mr. townsend, i want to follow up on comments that senator c k corker made. if you feel comfortable in answering these, fine. if not, we can go back to dr. barken. when you put up a pencil to this, it just doesn't work. mr. -- secretary gordon said, in fact i think he listening, is the number one priority was to chart a clear path forward for security forces in afghanistan for sustainability. i understand you want the money that you want from the europeans and from others. when you look at what it costs to maintain and you compare it to the gdp of the country, even if you include the drug profits that they make, it just don't work. what are your thoughts? how do you get there? how do you get some confidence when the numbers just don't work? >> thank you, senator. the pencil work you described as, i'm sure, being done on the hill, being done by the administration. my department as well as the department of sense were working those numbers as well, at nato, too, without allies, with the afghan government. there's a lot of pencils trying to chop forward. if you'

mr. townsend, i want to follow up on comments that senator corker made, and if you feel comfortable in answeringthese, fine. if not, we can go back to mr. gordon. but it has to do with the sustainability of the ansf forces. you know, those of us who deal with this regularly when you put a pencil to this, it just doesn't work. and i know the, ec tear gordon -- secretary gordon, in fact, i think he listed it as the number one priority for the chicago meeting was to chart a clear path forward for security forces in afghanistan for sustainability. and, um, i understand you want the money that you want from the europeans and from others, but when you look at what it costs to maintain the ansf, i mean, it -- and you compare it to the gdp of the country, even if you can quote the drug profits that they make, they just don't work. so what are your thoughts on that? how do you get there? how do you get some confidence in being able to do this when the numbers just don't work? >> thank you, senator. your -- the pencil work you described is, i'm sure, being done on the hill, it's being done by the administ

mr. townsend. >> mr. senator, just a personal reflection. i have worked in the department of defense since the early 1980s in various guises. what i have seen over time, and when i answered this question to groups of americans, when the crisis happens, going back so many years, the telephones ring in europe. they don't bring other places in terms of washington calling our allies that is where the phone rings in those early days as we grapple with what to do. it is something that is precious and something that we haven't always had. if you look back in history, whether it is the 1930s and we watch how we as a nation have tried to organize ourselves to deal with problems -- the problems of those days which are different than problems today, we have been organizing entity with nato to help us quickly come together on a political basis at 28 around the table, and sort out what we need to do. we are able to go to the u.n. with these nations with us and give u.n. assistance. the u.n. security council takes on these issues. politically, when we all

mr. townsend i want to follow on the comments that senator corker meeting and if you feel comfortable answeringhese, fine, if not we can go back to mr. gordon that it has to do with of the sustainability of the esf forces. those of us to deal with this regularly, when you put a pencil to visit just doesn't work, and i know secretary gordon has said and in fact he listened to the number one priority for the chicago meeting was to chart a clear path forward for security forces in afghanistan for sustainability, and i understand you want the money to you want from the europeans and others love when you look at what it costs to maintain, and filner when you compare to the gdp of the country come you have to include the drug profits they make. so what are your thoughts on that? how do you get there? how do you get confidence in being when the numbers don't work? >> thank you, senator. the work that you described as an sure is being done on the hill is being done by the administration as well. i know might depart as well as our working those numbers at nato with the allies and the afghan government.

mr. townsend. >> i hear what you're saying and that is precisely the point of the milestone after it will be training and assisting but we have to be clear and honest we can't promise from some date in 2013 there will be no combat in afghanistan. obviously that would be ideal but we need to make sure we succeed as also from the milestone primarily and by the end of 2014, combat troops are out and the purpose in many ways of the discussion in chicago would be to get everyone on the same page for that concept the milestone transition at the end of 2014 and how we make sure we succeed after 2014. >> my guess is in chicago there is going to be a big push to try to do it secretary panetta was talking about and many of our nato partners you're going to talk to them that i would see that we've waited too long in terms of about having an afghan leader. i've heard from the europeans talking about this for eight years. it should be after inlet, security should be afghan let, and i think they are getting very impatient i know you all can't meet a commitment publicly this is how we are going to discu

mr. bennet: i wanted to come back to the floor because the facebook page continues to be updated. phil townsend wrote in with a pressing question. here's how phil put it. if you had a loan that would take you a decade to pay off, even if you had lived as cheap as possible and only ate ramen noodles, would you want its rate doubled? this is real life for the people we represent and we should get this sorted out. with that, madam president, i yield the floor and note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: quorum call: quorum call: quorum call: mr. warner: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from virginia. mr. warner: i ask that the proceedings of the quorum be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. warner: madam president, i know we're on a motion to proceed to proceed to the legislation dealing with the ex-im bank, and i rise today to urge my colleagues to proceed to this bill and to move forward and pass it. and h.r. 2072, which would reauthorize the export-import bank. we have a lot of debate on this flo