Lynn C. Woolsey: “I rise today to unwaveringly support the Speaker of the House, who has said that she opposes any escalation of the…”

“I rise today to unwaveringly support the Speaker of the House, who has said that she opposes any escalation of the occupation of Iraq, that she opposes sending more combat troops into a situation in Iraq that is so, so messy. The Speaker represents an overwhelming majority viewpoint among the American people. Indeed, Mr. Speaker, she is Speaker today because the American people overwhelmingly rejected the Bush occupation policy, a policy that has already claimed over 3,000 American lives, cost us hundreds of billions of dollars, ignited a bloody civil war, and diminished our national security. But President Bush is stubbornly and desperately clinging onto an ideological vision that has been completely discredited. He is not listening to the new Congress. He is not listening to the American people. He is not listening to the Iraq Study Group. He is not even listening to his military commanders, who have advised against an escalation. Even the most hawkish observer imaginable, Oliver North, has come out against an escalation in a recent column entitled: 'More Troops Equals More Targets.' This occupation takes a more disastrous turn with each passing week, but the Bush administration not only is sticking to its failed policy; it is investing even more in that policy.”