Rick Allen: “the administration of George W. Bush has done more damage to our Nation domestically and internationally in a shorter…”

“the administration of George W. Bush has done more damage to our Nation domestically and internationally in a shorter period of time than any administration in my lifetime. In the last 3 years, this Republican Congress has made at least two grievous mistakes by acting on measures without a full and realistic assessment of the consequences. The first mistake made over time was to pass huge tax cuts for the rich, which have drained the Treasury and created record deficits. The second was authorizing a war against Iraq based on poor intelligence and the misrepresentation of the intelligence we had. We cannot afford a third mistake. I believe that approving the supplemental gives us the best chance of managing the consequences of the invasion. This vote is not a vote on the Iraq invasion. That question was decided a year ago. And like 132 others in this Chamber, I voted no to war, but the war was authorized. Today's vote is about where we go from here. Our primary goals are to remove U.S. troops as quickly as possible and to leave the Iraqis with the ability to govern themselves. The sooner we provide safe and stable conditions that allow for self-government, the sooner our troops will come home. That is why, as hard as it is, we need to approve the military and reconstruction package. The alternative is to leave Iraq in a state of anarchy, a power vacuum likely filled by factional militias and terrorists.”