These are magnificent young men and women that are doing the job of soldiering in the United States Army, but they can only take so much.

Do you see any progress on that front? If there is not progress on that front, how do we address the needs of reconstruction?

this strategy of a surge I think is probably compromised by the same factors.

I just fear that you're going to be placed in an impossible situation.

I have seen reports, news reports, that were broadcast by al Zawahiri, that basically suggested that, they see us as being trapped in Iraq.

One of my concerns is that there are military occupation specialties which are less stressful in some cases than being an infantry squad leader or an armored platoon leader, cavalry squad leader, et cetera.

the cancer is militias, both Sunni and Shia.

Your appointment represents a devastating critique of the national security apparatus of this White House.

Well, then he should be fired, because, frankly, if he's not capable of being the individual responsible for those duties and they've passed it on to someone else, then why is he there? That's my view.

the effect of our operations or the perception of our operations at least initially would be that we are conducting generally attacks against Sunni forces.

Well, we're clearly not winning. And we're in danger of losing in Iraq, unless we take dramatic action, unless the president takes dramatic action.

A third of our brigades in the United States are reporting non-deployable because of personnel and equipment shortages.