Will you take a look at that downside?

In order to help this committee and the public to understand exactly what happened and why...

Minimizing civilian casualties is part of that, but the economic picture is part of it as well.

This war has to be a war of the Afghan people against those who would try to destroy their country and their hopes and dreams.

I expressed concern in those letters about these steps and I laid out a number of those concerns.

The problem with that answer is that the Attorney General nominee has given us his judgment.

the President is going to sign an order today, apparently today, which will prohibit the intelligence community from using and the CIA from using coercive interrogation methods.

the use of abusive techniques can cost us and harm our security in those ways.

the necessity of speaking truth to power and telling the policymakers what your judgment or assessment is of the facts.

It's essential that they do so.

I want to add my voice to the caution that Senator Webb, I believe, expressed on that.

The Taliban are detested by Afghans who have experienced life under their brutal regime.

If we just pour money into there without the government of Pakistan understanding or agreeing that its principal threat is the threat of extremists, we would be perceived as trying to buy their support for our goals rather than supporting…

the President-elect has made a very strong commitment to openness and transparency in government

dependent care and flexible spending accounts should be evaluated as options . . . to further assist families as well as to build additional incentives for the recruitment and retention of our military personnel.

restoring America's moral leadership globally is essential to our security

a failure in Afghanistan would have, I think, a devastating effect on our efforts to stabilize neighboring nuclear Pakistan.

The security situation in Afghanistan is serious, and the fight with al Qaeda and the Taliban has reached a crucial stage.

I have believed for a long time that the Afghan National Army ought to be placed in the position where it's most needed.

We have a growing number of suicides in all of the Services including the Air Force.

it's possible for us to keep the American people safe, while adhering to our core values and ideals

If something happens which would incapacitate the current lock, there would be severe repercussions throughout the region.

This is not a question of a lack of motivation on the part of the Afghans.

If we take the right steps, we can help ensure that Afghanistan does not revert to a Taliban-dominated government.

I believe that this position would repeat the nearly catastrophic mistakes of Iraq and significantly set back the vital war effort in Afghanistan.