Political Quotes

“it's not working. This policy is not working. That's why we want to change direction. I mean, it is one thing to stand here and rhetorically say it's working, say there's progress to make statements. Because the White House says it? Because the Pentagon says it? Let me tell you, the Pentagon wrote and said, ``Further, the lack of timely supplemental funds has limited the Department's ability to properly contract for the reconstitution of equipment for both the active and reserve forces.'' We put extra money in the budget, $17 billion last year. There wouldn't have been any money in the budget to reset. We have no strategic reserve. Our National Guard has only 40 percent of the equipment they need. They can't respond to a national disaster. As a matter of fact, the National Guard in this country couldn't be deployed overseas. The active duty American Armed Forces could not be deployed overseas because we have no strategic reserve. This war has been mishandled. We need accountability. We had a hearing on contracting today, and I have been studying this contracting. Some of the accusations are that the contractors, there's 126,000 contractors in Iraq. We have approximately 140,000 troops there and 126,000 contractors. Now, imagine this. Some of them are making or being paid $600 a day, the contractors, and no accountability. It took us 2 weeks to find out who those contractors were, what they were doing.”