mr. mckeon, one of my colleagues, when asked about the july 2011 date if that was a date that you had proposeded. >> i did not recommend that date. but i did identify to my leadership that i felt that 18 -- in about 18 months, about december of 2011, that we felt we could make significant progress against this insurgency. >> i understand, excuse me. but you didn't recommend that such a date be put out there and announced. i want to be clear about that. >> no, congressman, i didn't. >> okay. thank you. i notice that in discussing this date that you felt that there were those who opposed us, the enemy presumably, would seize upon this for information warfare and, quote, we can deal with it. let me just say that i hope and pray that we can deal with it, because i think it is a problem for you. and i do think that it has put ambiguity out there that we heard from both sides of the aisle today. and we're hearing from our constituents and the american people. they don't know what that date means. i've listened very carefully to you and to admiral mullen and to you and to admiral mullen and to secret

mr. mckeon. >> thank you, mr. chairman. general mcchrystal, the washington rumor mill has been thriving over the last three months, as the last question we just had there. you know, i have heard that your request of the president was anywhere from 10,000 to 80,000 additional troops. we have not been given your request. all we've had to go on is what we've heard. with each option i know that you requested -- you tied it to a risk factor. now, when i was in afghanistan in august, and we met, i mentioned that i know had you been given certain direction from the secretary and from others, and i asked you directly if that was going to influence the request that you made of the commander in chief. you told me, no. you said, you have a moral obligation to ask for what you needed to be successful in the mission. as i mentioned, congress has not had the opportunity to review your troop requests. we did -- we were able to read the original assessment that you sent, but i have the highest level of confidence that you adhered to your w

mr. mckeon. >> the president has set the date and we are starting to withdraw in july, 2011, but the pacecope and direction is uncertain or even conditions-based, is that correct? >> yes. >> if yes, who determined the july, 2011 start date? was it you or anyone in the military chain of command and why does that start date make any sense or is it just semantics? >> well, we were both i and admirable mullen, general prays, general mcchrystal, were all involved in the recommendations to the president that included this date and the date was chosen essentially for the reasons that admiral mullen just described. it's two years after the marines went into hellman, three fighting seasons and we will have a good idea by that time whether that strategy is working and what successes we will have been able to have. what is important to clarify is that this is going to be a growl process of transition and the transition to afghan security responsibility will start presumably in the least contested areas, some of which perhaps could happen now. and it will involve not just the afghan national army and

mr. mckeon. >> thank you, mr. chairman. these types of hearings are very difficult to sit through. no comparison with how hard it is for you to tell the stories that you have to tell. or to lift to the experiences you have had to live through. many experiences come to mind. you said that 31 states have laws in place. >> correct. >> what one of the states because of robert? >> if you give me a moment -- would one of the states be colorado? >> if you give me a moment i can find out. >> i would like to know because you're experienced happened in colorado? >> we actually moved colorado after this happened in california. >> it has some lost in place but there appears to be absolutely no way of enforcing them. we went to the district, the board, and the police. our only recourse left was a lawsuit. >> this same thing came up in the other hearing on the abuses that happened in these camps and other schools. apparently, nothing can be done there, either. what good would more loss baker if there is no way -- what good would more laws to be if there is no way to enforce them? the teachers ar

mr. kissell, for managing this bill and for chairman skelton and ranking member mckeon for supporting the national military families month resolution. this resolution is about supporting our military families. we rightly give due credit time and time again in this chamber to our service men and women who wear the uniform. especially now in a time of war. but this bill goes a step further and recognizes the spouses and parents and the children of those men and women who serve our country. as a former army captain, married to another army captain, my wife and i met so many families at just two of our duty stations at fort hood, texas, and west point, new york. the people that we came to know in the military were truly the best people we have ever met. the sacrifice of seeing a loved one off to war and wait for the days and months for their return. sending letters, waiting in the middle of the night for a phone call or email just to hear that they are ok. the sacrifice of moving time and time again from town to town and duty station to duty station when other families set down roots much ear