Gerry Connolly

Something's wrong with that picture.

But I think it is important for all of you to also keep in mind that in this Congress, unfortunately, there is a clear agenda against the mission of EPA.

It is very hard for us I think culturally to understand, outside of brainwashing, how can a culture, how can a village, how can large numbers of people being recruited elsewhere be so susceptible to such a barbaric, suppressive message and…

I find it ironic that we are recruiting with 21st century Western social media. We are recruiting foot soldiers for a ninth century caliphate.

I am just so horrified, frankly, at the details of this hearing.

It is easy to compromise someone else's autonomy when I objectify them as apostate or 'the other.'

I introduced H.R. 3231, the Federal Intern Protection Act.

Walking away from this agreement, you need to take responsibility for the consequences to Israel.

I find a lot of fiction involved, the willing suspension of disbelief, in some of the criticism of this agreement.

I think there are some lessons from North Korea. One was we decided consciously to not engage, and we paid a very heavy price for that.

We cannot minimize or ignore the consequences of no. We cannot pretend that the alternative isn't fraught with danger as well.

Very difficult. So actually the damage to our credibility could be quite consequential, not minimal.

What do you think the consequences would be next time we said we want to lead a negotiation on Subject X with anybody?

I really hope we recalibrate and try to diffuse the politics here.

I think that is a problem, and I think it has to be addressed.

What is U.S. interest? That is what we ought to be talking about, and we ought to be hard-nosed about it.

If we want to delineate this as just another political contest up here, then we have to be willing to say U.S. national security interest be damned.

We need both. We need to be able to walk and chew gum at the same time, and we need leadership that can do the same.

You can't have temporary leadership forever.

I think we have arrived to the point where there are now three crises that have to be managed and can't be ignored.

A real confidence-building measure from Congress' point of view.

I think sometimes it is forgotten how Metro actually is organized and paid for.

But that lack of communication is directly related to a management structure, how Metro is organized.

I mean, after everything we're talking about, after four studies going on, the idea that somebody--that we wouldn't put operations as central to the mission of a new general manager boggles the mind.

I think when we look at the proposed pending agreement, it is a balancing act for the United States.