Carl Levin

I too think that your suggestion is an excellent one and it's very consistent with the approach that Senator Lieberman and I have advocated on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

I so want to appreciate the fact that you have collectively recognized the very effective and loyal service of thousands of Muslims.

Religious tolerance does not mean tolerance for violence and extremism.

I couldn't agree with you more. Sometimes views that are clearly either inherently violent or promote violence are dressed up in religious clothing.

I would take 2 seconds just to say that I disagree with your comments about Middle Easterners and Muslims and the implications of those comments.

I think that is along the lines of what we were proposing as well.

It would have been a very large number eligible to come in.

Do we share information with Great Britain or other EU countries as to who is on their lists?

This was an automatic process.

But should he not have access to the TIDE list?

I understand. This was a regular routine process that----

That is sort of instinctively troubling, is it not?

How many people were recommended for the watchlist the way he was by our embassy that were not added to the watchlist?

So would your agent in Amsterdam----

I want to commend this Committee on the expeditious way in which you do handle nominations.

I commend a remark of President George H.W. Bush while making a donation in the Oval Office during Desert Storm.

One request is that not just my statement, but that a letter from the Governor of the State of Michigan to the Attorney General of the State of Michigan be incorporated into the record.

Limiting the movement of live bighead carp will lower the risk of an introduction of these fish into the Great Lakes.

The best chance that we have against invasive species is prevention.

The Asian carp would dramatically change the fishery make-up of the Great Lakes.

As a Senator from a Great Lakes State, I have seen up close the consequences of allowing aquatic invasive species to enter our waters.

This classification of high risk, unacceptable risk justifies mitigation to control negative effects and means--and these are the key words--bighead carp are organisms of major concern for the United States.

We simply are asking the committee, subcommittee then committee in the Senate and Congress then to do is to make sure that the bighead variety of the Asian carp is prohibited.

The area you described I know up close and personal being a Representative or Senator now from a Great Lakes State just how these invasive species can do massive damage to our environment and to our lakes.

The President's plan emphasizes protecting the Afghan people consistent with the recommendations in General McChrystal's assessment.