Robert Wexler: “I rise today to express--in no uncertain terms--that I will not support President Bush's $87 billion request. I will not…”

“I rise today to express--in no uncertain terms--that I will not support President Bush's $87 billion request. I will not grant him another blank check. President Bush has lost my trust and that of the majority of my constituents. He has lost the trust of many of our allies and he has damaged America's credibility in the eyes of the world. This President has taken us to war on false pretenses--unilaterally--and with unnecessary impulse and haste. He has exaggerated claims of the imminent threat posed by the former Iraqi regime. He has fabricated an Al Qaeda-Iraq link. He has ignored American intelligence reports that Saddam Hussein did not have a massive arsenal of WMD. He has failed to make America safer or lessen the terrorist threat. He has misled Congress about the cost of this war, and he has neglected to provide us with a detailed accounting of expenditures in Iraq. The President's $87 billion request is an irresponsible diversion of funds that should be allocated for education, veterans, prescription drugs, homeland security and healthcare.”