Bob Filner: “today, our nation is at war--a war that should never have been started, a war without an exit strategy, a war without…”

“today, our nation is at war--a war that should never have been started, a war without an exit strategy, a war without allies, and a war I will continue to oppose. Congress ought to be debating these issues--now! But what is not debatable is the fact that all of us in Congress support our dedicated men and women serving in harm's way. This bill is not perfect--and includes many very bad provisions. This hulking bill, authorizing well over half of our nation's spending every year, has often been the culprit in funding dangerous cost overruns and government spending waste. Just like last year's Defense Authorization bill, this bill authorizes previously prohibited research on low-yield nuclear weapons. The bill also authorizes $28 million to study the feasibility of developing a high-yield, earth penetrating nuclear weapon to destroy hardened and deeply buried targets. Another troubling provision is the approval of the administration's request of $10.2 billion for ballistic missile defense programs--$1.1 billion, or 13 percent more than the current level. The total includes funding for the initial deployment of a national missile defense system based in Alaska and California. In today's world of terrorist cells scattered around the globe, this $10.2 billion expenditure is a wasteful boondoggle left over from another time. There were many good provisions that the Republican Leadership would not even allow the People's House to debate and vote on.”