Lynn C. Woolsey: “those watching C-SPAN right now probably are wondering what they are watching. They probably think it is a circus. But…”

“those watching C-SPAN right now probably are wondering what they are watching. They probably think it is a circus. But they are pretty familiar with the 5-minute speeches that Members of Congress deliver each day after the House of Representatives wraps up its legislative session. Some critics and political opponents may claim that these nightly speeches serve little purpose, and sometimes they do serve little purpose. It is hard to accomplish much in 5-minute increments, they say. But because half of the American people are not being represented by the Bush administration's shameful and threatening foreign policy, and half the American people are not receiving the representation they deserve from the Republicans in Congress, those who cower to the President's every demand when it comes to funding the illegal, ill advised and dangerous war in Iraq, I come here nightly so that I can discuss that very issue, the issue of the war in Iraq. That issue says to me that we need to change the way we think about foreign policy if we hope our country will survive the threat of global terrorism from fanatical groups like al Qaeda. That is why next week I will reintroduce the SMART Security Resolution for the 21st Century, legislation that provides a positive alternative to the Bush doctrine of unilateralism and preemptive war. SMART Security addresses the threat of terrorism and nuclear security by augmenting and encouraging diplomatic efforts with other nations.…”