. > >> this week on a "newsmakers," senator carl levin. >> this week, the senate voted not to proceed with the repeal of the 1993 don't ask/don't tell law, which bars openly gay people from serving in the military. there is now a freestanding repeal of the don't ask/don't tell law. people are asking how that will happen. amendment to other proposals in the government? >> harry reid will use rule 14 which will put that directly on the calendar. then he will try to bring up the calendar. i think he wants to try that. he very much supports the repeal. i think that is probably the best for to do it. " again, that is subject to filibuster. -- again, that is subject to filibuster. the don't ask/don't tell as part of the defense bill. setting the policy in place was authorityhe defense of 4 bill. >> to do not sound optimistic, chairman? >> filibusters in the senate take a lot of time. i hope we can get it done one way or another. we will certainly try hard enough with the defense authorization bill. but the filibuster's but that bill in jeopardy. was long enough that it is a big help to clim

senator carl levin had a very interesting observation on the president in a recent review. take a look. >> that's the problem is that i don't see that kind of a willingness to fight that hard where he will take that kind of a position and that's what's necessary. the senate and the house -- these are test of wills. >> now senator levin is not a television host or a talk show host or a columnist, he's a longtime united states senator and if he thinks that president obama isn't fighting hard enough we've got to bring this president home again, don't we? we've got to bring him home, liberals, and get back to the progressive values that got him elected and that the white house better start making nice with the real base fast because 2012 is just around the corner. joining me now is roy sekoff founding editor of "the huffington post." roy, this is going to be done with. it'll be an issue, the tax issue, will move on into 2011. but what's the aftermath in all of this and what, in looking forward, what are the rocks in the road, in your opinion? >> ed, i feel like i'm a divorce gu

. >>> carl levin thinks president obama is not fighting hard enough. >>> and i have a message for the fence sitting no label folks. that crew is coming up in the playbook. >>> welcome back to "the ed show." the "battleground" story tonight, where is the tea party outrage against this tax cut deal? where the heck are they? i thought they were deficit hawks. the tax cut deal is going to cost $900 billion. i mean, we're going to have to borrow over $400 billion from china to do this deal and we're learning today it's going to tank the country's credit rating. moody says, "the package will be credit negative for the u.s. and increase the likelihood of the negative outlook on the u.s. government's aaa rating during the next two years." so i want to know, where's the tea party outrage? their silence is deafening, isn't it? where are the marches? where are the rallies? you know, come to think of it, where the heck is glenn beck on this? i mean, this is what it used to look like when the rally was against spending. but folks, take a look at this. here's the mall. here's what it looked like to

. >>> carl levin thinks president obama is not fighting hard enough. >>> and i have a message for theel folks. that crew is coming up in the playbook. [ sneezes ] you're up next. yeah. aww...that oj needs alka-seltzer plus. fast powder packs are a taste-free fizz-free way to transform your drink into a powerful cold fighter! there's a cold front moving in, but relief is on the way. both cost the same, but only the pringles superstack can makes everything pop! ♪ hey [ male announcer ] same cost but a lot more fun. everything pops with the pringles superstack can! >>> welcome back to "the ed show." the "battleground" story tonight, where is the tea party outrage against this tax cut deal? where the heck are they? i thought they were deficit hawks. the tax cut deal is going to cost $900 billion. i mean, we're going to have to borrow over $400 billion from china to do this deal and we're learning today it's going to tank the country's credit rating. moody says, "the package will be credit negative for the u.s. and increase the likelihood of the negative outlook on the u.s. government's aa

(applause) i want to thank joe lieberman (applause) and susan collins (applause), and i think carl levin's is still working (laughter) but no one had hii want to mention him (applause) i am so proud of susan davis (applause), (cheering). a guy you might know marty frank (applause) they kept up the fight in the house and i have to a knowledge patrick murphy (inaudible) (cheering) (applause). i also wanted commend all military leaders. ending don't ask don't tell what the topic in my first meeting with secretary gates at rumble mullin and joint chiefs (applause) we talked about how to amend this policy. we talked about how success in passing in implementing the change depended on working closely with the pentagon that's what we did. two years later am confident history will remember well. the courage, vision, of secretary gates of (applause). of (applause) of admiral who spoke from our heart (cheering) and said he what he believed was right (applause). car right the joint chiefs and deputy secretary william lyon who his here (applause) the authors of the review who did an outstanding and a (

we'll talk to the chairman of the senate armed service committee carl levin and key republican senator lindsey graham. then, we'll bring in republican senator jeff sessions and democratic senator amy klobuchar for a round table on what to expect from the new congress. i'll have a final word on the holidays and why they seem to get here faster and faster. but first, congress and how it finally did something on "face the nation." captioning sponsored by cbs "face the nation" with cbs news chief washington correspondent bob schieffer. and now from washington, bob schieffer. >> schieffer: good morning again. we start with senator levin and senator graham. they're both in the studio with us this morning. gentlemen, welcome. just because i like to say this, let's start with start. every living former secretary of state, democrat and republican, says this should be ratified. this morning on another channel, senator biden or vice president biden said he believes that they have the support to ratify this. that means 67 votes. i'm going to start with you, senator graham. do you think the vice pr

carl levin advocates -- carl levin is the reason we had the don't ask, don't tell debate in the armed services committee. everyone knows if he had not done that, we would not be here today. joe lieberman, i appreciate his advocacy in helping bring the few republicans in. i appreciate those few republicans. we could not have done it without them. they are brave in doing so with the pressure they have received on these issues. we are going to hear from the president of the human rights campaign. aubrey is the executive director of the services member's legal defense fund. we are going to hear from a discharged airforce member. >> i do not have much to add except thank you for your leadership. without your commitment to get don't ask, don't tell repealed, this would not have happened today. you realized we had the votes. you said this was too important. you thought culture and brought it to a vote. i also want to join you in thanking my chairman on the armed services committee and my colleagues. i almost said moe. your dad was here in 1976. senator mark udall. i want to thank the republi

host: our conversation with senator carl levin is coming up after "washington journal." we go live t the phone. week.walk through the what do you expect in the senate? there are a number of key issues that could potentially, if they reach the senate floor. guest: on monday, you will have a vote on the tax-cut package that was unveiled last week which is controversial. it is controversial on the democratic side. there are possibly a few deck -- republicans who might vote against it. once that vote happens on monday, that is a test of both of you have a final vote later in the week, probably on tuesday, sending it to the house. what happens with the rest of the we could very well depend on how that tax cut bill is perceived by the house. will the house ultimately cave or will they try to amend it or cut a deal on other bills before they actually tet -- pass the tax package? will nancy pelosi hold it at her desk as a bargaining chip for the rest of the session? there are various scenarios that could happen. keep in mind that the other big bill that must pass this week -- th

senator carl levin, chairman of the armed services committee has said we're going to drive through on this despite tepid support from other elements at times. senator mark udall of colorado has been fantastic on this. but you know who really deserves to be recognized and thanked? are the staff of these senators and members of congress. senator lieberman's staff has been absolutely phenomenal. senator udall's staff has been absolutely phenomenal and no one would know that because they're not out there talking on camera. but they're the unsung heroes. >> i hope we set some precedent there. explain why if this doesn't come together for some reason and i would -- if i was going to bet on why it wouldn't, some arcain senate procedural quirk that none of us even know about right now, why is it so important it happen now? >> well, i think we're sort of at a critical point right now where we have the pentagon report out saying that here's the road map, it can be done, we have a unique legislative situation set up for next year where, you know, of course the house is under the control of one p

[applause] and i think carl levin is still working. [laughter] but i want to add carl levin. they held their shoulders to the wheel in the senate. i'm so proud of susan davis. [applause] and a guy you might know, barney frank. [applause] they kept up the fight in the house, and that got to acknowledge patrick murphy, a veteran himself. [applause] [applause] >> i also want to commend our military leadership. bending don't ask, don't tell -- ending don't ask, don't tell was a topic in my first meeting. we talked about how to end this policy. we talked about how implementing this change depended on a working closely. two years later, i am confident that history will remember well the courage and vision of secretary gates. [applause] of of admiral mike mullen, who spoke from the heart. [applause] of of the vice chairman of the joint chiefs and deputy secretary william glenn, who is here. [applause] also, the authors of the pentagon's review, and who did outstanding and meticulous work. [applause] all of those who laid the groundwork for this transition. finally, i want to express

. >> committee chairman carl levin amplifying general casey's point about implementation specified in language of the bill to repeal it now before the senate. >> if we repeal don't ask don't tell, as i believe we should, the legislation stipulates that repeal will not take effect unless and until there is a certification by the president, secretary of defense, and the chairman of the joint chiefs. that they have adapted the necessary implementation steps to assure that we maintain our standards of military readiness and effectiveness, unit cohesion and recruiting and retention. >> that seemed to be enough for massachusetts republican scott brown, a previous opponent of ending the policy. he released a statement saying, quote, i accept the findings of the report and support repeal based on the secretary's recommendations that repeal will be implemented only when the battle effectiveness of the forces is assured and proper pre preparations have been completions. john mccain has had many reasons for keeping don't ask don't tell. first he wanted to hear from the military leadership, then

i'm delighted to be joined by senator carl levin, chairman of the armed services committee, and senator dianne feinstein, the chairwoman of the intelligence committee. and we are delighted to be here to share some thoughts about where we are. at the beginning of the debate on the s.t.a.r.t. treaty on the floor of the united states senate where the marks a historic moment. the senate has the opportunity, and, frankly, it has a solemn responsibility to act to reduce the number of nuclear weapons pointed at our country. that's what makes this moment historic. it's a continuum of an effort that has been engaged in by republican and democratic presidents alike. and congress, united states senate, is overwhelmingly embraced arms reductions as in our national security interests. some have suggested that somehow we don't have time to take up the new s.t.a.r.t. treaty because christmas is only 10 days away. well, let me read you what retired brigadier general john adams said in response to that claimed a couple of days ago. he said, we have 150,000 u.s. warriors doing their job over christmas an

carl levin advocates -- carl levin is the reason we had the don't ask, don't tell debate in the armservices committee. everyone knows if he had not done that, we would not be here today. joe lieberman, i appreciate his advocacy in helping bring the few republicans in. i appreciate those few republicans. we could not have done it without them. they are brave in doing so with the pressure they have received on these issues. we are going to hear from the president of the human rights campaign. aubrey is the executive director of the services member's legal defense fund. we are going to hear from a discharge airforce member. >> i did not have much to add excepted thank you for your leadership. without your commitment to get don't ask, don't tell repealed, this would not have happened today. you realize we have been -- had the votes. you said this was too important. you thought culture and brought it to a vote. i also want to join you in thanking my chairman on the armed services committee and my colleagues. i almost said moe. your dad was here in 1976. senator mark udall. i want to thank

[applause] and i think carl levin is still working, but i want to add carl levin. [applause] they held their shoulders to the wheel in the senate. i'm so proud of susan davis. [applause] and a guy you might know, barney frank. [applause] they kept up the fight in the house. i have to acknowledge patrick murphy, a veteran himself, who helped lead the way in congress. [cheers and applause] [cheers and applause] i also want to commend our military leadership. ending don't ask, don't tell was a topic in my first meeting with secretary gates, admiral mullen, and the joint chiefs. we talked about how to end this policy. we talked about how success in both passing and implementing this change depended on working closely with the pentagon. and that is what we did. two years later, i am confident that history will remember well the courage and the vision of secretary gates, of -- [applause] of admiral mike mullen, who spoke from the heart and said what he believed was right. [applause] of general james cartwright, the vice chairman of the joint chiefs, and get the dairy --

we're going to talk to four key senators, carl levin, lindsey graham, amy klobuchar and jeff sessionsg, hail and farewell. ah, it's stinging a little bit more than usual! yeah, you'll get used to it. the longer you keep your high mileage car, the more it pays you back. get castrol gtx high mileage. it helps engines last longer by fighting the main causes of engine failure. i think a dime went up my nose. yeah, it happens. don't change your car. change your oil to castrol gtx high mileage. its more than just oil. it's liquid engineering. >> osgood: in 1944 mel torme the singer and his friend wrote a song on a blistering hot summer day in hopes of thinking cool. turned out to be very cool indeed. it has become the most performed christmas song. ♪ chestnuts roasting on an open fire ♪ ♪ jack frost nipping at your nose ♪ ♪ yule tide carols being sung by a choir ♪ ♪ and folks dressed up like eskimos ♪ ♪ everybody knows a turkey and some mistletoe ♪ ♪ help to make the season bright ♪ tiny tots with their eyes all aglow ♪ ♪ will find it hard to sleep tonight ♪ ♪ they know that santa's on his

[applause] and i think carl levin is still working. [laughter] but i want to add carl levin. [applause] i am so proud of susan davis, who was on the stage. -- is on the stage. [applause] and a guy you might know, bernie frank -- barney frank. [applause] they kept up the fight in the house. and i've got to acknowledge patrick murphy, a veteran himself -- [applause] who helped lead the way in congress. i also want to commend our military leadership. ending don't ask don't tell was a topic in my first meeting with secretary gates, admiral mullen, and the joint chiefs. [applause] we talked about how to a end this policy, we talked about how success in passing and implementing this change dependent on working closely with the pentagon, and that is what we did two years later, i am confident that history will remember well the courage and vision of secretary gates -- [applause] of admiral mike mullen, who spoke from the heart and said what he believed was right -- [applause] of general james cartwright, the vice chairman of the joint chiefs, and to get the secretary -- did deputy s

let me turn to senator carl levin and the chairman of the armed services committee. >> thank you for your leadership. you and senator lugar have made a team. we are not going to be thwarted by obstructionist. we cannot be for the national security of this country that is at stake here. this is a significant treaty. is significant because of the reductions it provides in terms of nuclear missiles that are aimed at our country. is significant in terms of our relationship with russia and we should not under -- underestimate the importance of strengthening that relationship. iran is the greatest threat this world faces are going to say state which is aimed as far as we concerned in most of us would agree at acquiring nuclear weapons. is essential that russia continues to be part of that group that either is near iran or distant from iran that understands that iran with a nuclear weapon would he a major threat to the well-being of this world and we need to be linked arm in arm with russia, with this kind of a treaty and not to ratify this treaty would be a significant breach in terms of t

we know that the chairman of the armed services committee, senator carl levin of michigan, supports gettingw, cnn politics, newt gingrich singling that he's irritated are michael steele, saying that -- he's been supportive of steele in the past. he's saying that steele, whoever is the new chairman, especially if it's steele, would be a very strong number two to deal with the fundraising and administrative issues. aapparently they feel steele hasn't been that strong. he hasn't yet announced whether he's going to seek re-election as chairman of the rnc. a lot of people think he will but he's facing stiff competition. republican leaders are lining up to challenge him. >> wolf blitzer with what is hot off the political ticker. we've got to go. hour two coming up in just a moment. we've got a sneak a quick break in. we'll be right back. you never take an upgrade for granted. and you rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle. and go. you can even take a full-size or above. and still pay the mid-size price. i deserve this. [ male announcer ] you do, business pr

. >> carl levin challenged the marine commandant. >> i can't comment on that, i can say that 80% of ourre more tolerant of it. i think that's where you're going through at this time. >> not where i'm going, the report's going. >> reporter: but the first marine discharged under don't ask, don't tell says gay troops are tired of waiting. >> ask yourself if you had to go into work every day and worried about being fired. how would that affect your performance? >> reporter: he says he was openly gay the minute his unit knew it. >> i went on the ship in tight spaces and went out in the field as a platoon sergeant in the fox holes with my marines. and at the end of the day -- at some points it almost became a laughable issue between all of us. >> bottom line, the service chiefs' opposition helps those who want to repeal don't ask, don't tell. john mccain says he's got the votes to block it. >> this debate obviously not going away. chris lawrence, thank you. >>> a stubborn spike in the jobless rate triggering new speculation about extending benefits. john king -- the host of "john king usa" at

[applause] and i think carl levin is still working. [laughter] but i want to add car levin. [applause] they held their shoulders to the wheel of in the senate. i'm proud of susan davis. [applause] and a guy you might know, barney frank. [applause] they kept up the fight in the house. i have got to a knowledge patrick murphy -- [applause] >> hi also want to commend our military leadership. and they don't ask, don't tell was a top in my first meeting with secretary gates, airal mollen, in the joint chiefs. we talked about how to end this policy, we talked about how suess and of passing in implementing this change depended on working closely with the pentagon. that is what we did. i am confident that history will remember well the courage and vision of secretary gates. [applause] of admiral mike mullen that spoke from the heart and said what he believed was right. [applause] of general james cartwright, the vice chairman of the joint chiefs, a deputy secretary who was here. also, the authors of the pentagon's review. they were jt outstanding with meticulous work. [applause] and

the guests include armed services committee chairman carl levin and republican senator lindsey graham. also republican senator jeff sessions and democratic senator amy klobuchar. these are brought to you as a public service. the re-airs begin at noon. listen to all the talk shows on cspan radio 9 on a0.1 in the 90.1 in the-90 on.on washington area. >> we provide coverage of politics, public affairs, nonfiction books, and american history. it is available on television, radio, online, and on social media networking sites. find our contact any time through our video library. we take cspan on the road with our digitalbus-mobile content of vehicles. this is washington your way, the cspan networks available in more than 1 million homes, created by cable and provided as a public service. "washington journal" continues. host: our topic is the legality of the health care bill. we are joined by simon lazarus. thank you for being with us. and randy barnett. you were in pensacola florida for a 20-state class-action lawsuit against the health care bill. the nexus of this is the commerce clause of

[applause] and i think carl levin is still working. [laughter] but i want to add car levin. [applause] they held their shoulders to the wheel of in the senate. i'm proud of susan davis. [applause] and a guy you might know, barney frank. [applause] they kept up the fight in the house. i have got to a knowledge patrick murphy -- [applause] >> hi also want to commend our military leadership. and they don't ask, don't tell was a topic in my first meeting with secretary gates, admiral mollen, in the joint chiefs. we talked about how to end this policy, we talked about how success and of passing in implementing this change depended on working closely with the pentagon. that is what we did. i am confident that history will remember well the courage and vision of secretary gates. [applause] of admiral mike mullen that spoke from the heart and said what he believed was right. [applause] of general james cartwright, the vice chairman of the joint chiefs, a deputy secretary who was here. also, the authors of the pentagon's review. they were just outstanding with meticulous work. [appla

senator carl levin and chairs this three hour 15 minute hearing. hr >> good morning, everybody.ody.ee meets this morninn to continue receiving testimonyr on the department of defense'snl report on implementation of a a repealed of "don't ask, don'tear tell."o yesterday, we heard from ga decretary gates, chairman of tha joint chiefs admiral mullen andc ine co-chairs of therk department's working group on this issue. today we hear from the vicehe chairman of the joint chiefs, the general james cartwright, and from the senior military officers of each of the services. army chief of staff general george casey, chief of naval operations, admiral gary roughead, commandant of the marine corps, general james a. moss, chief of staff of the airl force, general norton schwartz and, what of the coast guard, admiral robert papp. the chiefs are tasked torain,anq organize, train and to cut ourfs military forces, that is an. emportant and challenging tasksw and we are all grateful to the surface of each of you to this nation.eal if we repealed "don't ask, don't tell," as i believe we should, the le

ike skelton, carl levin, john mccain worked very hard. as i understand it, the door was opened to an invitation on your side as well. i rise in strong support of this bill. not cause i believe it is a perfect bill, but i believe it's a necessary bill. this defense authorization bill is about securing our nation and strong -- in stronger and smarter ways. it builds on our strong record of putting new and better weapons into the battlefield, increasing support for human intelligence collection, cybersecurity and security for our skies and our ports and borders and looking out for our troops, our veterans and importantly their families as well. this bill authorizes crucial national security programs for fiscal year 2011. much better than a c.r. short term or long term. it promotes efforts to disrupt and destroy terrorist networks and strengthens the ability of our special forces to act directly against terrorist organizations. it increases our international cooperatn against terrorists, especially against the taliban in afghanistan and pakis

ike skelton, carl levin, john mccain worked very hard. as i understand it, the door was opened to an invitation on your side as well. i rise in strong support of this bill. not because i believe it is a perfect bill, but i believe it's a necessary bill. this defense authorization bill is about securing our nation and strong -- in stronger and smarter ways. it builds on our strong record of putting new and better weapons into the battlefield, increasing support for human intelligence collection, cybersecurity and security for our skies and our ports and borders and looking out for our troops, our veterans and importantly their families as well. this bill authorizes crucial national security programs for fiscal year 2011. much better than a c.r. short term or long term. it promotes efforts to disrupt and destroy terrorist networks and strengthens the ability of our special forces to act directly against terrorist organizations. it increases our international cooperation against terrorists, especially against the taliban in afghanistan and p

and they're the ones who requested from carl levin and others, the joint chiefs, combatant commanders and i concur with the phased adaptive approach as outlined in the review report. as with the nuclear posture review, the joint chiefs and combatant commanders were deeply involved throughout eat view process. mr. kyl: mr. president, do i have the time or does my colleague? the presiding officer: the senator from arizona. mr. kerry: i thought i had been recognized. i apologize. mr. kyl: i'm happy to have a colloquy. let me jump in on a couple of points. first of all, it is, in my opinion, incorrect to suggest that the phased adaptive approach is superior to the ground-based or g.b.i. approach. i know there are people in the military who came up here and testified that it was a good idea to do that and secretary gates, himself, said that. i believe, however, if one understood the debate fully, one would appreciate that this was also a political decision made by the president and influenced by other considerations. this administration has never liked the g.b.i. that the bush administrati

[applause] and i think carl levin is still working. [laughter] but i want to add car levin. [applause] they held their shoulders to the wheel of in the senate. i'm proud of susan davis. [applause] and a guy you might know, barney frank. [applause] they kept up the fight in the house. i have got to a knowledge patrick murphy -- [applause] >> hi also want to commend our military leadership. and they don't ask, don't tell was a topic in my first meeting with secretary gates, admiral mollen, in the joint chiefs. we talked about how to end this policy, we talked about how success and of passing in implementing this change depended on working closely with the pentagon. that is what we did. i am confident that history will remember well the courage and vision of secretary gates. [applause] of admiral mike mullen that spoke from the heart and said what he believed was right. [applause] of general james cartwright, the vice chairman of the joint chiefs, a deputy secretary who was here. also, the authors of the pentagon's review. they were just outstanding with meticulous work. [appla

i commend my colleague, the senior senior from michigan, carl levin, and george join vitch, co-chairs of the great lakes task force, for introducing this legislation and hope it will be favorably considered in this body. madam speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. poe: madam speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized. mr. poe: s. 1421, the asian carp prevention and control act amends the lacy act to designate the bighead species of asian carp as injurous fish. this was introduced by senator levin of michigan and recently passed the senate by unanimous consent. my colleague, mrs. biggert from illinois, sponsored the house companion to this bill, h.r. 3137, and has been a tireless champion of this legislation. according to the environmental protection agency, asian carp imported by catfish farmers in the 1970's to remove algae from their commercial ponds. during large floods in the early

carl levin mentions the "don't ask, don't"tell issue which may be brought up as a stand-alone votes. that will have the same problem as the tax cut issue. it probably has 60 votes if the tax-cut issue has been resolved because there have been additional republican senators who have indicated they will support it if it was resolved. you have that dream act which is almost certainly not going to pass the senate. that is a big campaign promise for harry reid. host: joe lieberman is trying to figure out a way to get that back to the senate floor this week. guest: that will come back to the floor as a campaign promise that harry reid made. will he get the 60 votes to bring it to the floor? nobody i know expects them to get anywhere close to 60 votes. that would give about 2 million immigrant students and soldiers a pathway to citizenshi, potentially. that is a big democratic priority which passed last week in the house. it is not likely to pass this year but it is something the democrats believe is an important political item for them going into the next elections, potentially with hispan

i will then turn it over to chairman carl levin.s of the committee on investigations, witnesses are sworn, and i will ask chairman 11 to do that after my opening statement when the witnesses are introduced to do the official swearing-in according to the rules of his subcommittee. i certainly want to thank mary schapiro and gary against her for being here, -- gensler for being here, and commend them for the hard work they have done already to implement the dodd- frank bill. it was a spirit that has been noted of cooperation and collaboration, which is a model for all of us. thank you so much. i want to apologize that we had to delay the hearing, and we also understand a series of four votes will begin sometime after 4:00 p.m. this afternoon. it is our hope we can proceed, get the opening statements of our first panel, questions. senator levin and i have agreed to shuffled back and forth. i apologize again for these four votes that are pending. let me now focus on the substance of our hearing. although the recently released report on

ike skelton, carl levin, john mccain worked very hard. as i understand it, the door was opened to an invitation on your side as well. i rise in strong support of this bill. not because i believe it is a perfect bill, but i believe it's a necessary bill. this defense authorization bill is about securing our nation and strong -- in stronger and smarter ways. it builds on our strong record of putting new and better weapons into the battlefield, increasing support for human intelligence collection, cybersecurity and security for our skies and our ports and borders and looking out for our troops, our veterans and importantly their families as well. this bill authorizes crucial national security programs for fiscal year 2011. much better than a c.r. short term or long term. it promotes efforts to disrupt and destroy terrorist networks and strengthens the ability of our special forces to act directly against terrorist organizations. it increases our international cooperation against terrorists, especially against the taliban in afghanistan and p