you have mentioned already the role that the treasury secretary played in iraq, and... they achieved. other witnesses have said, one of the difficulties we faced in all of this was because we were a minority partners in the venture and found it rather difficult to exercise influence over how the coalition provisional authority worked. was that your experience? >> we were partners in the provisional authority. and my job, at that time, was to work with the americans and with the iraqis, to ensure that money was available, for some of the economic tasks that we needed to be done and so we had to establish a currency and that was achieved and had to have a budget and law so that money could be distributed and that was achieved and we played a large part in doing that. but i accept the strategy we had to adopt, and, certainly, after the insurgency, the sunni insurgency came about was one whereas general petraeus said we had to build support from the people themselves, and that was really the next stage that had to happen. >> just again, going back to this earlier period, we

for most of these years and in total iraq has cost the treasury something in order of eight alien pounds. 2 billion pounds of these are for urgent operational requirements, but the total cost is a land that we have found over these years to pay for the offer we made in iraq on top of an also rising defense budget. >> i like to return in a moment if i made to the aspect of the federal reserve. first picking up again i point you made early this morning, that you are not going to advise your colleagues that the financial considerations should determine either the scale of our military contribution, or indeed, whether we should make it if diplomacy failed to answer nicholas mcpherson, your permanent secretary told us pretty much the same, that the treasury wasn't in the business of advising his ministers to support one intervention of another on cost grounds. on the other hand, the scale of the uk's commitment, whether the mental engagement were military intervention or the turnout image of an contribution, the difference was very gre

it was obviously our policy in reaction to iraq. the conclusion that we had reluctantly to draw was that sanction were not being effective in the way that we had wanted and were inflicting damage of the iraqi people and at the same time causing the greatest of concern to the ruler of iraq. >> has the situation evolved 2002, 2003. were you and other senior members on the policy? >> of course. we had reports that you will see regularly in the cabinet about the diplomatic course that was being taken and of course a lot of the discussions, the cabinet was being kept in touch about what was happening. i cannot see an argument that the cabinet was not informed. we were informed fully. they were essentially focused on the diplomacy and the problems as well as the opportunities that came from that diplomatic process. >> were you informed with number so's exchanges with the white house and did you see mr. blair's letters to the president? >> no, i would not expect to see private letters between mr. blair and president bush. >> the conversatio

in the famous sons of iraq affair. and it is all over and mark and i was primarily tribal engagement. it's important to understand in greater baghdad this is a cosmopolitan city and wasn't just tribes. it was all kinds of social groups and really neighborhood-based. i witnessed it in many of these areas and one of the key people in dora, one of the worst neighborhoods in the south was a cardiologist and this is from the jabari tribe was much more important his socioeconomic standing and his full stature in that area and his decision to become one of the people who would stick their necks out and say hey we've got to accept this outstretched hand by the individual battalion and company commanders. and i really reject this notion that there was somehow a spontaneous decision by the sunni insurgency, the nationalist insurgency as opposed to the fringe of hiding iraq elements. they did not spontaneously -- they would've had no one to come in from the code to were it not for those dispersed soldiers. and that was the primary

it's a lot better than it was in 2006 and 2007. iraqacting national security adviser told me the conference a few weeks ago he was deeply concerned about the over militarization of policy and politics in side of iraq and i think that's an important week. the last thing michael and two others will look at is we are moving into a very uncertain period. not only on election day but post-election period. i'm not going to place bets who might emerge as the next iraqi leader because we could all have a separate to our discussion just on that. there will be complex collections that may be formed and there's a added elements how the next iraqi president it's chosen. it's different than the past process not requiring supermajorities and not requiring the sorts of mechanisms aimed at fostering consensus but may have in fact actually helped contribute to some of the deadlock in iraqi politics we have seen for a long time so those are the three points, simple points but this is i think an important opportunity and we hope iraqi leader's i think the

our gains in iraq. whether it will still be possible or we should desire to reach the -- draw down to 50,000 american troops in iraq by september 1st, of this year. it is obviously not a draw-down required by the status of forces agreement with iraq, it is a good goal, but i'm sure you would say, it would be -- would be the first to say we don't want to arbitrarily go to it if we think there is significant risk of reversal, as a result. so, give me your sense at this moment of whether we're going to be able to get down to the 50,000 by september 1st. >> i think we will be able to do that, senator. i think that in fact we may reconfigure the force a bit, over original what we thought it looked like four months ago or so, we're constantly tinkering with it and we may want to keep an additional brigade headquarters as an example and slim out some of its organic forces and some of the other organic forces elsewhere, headquarters matter, in these times, because they are the element of engagement and if indee

iraq is no longer a threat. i had friends give their lives for this great nation in both iraq and afghanistan. a vote for this resolution is sending a message to their families that their sacrifices and willingness to stand in the gap against tyranny and destruction and radical islam was false. this is the wrong message to send. our message should be one of support and encouragement. and as congressional representatives we should be standing side by side with our troops in the field, not abandoning our cause when our military needs us the most. if we were to pull out of afghanistan we would be inviting those terrorists and al qaeda to attack us here again on american soil. we don't need another 9/11. this resolution could well be named the retreat and abandonment of our military resolution. i don't believe the purpose of this resolution is to protect our men and women serving in harm's way. the point of this resolution, i think, would be to make america weaker. i tell you why i believe this. because i have served both in iraq and afghanistan. unlike any other member of congress. and unfortunate

elections in iraq. this lasts about five minutes. >> good afternoon, everybody. today, the people of iraq went to the polls to choose their leaders in the second national election. by any measure, this was an important milestone in iraqi history. dozens of parties and coalitions, men and women, some 50,000 voting booths were cast ballots. millions of iraqis the exercised their right to vote with enthusiasm and optimism. today's voting makes it clear that the future of iraq alone to the people of iraq. the election was organized and administered by the iraqi independent highet electoral commission with critical support from the united nations. hundreds of thousands of iraqis served as pull station workers and as observers. as expected, there were some incidents of violence as al qaeda and irain iraq tried to dt the process by murdering those who were exercising their democratic rights. overall, the level of security, the provision of these destabilizing a taattacks were solved by iraqi security forces. i

troops in iraq. the obama administration plans to withdraw all combat troops by the end of this august and the remaining forces by the end of 2011. >> lehrer: two perspectives now on sunday's election. feisal istrabadi has served as iraq's deputy ambassador to the united nations. he is now a visiting law professor at indiana university. brian katulis was on the national security council staff in the clinton administration and is now a senior fellow at the center for american progress, a washington think tank. first, what's your best guess as to what's behind the bombs and who's doing it? >> well, this is always occurred in iraq whenever we've had significant events. we've had... whether it's electionstor referendum on the permanent constitution, et, there are interested voices or individuals interested in iraq and outside iraq, unfortunately, in disrupting the process. the government always says it's al qaeda and the ba'athists. whether that's the case or whether there's also a national... an interna

how me are in iraq, how many in afghanistan? >> we have no one in iraq right now. we have i believe it is 20 in afghanistan today, but i can confirm you that. >> so nobody in iraq to coordinate? >> correct. we have already explained why. >> mr. bever? >> representatives from ambassador herbst group me with us every week. where we have our own interagency meeting at usaid headquarters. it includes representatives from the department of defense, treasury, health, human services and others. agriculture include it. we also meet regularly, weekly, along with other assistant secretary level, undersecretary level, officers at the state department. we made at our deputy assistant secretary levels and that the deputies committees. that's all here in washington. in the field, as well, obvious at the region of commands and kabul. in the case of our colleagues from the pentagon, that's almost daily, hourly, coordination effort with, especially the pakistan-afghanistan coordination unit that has been set up at the pentagon. we also have military representation at a id in our off

who have volunteered to serve in iraq, kuwait and afghanistan. we also support the contingency operations at multiple fieldhouses. in february 2010 we have issued 3,000,000 reports in support of in-theater contracts reporting total exceptions of about $17.5 billion. as requested i would like to take this extent to briefly update the current initiatives we are taking to remain we remain responsive to the war fighter and the taxpayers needs. the first initiatives involves increasing the number of resources we are devoting to contingency operations. in 2010, we have made significant increases. for example, we have increased our presence in afghanistan from four auditors in the spring of 2009 to 17 today. and we have also doubled our work force devoted to logcap contractors in the u.s. from 55 in 2009 to roughly 110 this year. secondly, we are re-assessing contracting workload into theater to ensure we are knowledgeable of the risk and provide the appropriate oversight. as part of this process by key executives and i have met with general officers in

lessons we've learned in iraq are being applied in afghanistan in the policy we are pursuing now. i hope the committee will begin to draw some of the lessons we've learned in iraq and say that they are more relevant of other situations as well as iraq. >> i think there will be a lot more to explore. you say that from june of 2002 onwards, you were pressing for thought to be given to this question. but the british government's own planning for the aftermath really did not get into gear until february of 2003. why did we take so long doing this? >> i think the committee will have a paper that we did in september. >> we set up direct lending unit on the 11th of february of 2003 or so. >> this was originally, we wanted this to be an international effort, so we wanted to involve the united nations, imf, world bank as quickly as possible. that was affected by of what was happening in diplomatic negotiations as to try to find a way forward. we had a meeting i believe on march 9 of ministers to discuss reconstruction. i was asked as a result of that -- >> that is very late. >> that was a

we have a very much more decentralized operation in afghanistan than iraq. we need more contract oversight. our soldiers and civilians are getting training. in fact, we are doing a good job. >> in the 30 or so seconds we have left, all of this is predicated on a benign environment as we pull out. what happens? >> all of this is based on operations. when the general says we go, we go. when general webster in iraq and kuwait says it is time to go, we will go. we in the logistics world take our cue from the operators. as they say go, we go. >> are you not worried about a vietnam-style scene where we are holding equipment back? >> i guarantee that will not happen. >> thank you. we love to have you back especially as the drawdown continues. >> you are watching this week in defense news. >> iraq security forces has improved over the past seven years. u.s. inn -- units have been providing much maintenance. what happens when the u.s. leaves the country by the end of next year. we have joining us this morning, the director of iraq security forces. thank you for joinin

i would like to pay attention to the brigadier in iraq in a critical era. can't think petraeus did it all. he was the commander at the top. john was the multinational division baghdad a.d.c. for maneuver and he was the man who made this happen, going around to every urinity day after day working hand and glove with the iraqis and the baghdad operational command and being the example and the mentor. he is now in charge of the 101st airborn division and he's headed to afghanistan, and i'm sure he's going to apply many of the practices that he learned and did so well there in a very different environment. finally, i would like to just emphasize again what i've been saying, and what i think is going to apply for the next panel. i'm eager to hear them. we must have a small coin model in mind. i call that big coin and small coin, but for those into the details, support for count erin surgencey is what we have been doing, and otherwise known as foreign internal desent. we should not be out there fighting these wars as the ones in charge, we should be fighting the

it was obviously our policy in reaction to iraq. onclusion that we had reluctantly to draw was that sanction were not being effective in the way that we had wanted and were inflicting damage of the iraqi people and at the same time causing the greatest of concern to the ruler of iraq. >> has the situation evolved 2002, 2003. were you and other senior members on the policy? >> of course. we had reports that you will see regularly in the cabinet about the diplomatic course that was being taken and of course a lot of the discussions, the cabinet was being kept in touch about what was happening. i cannot see an argument that the cabinet was not informed. we were informed fully. they were essentially focused on the diplomacy and the problems as well as the opportunities that came from that diplomatic process. >> were you informed with number so's exchanges with the white house and did you see mr. blair's letters to the president? >> no, i would not expect to see private letters between mr. blair and president bush. >> the conversations he

so what we've done is to build the capability that we had -- this is not unlike what we did in iraq as well. in early 2007 one of the first requests i made before even going to take command was for a substantial augmentation of our intelligence capability. we got that and we've been working on providing that kind of augmentation in afghanistan as well. >> anything to add, admiral? >> i think it's natural for the early energy of the intelligence community to be focused on identifying the immediate threats to our force but as the battlefield has evolve, the transition into using intelligence capabilities to better develop our understanding of the environment and to seek opportunities for engagement is a transition that i applaud. >> okay. thank you. thank you, mr. chairman. >> thank you very much, senator thune. senator bill nelson? >> thank you, mr. chairman. gentlemen, thank you for your continued service for our country. and i'm especially proud that both of you reside in my state, in the wonderful area of tampa. gentlemen, last week, i did a hearing for the chairman in our emerging t

said the two countries, iran and syria and this issue in iraq not share and on ytoy agreement on what is best for iraq. now of course for the united states we want iraqis to make the decisions and we are very encouraged by the elections. this was the fifth election that has been held in iraq since the fall of the saddam hussein regime. i'm counting a referendum on the constitution and that five. the turnout is good 62% according to data the count is going slow and how it's going to go looking at the news reports every day to see the figures. i think the iraqis have come a long way from when i first went there in 2003. in terms of developing a more space political culture they have made real strides. for the syrians to understand that government is not going anywhere. the constitutionally elected government of iraq is going to stay. it's not going to be overthrown so they have an interest in shutting down for insiders. they have an interest not helping groups try to undermine the state instead syria has an interest in consolidating relations with

between the sunnis and the shiites in iraq. and these actions ignite the ethnosectarian tensions. these iranian actions undermine iraqi security in the delicate political situation. how do you foresee dod using its future relationship with the iraqi security forces to steer iraq's defense strategy and acquisition of weapon systems in order to avoid iranian meddling that could jeopardize iraq's stability. >> i don't think we'll have to steer at all. iraq's leaders and its security force leaders share a concern about neighbors who arm, train, fund, equipped and direct proxy elements on their soil. and they have continued to carry out operations against these illegal elements. and i'm confident that they will continue to do that in the future even as we draw down. they conduct a number of unilateral operations against these elements as well. >> thank you. thank you, mr. chairman. >> thank you, senator hagan. senator wicker? >> thank you, mr. chairman. general petraeus, chairman levin began early on asking about iran. he mentioned t

the syrians in iraq have an active embassy. n addition, they have provided assistance, weaponry, and other resources to shia extremist militias. they continue to do that. they exert continuous direct pressure on some of the iraqi political parties. they actually get quite involved in it. their goal, as best i can tell, is to have a government which is largely dominated by one particular sect, at least at the senior level. i do not think, frankly, that the syrians sure that objective. i don't think their interest, as they perceive it, is the same peri. the iraqis that are in serious are absolutely not shia. they are sunnis and they are not islamists. the push seems to be for a strong government that would ensure the unity of the state. they are not enamored of the idea of a more decentralized federal iraq. the two countries, iran and syria on this issue of iraq, do not share an eye to eye agreement on what is best for iraq. for the united states, we want iraqis to make these decisions. we are very encouraged by the elections. thi

how me are in iraq, how many in afghanistan? >> we have no one in iraq right now. e have i believe it is 20 in afghanistan today, but i can confirm you that. >> so nobody in iraq to coordinate? >> correct. we have already explained why. >> mr. bever? >> representatives from ambassador herbst group me with us every week. where we have our own interagency meeting at usaid headquarters. it includes representatives from the department of defense, treasury, health, human services and others. agriculture include it. we also meet regularly, weekly, along with other assistant secretary level, undersecretary level, officers at the state department. we made at our deputy assistant secretary levels and that the deputies committees. that's all here in washington. in the field, as well, obvious at the region of commands and kabul. in the case of our colleagues from the pentagon, that's almost daily, hourly, coordination effort with, especially the pakistan-afghanistan coordination unit that has been set up at the pentagon. we also have military representation at a id in our offi

and in fact that legacy of lebanon, vietnam and mogadishu has been put to rest by a victory in iraq, a victory that would not have been achieved if the people that brought these debates to the floor 44 times in the 110th congress, resolutions that were designed to under fund, underfund or undermine our troops. now we have a victory in iraq that's being claimed by this administration who opposed it back then. i don't trust the judgment of people who have always been against armed conflict. i trust the judgment of the people that fight and win wars and the people that lead us through those wars that we fight and win. this is an american destiny question that is before us, and if we walk away from this conflict in afghanistan for any reason, america's destiny will forever be diminished and they will never take us seriously again. thank you, madam speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from ohio is recognized. mr. kucinich: i yield two minutes to the gentleman from california, mr. farr. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from ca

as many of you know, my daughter-in-law, lindsey, served in iraq and afghanistan. i also have two committee staffers, one in the army reserves and one in the marine reserves who are on their way now to afghanistan. this is not their first time in battle. both of these gentlemen have served bravely in iraq, but the prospect of entering combat never becomes routine. they, like my stepson, douglas, who served as a marine fighter pilot in iraq, have recounted to me how the debates in congress, to mandate a withdrawal from iraq, demoralizes u.s. troops. the request of my staffers to me as they embark on their mission to afghanistan is to provide them with all of the tools and all of the support that they need to defeat the enemy and to win. they ask that we strengthen our commitment, our resolve to the mission in afghanistan and pakistan. our enemies are redoubling their efforts. we must also. in june of last year, osama bin laden noted that u.s. efforts had been, and i quote, transferred to afghanistan and pakistan. thus, jihad must be directed at that region, end quote

forces in iraq, general ray odierno. i talked with him earlier today from baghdad. general, welcome. >> how are you, jim? >> lehrer: just fine, sir, thank you. how confident are you that the political leaders of iraq can now peacefully form a new government? >> well, what i'm confident about is that they know that they're going to have to form a government using several different coalitions because not one coalition will have a majority. and so they know that they're going to have to work together to build this coalition. they know that. i think they'll work towards that over time. >> lehrer: how long do you think it will take, sir? >> well, it's unclear. i think it depends on the final results. if they are close, it will probably take a little bit longer. if someone has a bigger lead, it might happen a little bit quicker. but i believe we're talking about a couple of months. >> lehrer: a couple of months. >> that's correct, sir. >> lehrer: there's been a suggestion that the people of iraq are really getting the hang of democracy. in other words, the ordinary folks h

in that, ammonium nitrate is primary ingredient in afghanistan for the making of ieds unlike in iraq where it was old munitions, mortar artillery rounds, primary source for ieds there. what impact, and i understand that north of 90% of the ammonium nitrate in afghanistan was used for making actually of ieds, what impact does this outlawing or this ban on ammonium nitrate in afghanistan, if i'm correct in that, have in reduction of ied capability? >> sir, thanks. that's a great question. as a point of clarification, ammonium nitrate has some beneficial uses in afghanistan and every other country for road preparation and mining to some degree. but, president karzai, i did, at some insistence on our part ban ammonium nitrate. i believe. i think command currently assesses that will have a impact, fair impact on availability of this fertilizer to be used as an explosive device. we also have a challenge with potassium color rate, which is used to make matches. it comes out of facilities in pakistan as well, for perfectly legitimate reasons but can be converted to explosive capability. so th

>> we have no one in iraq right now. we believe we have 20 in afghanistan but i can confirm that for you if you like. >> nobody in iraq to coordinate. >> correct. i've already explained why. >> mr. beaver. >> representatives from the ambassador's group meet with us every week. where we have our own interagency meeting at usaid headquarters and it includes the representatives from department of defense, treasury, health and human services and others, agriculture included. we also meet regularly and weekly along with other assistant secretary level of undersecretary level officers at the state department what is called the meeting. we need at the deputy assistant secretary levels and the deputies committees. that is all here in washington. in the field as well obviously the regional command in in kabul in the case of colleagues from the pentagon, that is an almost daily, hourly coordination effort especially with the pakistan and afghanistan coordination unit that has been set up the pentagon. we also have military represen

of course, it wasn't america's hand that blew up mosques in iraq. zarqawi wasn't on washington's payroll when he slaughtered shia it wasn't the bush administration that conducted a campaign of terror in beirut assassinating remember nice politicians, journalists and civil society act visits and the -- activists and the u.s. department of state sent no journalists or bloggers to prisons in syria, egypt, saudi arabia and elsewhere around the middle east where they were subject to torture, rape and murder. it was arabs who did this to other arabs. it was precisely this vicious political culture the americans believed that had nurtured a hot house flower like osama bin laden. these regimes were so relentlessly cruel that the only option they had for expression was a version of islam as bloodty-minded as the regimes themselves, so the americans would give the arabs another choice: democracy, freedom. by speaking over the heads of arab leaders and targeting the worst regimes starting with saddam hussein. as a columnist put it describing the chaos of postin

also about the war in iraq but it applies to war as well. she said critics of the war have said since the beginning of the conflict that americans still strangely complacent about overseas wars being waged by minorities in their name will enevidentably come to a point where they see they have to have a government that provides services at home or one that seeks empire across the globe. and we should remember, madam speaker, that even general petraeus said we should never forget that afghanistan has been known as the graveyard of empires. our constitution does not give us the power or the right to run another country. and that's what we've been doing. it should have come as no surprise, madam speaker, that president karzai of afghanistan told abs recently that the -- abc news recently that the u.s. needs to stay there 10 or 20 years. he needs our money and he wants to stay in power. but listen to what columnist george will has said. he has changed his position and written about afghanistan that the budget will not support an expansion there, t

later, he answered questions on additional funding for troops in iraq and afghanistan. >> order, questions for the prime minister. member. >> order. question to the prime minister. >> number one, serve. >> mr. speaker, i'm sure the whole house will wish to join me in paying tribute to the sacrifice of soldiers have lost their lives in afghanistan. they are riflemen donovan block, rifleman liam maughan from the third battalion the rifles. lance corporal tom keogh from fourth battalion the rifles attached to third battalion the rifles, corporal stephen thompson from first battalion the rifles. these men have made the greatest of sacrifices in the service of their country and their comrades. their heroism and bravery cannot and will not be forgotten. their legacy will be in the future that is being won for the people of afghanistan and the protection they are securing for the british people. they will be remembered with great pride by the british people and by their families. as we honor their memory, we send our sincere condolences to the families and loved ones who feel their loss the most.

we've already given $1 trillion to the pentagon for the wars in iraq and afghanistan and the economic impact of these wars is estimated to be as much as $7 trillion in direct and indirect costs to the united states. it's our responsibility as members of congress to really develop a more effective u.s. foreign policy for the 21st century. after a decade of open-ended wars, you i encourage my colleagues to finally stand -- i encourage my colleagues to finally stand firm in their prerogative to determine -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. ms. lee: can i have an additional 10 seconds? prerogative to determine when the united states enters into war. thank you, mr. kucinich. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. who seeks recognition? the gentlewoman from florida is recognized for 30 seconds. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you so much, madam speaker. in closing, i would like to build on something that our colleagues from california -- colleague from california, mr. hunter, had said earlier about the need to fight and defeat the enemy in afghanistan

this is not unlike what we did in iraq actually has well, in early 2007, one of the first requests i have made before even going to take command was for a sub stages augmentation of our intelligence capability. we got that and we've been working on providing that type of augmentation in afghanistan as well. >> anything to add, admiral? >> it's natural for the early energy of the intelligence community to be focused on hidefying the immediate threats to our force, but as the battlefield has evolved, the transition in to using intelligence capabilities to better develop our understanding of the environment and to seek opportunities for engagement is a transition without flaw. >> thank you mr. chairman. >> thank you, mr. thune. senator bill nelson. >> thank you, mr. chairman. gentlemen, thank you for your continued service to hour country. and i'm especially proud that most of you reside in my state, in the wonderful area of tampa. gentlemen, last week, i did a hearing for the chairman in our emerging threat subcommittee, on the increased radicalization of young men, and the extremists

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what we're seeing now is if it holds, allawi i emerging as the most powerful political figure in iraq, potentially the next prime minister. he is secular, pro-american, so that would be a change in direction for iraq. for the last several years you've seen a government in iraq that is iranian-leaning and religious. so having a government that's iranian-leaning and has a religious bent to it, moving to a secular, pro-american state that is a major difference and will have a major impact, not only on american foreign policy, but also the entire middle east. >> to what do you attribute this? >> people were tired of the poor performance of this government. they tried to give shiite religious parties a chance. and shiite religious parties did not succeed. they were a lot of people on the ground frustrated with iran's influence. frustrated with the, the unemployment, with the violence. and with the encroaching influence of religious societies and charities on the daily lives of iraqis. most iraqis are secular, they don't want a relickous state. and they were getting a state that was increas

and after several years of war, hundreds and thousands of casualties in iraq and afghanistan, that the time has come for us to draw a line in the sand and say that it's time to bring our troops home. it is time to have a concrete strategy and a concrete date. by which we can ex-trick ate -- by which we can extricate ourselves from afghanistan. i want to commend the gentleman from ohio for having the courage and strength of his conviction for having the courage to debate this issue for people in my congressional district, unequivocally and without a doubt are in agreement. i strongly support passage of this resolution. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california. >> madam chair, i'm pleased to yield to my friend from pennsylvania, mr. sestak, three minutes. the speaker pro tempore: mr. sestak of pennsylvania is recognized for three minutes. mr. sestak: thank you, madam speaker. i was stationed at the pentagon when 9/11 happened. a few weeks, months later, i was on the ground in afghanistan, head of the navy's anti-terrorism unit for a short mission. i watched as the taliban a

speaker, is common cause within this house that we support the campaign in iraq and in afghanistan. and it is common cause, it is common cause also that we do not send our troops into battle without the commanders ushering us that they are properly equipped for the operations they are undertaking. in every instance where the ministry of defense asks for equipment under you or i, that's urgent operational requirements, that equipment was given. and if i may say so, as far as the vehicles were concerned, the leader of the opposition praise us last summer for what we have done to increase the number of vehicles in afghanistan. so if we're talking that these issues, let us find where the common ground is rather than where there is division. >> mr. speaker, is members apartment, his members of parliament have questioned the integrity of people who serve this country, fought for this country, who are essays in bravery of this country. before we go on he's got to get to that dispatch and associate himself with those disgraceful remarks. [shouting] >> mr. speaker, i have never at any time c

there has been agreement that we need to take action in iraq and afghanistan. it shows is hunted and of the behavior is. >> it is in conflict to the government passages. the cost of rail fares have gone up in real terms. it is above the inflation every single year. they will end of this policy. >> the railways are carrying more passengers than ever before since the second world war. we will make sure we have the most modern railways for the future. to mark to expand our railways and to make sure we have the most modern railways for the future. and i believe the passengers welcome the fact that not only have we better trained services but trains arrive on time. i think it's important to recognize the huge investment that this government has made in the railways of this country. >> is my right honorable friend aware of integers campaign of them undermining of public service and the bbc in particular? as the goes to a general election, will reaffirm that this government supports public service broadcasting and the bbc? >> mr. speaker, what worries me more is the co

iraq. we understood from the previous transition that was lengthy. we have built inflexibility into the current timetable. but right now we are on track to reduce the number to 50,000 by the end of august and have all troops out of iraq by the end of december 2011. >> what is the flexibility the youth build in? >> i think we were conscious of the fact that in the parliamentary system and knowledgeable about what happened the last time that it could take a number of weeks for iraq to form a new government. but obviously these are decisions up to iraq. >> on the prime minister's travels to -- >> thank you for asking that question. >> on notice came up in the briefing yesterday but could you shed any light on whether you expect his planned meetings with prime minister netanyahu to constitute the beginning of the indirect talks or not of that would be left to the subsequent stage. this gimmick i think we're looking forward to the meetings on sunday and monday and at that question will be part of the discussion. so let's wait until monday and i think we will have more to

national guard as they return home after one year in iraq. man has been deployed to the middle east five times. >> and he could deploy again. john henrehan was there. >> reporter: the buses rolled in from the airport. these members of the washington, d.c. national guard have been deployed in iraq for the past year. daniel was awaiting her husband. >> i couldn't get her fast enough. i was driving a little bit crazy. >> reporter: we were there after daniel spotted her husband after his fifth deployment, anthony perry on his third deployment is encouraged by the progress in iraq, but he was serious, as he reminded us, there is a price for the progress. you never forget the casualties. >> it happened. it is a part of life. it happens here. >> this sergeant was on his second deployment to iraq. >> i'm so glad that he is back home. i can't en express. i missed him dearly. i'm so glad that he is home safe. >> reporter: waters got to hold her 3-month-old granddaughter. >> my goodness, look at the genes, she is gorgeous. >> reporter: for this 28-year-

iraq. >> guest: that's maddie. the idea that george w. bush and tony blair involved in a conspiracy to invade iraq knowing that there was no wmd there. >> host: have you ever heard that one before? >> guest: know, i haven't. >> host: wire you capitalized unless to talk about liberal politicians or politics? >> guest: well, it's the left and the right. it's sort of the places on the political spectrum. actually, there's also tinkled editor and styled manual. you can't hold me responsible for every editorial inside manual in the book. >> host: what the process was like writing this book? 's how much editing was done on this book? >> guest: a lot. i'd fantastic editors. i had a fellow reader to make recommendations. p., a colleague of mine. the editor -- i'm his sister is brilliant. and she was very tough. i mean it was challenging. she would read something if they want us to be your voice in conclusion but here are things you need to deal with. and that now that we brought in a an outline editor to shorten it all up to with my editor of the journal who was a genius. and p

and a string of three suicide bombings in iraq killed at least 32 people with national elections just four days away. >> lehrer: the "newshour" is always online. hari sreenivasan, in our newsroom, previews what's there. hari? >> sreenivasan: you can watch all of the president's speech today on health care reform and read more from congress watcher norm ornstein on the next steps in the legislative push. find out how our pbs colleagues in texas have covered the gubernatorial primary. there are links in the public media resources box on our homepage. see more of margaret's interview with a.p. reporter mike warren in concepcion, chile. plus on "the rundown" blog, a physician from houston's m.d. anderson cancer center helps decipher the latest guidelines for prostate cancer screening. all that and more is on our web site, newshour.pbs.org. gwen? >> ifill: and that's the "newshour" for tonight. i'm gwen ifill. and i'm jim lehrer. we'll see you on-line and again here tomorrow evening. thank you and good night. major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: ( laughter ) ♪ >> we are

in afghanistan. then a defense department briefing from iraq. gordon brown is asked about the war in afghanistan from prime minister's question. the health and human service secretary speaks before a health industry group. >> c-span, are content is available to become a radio, on line. send up for our alert e-mails at c-span.org. >> in the house, members debated a resolution that called for the removal of troops from afghanistan. here is the debate, starting with the bill's sponsor. mr. speaker, in 2001 i joined the house in voting for the authorization for the use of military force. in the past 8 1/2 years it has become clear that the authorization for the ice of military force is being interpretted as carte blanche for sir couple -- interpreted as carte blanche for circumventing congress' role as a co-equal branch of government. my legislation invokes the war powers resolution of 1973 and if enacted would require the president to withdraw u.s. armed forces from afghanistan by december 31, 2010. the debate today will be the first opportunity we

first, getting syria to be helpful in stabilizing iraq. ition, getting syria to stop helping terrorist groups and to be more respectful of lebonese sovereignity. in addition, securing syrian support for the peace process and securing syrian cooperation with the international atomic energy agency. and finally, encouraging greater respect of human rights in syria. i am under no illusion as to how big a challenge this will be. i served for more than four years in iraq and have i seen first hand the tragic aftermath of terrorist car bombs perpetrated by foreign fighter networks that infiltrated suicide bombers from damascus airport into iraq. on the subject of iraq, let me be clear that i would press the syrians to adapt their policies, and they have an interest in doing so. they have an interest in a sovereign, secure and stable iraq. notably, syria and iraq could establish economic ties that would be mutually beneficial for both countries. i would also like to underline, as you did, mr. chairman, that our policy of intensified dialogue with s

he is the latest to have been killed in iraq or afghanistan as a volunteer to go overseas and protect the rest of us in time of war. he believed in protecting our country. he believed in it so much he was willing to leave his wife and go half way around the world to fight an enemy on the enemy's own turf. and he believed it so much he was willing to give his life for the rest of us. so, we pass this resolution, what message do we send to jared's family or young bride? that his sacrifice just wasn't enough? that it was all for natt -- naught? we don't quit war because war is hard. war has always been hard. every good thing this country has ever achieved has been hard. we don't quit and run because it is difficult. we stay because we believe like jared that the fight against the enemy that has bent on our destruction is worth it. that's the reason these other 27 from all races and both sexes fought in iraq and afghanistan. afghanistan. last december i had th% @@@@@ they told me that they miss their families, they missed their kids, and they believe that the work that they are doing is w

jeff, good to have you here. >> thanks for having me. >> we have election results in from iraq. now for the united states? >> we really have no role other than to be there in an over watch capacity assisting iraqi security forces. we did not have a candidate obviously in this election. our interests were in providing or helping the iraqis provide a safe, secure, free, and fair election. by all accounts they had that. 12 million iraqis went to the polls this month, 62% of the population, relatively free of violence. it's taken a while to count the votes. we now have the outcome t's a very close margin between prime minister maliki and allawi and now the tough part. stle to form a coalition government. last time in 2005 it took a long time. it was marred by horrific violence. our hope is they can do this quickly and without the violence we saw last time. >> when americans see there are soon going to be more troops in afghanistan than iraq, from a big picture perspective how should americans view that? >> i think twofold. they should see it as a sign of the incredible progress that'

in iraq, we of different challenges. election has been a great moment of opportunity to forge enduring partnerships, sustained by a strong, diplomatic president. are $2.10 billion supplemental request should be seen in light of the more than $15 million decrease in defense funding. as we prepare to move from a defense-led to a state-led mission, the new funding will allow us to make sure civilians can make safely -- can work safely in still dangerous places. it allows us to move to a smaller state-administered program for police leadership. our support of iraqi civilian law enforcement is critical to the success of their new democracy. putting the supplemental together, i have had to make some tough calls and have some tough conversations about priorities. these decisions reflect those. the results of the request that addressed only urgent needs that are directly related to our security interests. these programs have been designed with careful attention to accountability and a determination to learn from past mistakes. w

to take care of the wounded in iraq, there is a minimal cost of $2 trillion. three years ago, congress and walter jones, myself, went to walter reed hospital to visit the wounded. mbers of congress in both parties do. we go into a room where a young man, 19, had been shot in the neck sitting in a wheelchair, will never walk again. and as gene and i speak to him and tell him we thank him so much for his service, his mom comes in and she looks at us like a deer in headlights scared. she should be scared. she doesn't know what the future is for her son. and then she said to gene taylor and myself, after we introduce ourselves, can you guarantee me that this government will take care of my son 40 years from now? he's 19 years old. one of us said to her, this country should take care of your son 40 years from now. but you know what i would tell her today? i'm not sure we can take care of your son. we need to understand, we can't police the world anymore. it's time that we protect ourselves from the enemy, the terrorists, but going around the world and trying to poli

and a lot of times they're a lot more sophisticated than we thought in iraq. like the viet cong during the vietnam war, they're very, very good at building political organizations at the local level, political parties, having operatives operating in small villages and building political institutions and political parties and marrying their strategies with their military tactics, something you should never underestimate. we are very bad at that. we cannot go into areas and build political organizations, political institutions. the government that we pack in afghanistan today -- back afghanistan has very little support in the country, a system of pay onage, political parties, that's the stuff of politics, and the karzai government does not have it. the province do not have that, and the district golfs below the pro-- governors below the provincial level do not have the strength they need to run the country. however, the taliban does have that. they move into local areas and build political parties, political organizations. they understand how the tribes work, how