by the passion that drives each and every Senator to stand in this singular place in the world and to speak their mind. It is this passion…