Political Quotes

“today in Iraq, 138,000 American troops are putting their lives on the line. Despite the President's ``Mission Accomplished'' declaration, more of our brave service men and women died last month since any month since the war in Iraq. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz does not know how much the war costs, or that 764 Americans have died, but that is typical of an administration that refuses to admit its mistakes or explain its policies. The images of tortured prisoners, broadcast throughout the world, have done irreparable damage to our mission and credibility in the Middle East. Still the majority of the House and the chairman of the Committee on Armed Services said congressional hearings are unnecessary. Let me quote President Kennedy. ``An error does not become a mistake until you refuse to correct it. Without debate, without criticism, no administration and no country can succeed, and no republic can survive.'' President Kennedy possessed the kind of leadership that allowed him to acknowledge mistakes and accept responsibility. But now there is a different standard, and today America received this response from House majority leader, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. DeLay), commenting on the possibility of a congressional investigation into the scandal of Iraq and the torture of its prisoners, ``A full-fledged investigation, that is like saying we need hearings on every case of police brutality.…”