I believe that the commitment, the political commitment of the Iraqi government to the success of this plan, is probably more important right now than the additional troops.

I think that the questions that have been asked earlier--what is most important in the debate that is occurring up here right now, in my view at least, is the impact that it has on the men and women who are wearing the uniform.

But it seems to me that the bottom line concern that we have to have is that our troops understand that we are committed to them and support them and want to make sure that they have every opportunity to be victorious, to complete the…

What do you think the consequences should be if the Iraqi Government fails to step up and follow through on its promises?

I think the real opportunity here for Congress to have a say in this, if they wanted to, would be with respect to the purse and the power that we have in terms of appropriations.

If thought were being given to the effect on the troops and the conditions on the ground in Iraq, I do not think you would probably see as many of these resolutions floating around here on Capitol Hill.

You mentioned some of the things, ethnic cleansing, other countries interfering, terrorist groups moving in, disruptions in the flow of oil.

Sectarian-motivated violence now inhibits political progress, effective governance, and economic development.

Thank you all very much for your service to our country and your willingness to take on new and additional responsibilities.

I am very concerned about the mixed messages that are sent by statements that are made here, not so much again as they are directed to constituencies back in the States, but more importantly what impact that has on the men and women who…

What I would like to share with you are some concerns I've heard from my constituents regarding TRICARE and customer satisfaction.

I just think that this whole debate really is about American energy. It's about getting away from our dependence upon foreign sources of energy.