Jim Inhofe

While I believe it is time to bring this 35 year old statute into the 21st century, it is also important that we do it right, and I am sure that this is a good start in that, Mr. Chairman.

The parties that are now inside the political process--including the three largest blocs: Iraqiyya, the National Alliance, and the Kurdish Alliance--seem willing to resolve even the most contentious disputes through a constitutional and…

U.S. and Iraqi negotiations on a possible residual U.S. force presence in Iraq after December of this year stalled over Iraq's unwillingness to grant U.S. troops immunity from Iraqi courts.

I think that is right. Do you agree with that, General McKinley?

I worry that we will lose the one, single voice that has driven us here if we move forward.

While there may be differences, and there obviously are, that is what democracy is all about.

Earlier this week, our Oklahoma 45th helped in capturing Bari Ali, a mid-level insurgent leader in Afghanistan.

I have very close friends in Oklahoma 45th, they weren't deployed until July, and yet we have lost 14 of our people over there.

I think the greatest trust that is placed upon Congress by the American people is to provide for their security and maintain a strong national defense.

We must fully integrate our Active and Reserve components so they can seamlessly execute any mission this country asks them to do.

I would like to, and I would be happy to yield the floor to anyone else who comes to offer an amendment, if the Senator would alert me to that.

I only want to say that I agree with everything the Senator from Arizona is saying in terms of the bridges. I have fought for the bridges and highways. I have tried my best to get rid of all the enhancements--all of them. But to have an…

I would ask the Chair how much time I have remaining. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. No time is remaining.

I think the appropriate time is here. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Oklahoma.

Well, let me clarify. It doesn't make any difference to the Senator from Arizona or to me how much time I have. I need to have about 5 minutes to clarify a couple of things.

It is my understanding that the last 10 minutes would be equally divided, but perhaps the Senator from Arizona has already used maybe 2 of those minutes. Is that correct? I just want to be recognized for, say, 6 minutes in opposition. The…

I have a parliamentary inquiry. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Oklahoma.

During the time that I was Mayor of Tulsa, I was mayor for three terms.

Oklahoma City, any objective person would look at Oklahoma City and say, they have really done great things.

I appreciate that, this day when we are talking about billions and trillions, this is nothing.

I think, Mr. Chairman, we ought to really look seriously at that and see what obstacles are there to keep us from doing that and maybe correct it.

It is my hope that we don't' turn this successful program around into a program to enhance green technology and all this stuff.

This will be a shock to a lot of you out there, and I hate to do it at this time in the morning, but Frank Lautenberg and I don't always agree.

I appreciate that. And Mr. Chairman, I have nothing against professional grant writers.

I am trying to think of ways that we might be able to, without expanding the funding for the program, get more from it.