Lynn C. Woolsey: “I rise tonight to draw attention to the surge, or escalation, of the occupation of Iraq. This time it is not an…”

“I rise tonight to draw attention to the surge, or escalation, of the occupation of Iraq. This time it is not an escalation of troops; it is the escalation in spending to continue this senseless, apparently endless occupation. Recent estimates put the cost of the military actions in Iraq and Afghanistan at $808 billion by the end of this year. That's just knocking on the door of $1 trillion, Mr. Speaker. Let me say that again: we are closing in on $1 trillion, and we haven't even begun to put together a plan to bring our troops home. This administration has talked about a Korean- or Vietnam-like presence in Iraq. This could mean as much as 50 more years of U.S. boots on the ground. Conservative estimates put just one more decade of military spending at $1.5 trillion. Who knows what it will be after 20 or 30 or 50 years. The United States has an obligation, both moral and political, to help the people of Iraq to rebuild their nation. Whether through reconciliation or reconstruction, our commitment must be ongoing. But we can't start either of these while we are funding this administration's occupation. Despite the bravery of our men and women in uniform, we all know that we can't bring peace and stability to another country down the barrel of a gun.”