Claire McCaskill

It seems to me that one of the things that makes it easier to prosecute these cases in Congress is that it is much clearer what is a public record and what is not.

I think that would be important because we do not want to start a whole new book of precedent.

I think we need to expand the covered information because we need to also talk about regulatory action, grants.

I think we have a significant amount of problems out there with the public right now.

There have been thousands of earmarks done for research and development into certain types of technology, and a great deal of that technology has worked itself into the marketplace.

I am cosponsoring legislation for a permanent moratorium on earmarks.

I think 90 days is obviously way too long, and we do have a measure of transparency now.

We have too many lap dogs and not enough Doberman Pinschers.

This is a great hearing and we have to stay on this because this is part of the contracting debacle that is a lack of accountability.

I think it is a mistake to back off on the mandatory suspension.

I want to thank all of you, and I want to particularly thank the two Senators for allowing me to do this.

It seems to me criminal activity is a logical place to begin that.

Should we not just make that a rule? Is that not just a good standard for us to have?

Secretary Panetta, can you discuss what efforts the administration took to secure legal immunity for U.S. forces, if a decision to extend some forces in Iraq had been achieved?

The United States' commitment to the future of the region is enduring.

I want to make sure we are using some common sense here.

I don't want anyone to misinterpret. Sometimes I--my sarcasm gets me trouble on this committee because people take things out of context.

The administration of President George W. Bush signed an agreement with the Government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki that provided for the continued presence of U.S. combat forces in Iraq.

The Iraqi Government made clear that it desires a strong relationship with the United States.

Iraq will be vulnerable to Iranian influence once U.S. forces depart Iraq.

Do you believe the Iraqi Parliament would have passed a new SOFA with the United States that provided the types of legal protections to U.S. servicemembers granted under the current SOFA?

Secretary Panetta, what obstacles did the administration face in attempting to secure such immunity?

I think teens raise distinct issues than younger children, where the parent really controls or should control their interaction and their release of data.

The question is who should be doing it? And I'm trying to keep you guys focused on this huge body of work you have without beginning other areas that typically you have not gone in.

If our troops were to stay in Iraq past the December 31 deadline, they would likely be involved in combat without protections from Iraqi laws.