Senate Proceeding on Oct 1st, 2009 :: 2:26:25 to 2:34:10
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2:26:22 to 2:26:43( Edit History Discussion )

Carl Levin: minutesrom now equally or time that's already been consumed? mr. levin: i understand it means from now., mr. mccain: from now? i do not object. i thank the gentleman. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. levin: and i thank my friend from arizona. i now would call up my amendment

2:26:25 to 2:34:10( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Carl Levin

2:26:44 to 2:27:07( Edit History Discussion )

Carl Levin: number 2593, will report. the clerk: the senator from michigan, mr. levin, proposes an amendment numbered at the appropriate place, inser the following: mr. levin: i ask unanimous consent that further reading of the amendment be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection., mr. levin: madam president, i

2:27:08 to 2:27:28( Edit History Discussion )

Carl Levin: believe that the congressional hearings which are appropriate should now be handled in the same way as was done when president bush was deliberating on a surge strategy for iraq and that is when the received his rec has made a decision and we will

2:27:29 to 2:27:54( Edit History Discussion )

Carl Levin: at that poi promptly have administration officials come up to congress, explain the president's decision. we will hear from our military chain of command at that time, including general mcchrystal but limited to general mcchrystal. we have a secretary of defense that we need to hear we have a chairman of the joint chiefs o staff that we need to

2:27:56 to 2:28:19( Edit History Discussion )

Carl Levin: hear from as well as our sent centcom commander and our afghan but first we need to be clear on our madam president, i would yield myself the presiding officer: without objection. need to be clear on our strategy first and then address the question of the resources that are needed to

2:28:20 to 2:28:41( Edit History Discussion )

Carl Levin: be committed to that under the amendment which i am offering, which will be voted on concurrently or at the same time as the mccain amendment, we are going to have, if this amendment is adopted, a hearing not just on resources but on strategy

2:28:42 to 2:29:03( Edit History Discussion )

Carl Levin: we're going to have that hearing, if this amendment is adopted, at the appropriate time, not with an arbitrary deadline which sets a very bad precedent, i believe, in this circumstance surge circumstance, where the president of the united states, be it president bush or president obama, has before him and is under consideration --

2:29:04 to 2:29:24( Edit History Discussion )

Carl Levin: and i deliberative way this kind of a life-and-deathec so the -- under the levin amendment there, will be a hearing without an arbitrary deadline but the hearing will take place and could take place long before november 15.

2:29:25 to 2:29:45( Edit History Discussion )

Carl Levin: the will take place promptly after the decision is made by the president

2:29:46 to 2:30:06( Edit History Discussion )

Carl Levin: now, there's another difference between the two amendments. in addition to the levin amendmt, including a hearing on strategy as well as -- again, commander mcchrystal says that strategy of the matter, not just resources. so under the levin the hearing will look at decision on strategy as well as

2:30:07 to 2:30:27( Edit History Discussion )

Carl Levin: on resources. secondly, under the levin amendment, the testimony will come after the president obama, just the way he had hearings after the decision by president bush. ird, the hearings testimony, not just from the

2:30:28 to 2:30:48( Edit History Discussion )

Carl Levin: central command commander and from general mcs our afghanistan -- -- and from general mcchrystal, our afghanistan the levin amendment, the hearing will also take testimony from senior civilian officials and military officials that included in the mccain

2:30:49 to 2:31:10( Edit History Discussion )

Carl Levin: amendment, including secretary of state, secretary of state, staff, and also the ambassador to pakistan. so that is between the two amendments which we will be voting on at 2:00.

2:31:11 to 2:31:32( Edit History Discussion )

Carl Levin: finally, in addition to outling those three critical differences between the two amendments, i want a letter which was received, i believe, yesterday or this morning

2:31:33 to 2:31:53( Edit History Discussion )

Carl Levin: the majority leader. "i am writing in response to your request for an update on the strategy and resource assessments prepared by general mcchrystal." he goes through a number of paragraphs describing, i think, pretty much what we all know, includin mcchrystal's initial assessment, which has been

2:31:54 to 2:32:14( Edit History Discussion )

Carl Levin: available to us, will serve as the prime focus of the review that the president has undertaken, "although other opti included."?? so the president is looking -- in mcchrystal's assessment, he'll also be looking at other options and considering other perspectives.

2:32:15 to 2:32:36( Edit History Discussion )

Carl Levin: and then secretary gates says the following in this letter to the majority leader: "the decisions that the president the most important on afghanistan in his presidency, so it behooves us to take the necessary time to make sure that we get this right. that said,"

2:32:37 to 2:32:58( Edit History Discussion )

Carl Levin: on, "there are a number of internal immediateia scheduled over the next few weeks on this topic. i do not expect decisions on the overall strategy or the resources necessary to carry it out to take an of time." and then he concludes follows: "untilhe president makes his

2:32:59 to 2:33:19( Edit History Discussion )

Carl Levin: decision on the way forward in afghanistan, it would be inappropriate for me" -- secretary gates military commanders to openly discuss the advice being provided or the nature of the discussions being carried out with the president. however, once the president acts, i w

2:33:20 to 2:33:40( Edit History Discussion )

Carl Levin: before the appropriate committees of the congress and to facilitate similar testimony by department leaders." i believe that is the approach. it's the approach we took when president bush was considering for three months whether to

2:33:41 to 2:34:02( Edit History Discussion )

Carl Levin: surge troops in iraq. we did not try to, commander before the congress for public hearings, a commander who history has indicated -- at least it w fairly clear at the time -- had a very different in chief. we did not put posion we didn't do that to the pres

2:34:03 to 2:34:10( Edit History Discussion )

Carl Levin: to have his commander in the field come before us what his opinions were, that he was giving to the president of