Carl Levin

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

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

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

Until the minute you make our security forces self-sufficient. Then you will be welcome to visit us, not as soldiers, but as guests.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

We have heard different arguments or positions about why we can't move faster.

It's essential that they do so.

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

I joined with Senator Lieberman and 13 other Senators in a letter to the President to urge him to support, now, the increase in the end strength levels for the Afghan army and the police to the higher ranges.

One of the most immediate challenges is implementing the President's new civil military strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Do you believe that the realities on the ground in Afghanistan necessitate growing the Afghan National Security Forces beyond the currently planned end strengths?

Our European allies continue to provide the majority of the nearly 35,000 non-U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

The support that our military families provide is critical, and we want to do all that we can to support them.

Will you commit to considering relevant homeland security concerns in the cost-benefit analysis when reviewing the Soo Locks Replacement project?

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

Over $30 million has been allocated to the Soo Lock Replacement project over several years for engineering and design work as well as construction.

Clearly, the Great Lakes are being shortchanged.

Will the Corps' value the benefit of reducing the risk and associated cost of lock failure as a result of a terrorist act, natural disaster, or mechanical failure?

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…

Today, the committee considers a number of nominations for the Department of Defense.