Political Quotes

“Mr. Chair, I rise in strong opposition to this amendment. There is no mistaking that the error that the United States made in going to war with Iraq in 2003 was a mistake. It was a decision which I fought against and proudly opposed. While two decades have passed since then, there is little doubt about the trauma experienced by the country that is still felt to this day. Iraqis fell prey to conflict and instability, experienced a tragic number of deaths and displacements, and saw an erosion of their basic services, including health and education. An entire generation of children grew up in a chaos-filled environment with war and the subsequent emergence of terrorist groups and militias. We cannot walk away from our responsibility to help Iraq, now a key partner in the Middle East. As Secretary Blinken has said, America's greatest strategic asset lies within the alliances and partnerships that we have with other nations. In partnership with Iraq, we have worked to ensure a largely stable, prosperous, and democratic government. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.”