DENNIS A. CARDOZA: “Mr. Speaker and Mr. Ross, tomorrow night, when the President of the United States delivers his State of the Union…”

“Mr. Speaker and Mr. Ross, tomorrow night, when the President of the United States delivers his State of the Union Address, the Nation will listen carefully as he lays out his agenda for the final 2 years of office. And there is no question our Nation faces many great challenges. The one issue, however, that weighs most heavily on the minds of the American people is, of course, the war in Iraq. The President is now moving forward with a plan to escalate the war, despite bipartisan opposition. I have grave doubts about the wisdom of this action, as do most of my colleagues. Regardless of one's views on the right way to move forward in Iraq, we should be able to agree on one thing: Fraud and abuse and flagrant waste of taxpayer dollars that we have seen throughout this war have got to stop. It is bleeding our Treasury dry, and it is further undermining our security in Iraq. Some estimates suggest the war in Iraq will cost the American people $2 trillion when all is said and done, and that is truly a staggering figure. That is why the Blue Dogs are putting forward this resolution asking for accountability.”