Roland Burris

Which American contracting companies are supporting the training of the ANP?

Now, in terms of just for clarification, General, on the drawdown dates, what little I know about the military, I heard one of our distinguished Senators ask about whether they were going to start withdrawing the first troops on that date.

We will not transfer responsibility to the Afghans until they have the capacity to manage the situation on their own.

I have been given great flexibility by the President and the Secretary of Defense in determining the composition of the additional 30,000 forces.

Unfortunately. Mr. Ambassador, we must learn the language of the natives and they will accept us better when we can speak their language.

I just came back from Iraq and had a very interesting visit there, and I'm encouraged by what has taken place in Iraq.

Are we working, not only on the military side, but also on the resource side, with the locals where, because of the divisions of that country and all the different ethnicities, the locals are really in charge?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

We are not an occupation force. Afghans must take primary responsibility for defending their own country and prepare to do so with a sense of purpose and urgency.

The responsible drawdown of troops in Iraq continues forward as planned.

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) estimated that each additional soldier deployed to Afghanistan will cost $1 million. Is this estimate accurate?

The President stated that a responsible withdrawal of troops will begin in summer 2011.

An effective and continuous diplomatic effort is key to progress for the Afghan Government, and an effective ambassadorial team is critical to facilitating that progress.

Overall development of the Afghan economy appears to be at a standstill.

Are we aiming to meet the projected numbers established by March 2009 goals of 134,000 ANA and 82,000 ANP, or levels recommended by General McChrystal of 240,000 ANA and 160,000 ANP?

When will we reach our goal numbers for the ANA and ANP?

The U.S. policy on Iraq has not changed; we are committed to fulfilling our responsibility.

A key tenet of General McChrystal's strategy is partnering with the Afghan security forces in order to help them build capacity and assume lead security responsibility as quickly and as successfully as possible.

I understand that many of the troop-contributing nations for Afghanistan have placed very specific caveats on what missions and what type of support that they will provide.

Does this OMB cost estimate include any contractor support?

I find this Simply Unacceptable!

But there is no law that says he has to even appoint a Secretary of State. Am I correct?

I have been a constitutional and political science student. I mean, this is Political Science 101 or maybe Political Science 1000.

I do not know whether or not we want to have a weak President who is going to kowtow to Congress or a weak Congress who is going to let a President run all over us.

It is unconscionable. It is unacceptable.