Nancy Pelosi: “My colleagues, in a few weeks the war in Iraq will enter its fifth year, causing thousands of deaths, tens of thousands…”

“My colleagues, in a few weeks the war in Iraq will enter its fifth year, causing thousands of deaths, tens of thousands of casualties, costing hundreds of billions of dollars, and damaging the standing of the United States in the international community. And there is no end in sight. The American people have lost faith in President Bush's course of action in Iraq, and they are demanding a new direction. On January 10, President Bush proposed deploying more than 20,000 additional combat troops to Iraq. This week we will debate his escalation. In doing so, we must be mindful of the sacrifices our military personnel are being asked to make in this war and the toll it is taking on them, on their families, and on our veterans. Each one of us must determine, in a manner worthy of their sacrifice, whether the President's proposal will make America safer, make our military stronger, and make the region more stable. As this debate begins, let us be clear on one fundamental principle: we all support the troops.”