Lynn C. Woolsey: “Today is a very solemn day for our Nation. The House just voted to pass a bill that will continue to fund the ongoing…”

“Today is a very solemn day for our Nation. The House just voted to pass a bill that will continue to fund the ongoing occupation of Iraq. I know all too well how my colleagues anguished over their decision, but we must be clear what this vote means. The supplemental, the largest in the history of our country, will pay for the President's escalation, an escalation that he calls a surge that we voted against just a few weeks ago. It will include benchmarks and requirements that the administration can waive with the bat of an eye; and, most importantly, it could keep our troops on the ground for another year and a half at least. Let's remember that the public did not elect Democrats to bring our troops home in 2008. They elected us to bring them home now. I am truly and sincerely sad to say that as we debate the future of our troops, our troops are being targeted by terrorists, are being wounded by IEDs, and the most tragic and heart-breaking part of all, they are dying, and they are killing. The American public knows the simple truth, Mr. Speaker: You can't be against the occupation and vote for this supplemental of at least $100 billion. The Democrats were elected in November because the American people want us, are expecting us, and are demanding of us that we bring our troops home as soon as possible. They do not trust the administration to do the right thing. They want us to hold the administration accountable.”