Mark Udall: “I cannot vote for this supplemental appropriations bill. I voted against the resolution that authorized the President to…”

“I cannot vote for this supplemental appropriations bill. I voted against the resolution that authorized the President to begin military actions in Iraq at a time and under conditions of his own choosing, regardless of the likely costs and sacrifices that would be required. I was concerned that the Bush administration had a plan only for invasion, not for the subsequent 'peace' and occupation, and was too ready to go it alone. But Congress unwisely authorized the President to make Iraq the center of our war on terrorism, even without broad-based international support, and did so without a responsible debate that fully weighed the pros and cons of this strategic choice. In short, I did not think Congress should give the President such a blank check--but we did, and the bills are coming due. The people of Iraq are freer with Saddam Hussein out of power--at least for now--but our go-it-alone policies have left us with few friends willing to help cover the costs of his removal or Iraq's reconstruction. And with both the stories Iraqi weapons of mass destruction and Saddam himself among the missing, it remains an open question whether the major result of our invasion and occupation of Iraq will be to make America safer or to fuel anti-American sentiment and support for terrorism in the Islamic world.”