Political Quotes

“so much of the debate here in the Senate is consumed by the seemingly endless war in Iraq. I just left a hearing of the Democratic policy conference. It was the 13th hearing relative to the waste and abuse that took place during the course of this war. To think that we have spent almost $700 billion in the course of this war and how much of it has been wasted. We asked those who were testifying who were actually on the ground a few years ago in charge of allocating equipment and watching conduct. The estimates ranged from 30 percent to 80 percent of the money spent being wasted--taxpayers' dollars, dedicated to make a safer place for our troops--actually wasted and stolen. Unfortunately, little or nothing has been done about it. The hearing from the Democratic policy conference began with Senator Dorgan back when the Republicans were in control of Congress and refused to hold the same hearings in the official committee structure. Now there are more hearings and more investigations both on the House and Senate side. But we can only hope, when a new President is elected, that President will decide it is time for a thorough investigation of the billions of dollars, taxpayers' dollars, that have been wasted in this war in Iraq--money not spent to make our troops safer, not spent to achieve our objectives but, rather, to line the pockets of greedy people.”