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

I think this behavior, if it is targeted to exploit soldiers is absolutely reprehensible.

I think that is a correct assessment, there may be some winners and losers.

Do you anticipate difficulties as you move from a discretionary program to a formula program?

Also, I think it is shortsighted, given the need for transit in our Nation and across our country.

One final comment that I would like to make is to express my disappointment that the President's budget requested $100 million less than the amount authorized in SAFETEA-LU for transit projects.

The Senate fought hard to ensure that there was an 80/20 split in funding for transportation and transit projects and this cut, I believe, violates the spirit.

The change of policy that we call for is significant. The administration's policy to date, that we will be there for as long as Iraq needs us, will result in Iraq's depending upon us longer.

This amendment is not cut and run. This is not about a date certain. This is about getting the president to do the job correctly, something he's failed to do for the last three years and three months.

A fixed deadline would not, I think, be in the best interests of the United States.

I was disappointed. The president relied too much upon rhetoric, upon a laundry list of tasks accomplished, but not a coherent view of where we are realistically and where we must go to succeed.

It does look like we are recovering jobs, but those jobs seem to not have the same wages and earnings of previous jobs that were lost, and that is a significant issue.