Lindsey Graham

Wars are about winning and losing.

I think we need to continue to, certainly, make a point of that in every forum that we have...

Is it pretty clear that elements of the Iranian Government are actively involved in killing American soldiers?

So, it's your belief that Iran is trying to, basically, drive us out of Iraq so they would, I guess, be a winner, if we left?

I believe that is all we have. The reason we are not sending 31,500 is we just cannot get them.

The point I am trying to make is it is clear to me that we have never had the force levels to be claiming we have been fighting a counterinsurgency.

Could I go to Fallujah tomorrow? Could I go downtown to Fallujah tomorrow as a Senator?

The public is going to break against us big time.

Senator Graham, this is not double down; this is all in.

This is the last best chance and the question is, the last hand to be played, should you play it?

This is our last best chance to get this right.

From the Iranian point of view, do you consider, based on what you know now, that the Iranian involvement in Iraq is counterproductive to developing a democracy in Iraq?

So, we need to develop along three fronts: a better rule of law, a better economy, and a better security environment.

If he said he needed more, you would support him?

General Petraeus said that a resolution passed by Congress disapproving of the mission that he's about to embark on, in his opinion, would be detrimental to morale.

I agree, we're not seeking a military victory in Iraq, we're trying to turn around the situation, in terms of security.

I think these issues are being discussed in the political realm, and I'd prefer to keep them there.

If the person down the street who was caught putting an IED in the ground to kill Iraqi troops and American troops, if they went to jail for 30 years or got executed that might deter IEDs.

So if you could improve the economy and have jobs available to people other than being in the IED business, hopefully that over time would help.

Can you have a functioning democracy where the capital itself is not secure?

So if there is a bloodbath in Baghdad, are we going to sit on the sidelines and watch it happen? Is that in our national interest?

One of the biggest nightmares of the dictatorship in Syria and the theocracy in Iran is to have a functioning democracy in Iraq. It threatens their regimes.

IEDs, that is the biggest threat to our troops. 70 percent of our casualties are from IEDs, is that correct?

If you think it is Vietnam, if you really believe we are in Vietnam, you should cut off funding.

I think there is really no telling what could happen if Iraq fails.