Lynn C. Woolsey: “Yesterday, the House passed H.R. 1, a bill instituting the 9/11 Commission's recommendations. I am proud that the…”

“Yesterday, the House passed H.R. 1, a bill instituting the 9/11 Commission's recommendations. I am proud that the Speaker made this her first priority. It was an important first step. It was a step to strengthen America's security. Another step we can take to provide security to Americans at home and abroad is to bring our troops home from Iraq. It is what I have been saying for several years now. In fact, this is my 176th 5-minute special order on Iraq. And it is what the American people demanded on November 7. From the very beginning, our presence and continued occupation has brought strong opposition and violence to Iraq. The Vice President promised we would be greeted as liberators, that the troops would be hailed with cheers and flowers. Instead, the sad thing is our troops are being greeted with snipers, with rocket-propelled grenades and with roadside bombs. Tonight, the President will announce an escalation in the occupation. He wants to send over 20,000 more troops to Iraq. In fact, we have learned just today that those troops are already arriving in Baghdad. He wants to put over 20,000 more troops in harm's way. And for what? Tonight, the President will not announce an exit plan. Tonight, the President will not talk about benchmarks. Tonight, what the President will do is support more of the same. This is just 'stay the course.' Let's call it what it is: an escalation. A majority of Americans support bringing the troops home.”