John Kerry: “history has proven it was a mistake to give this President the power to go to Iraq, and I believe history will prove it…”

“history has proven it was a mistake to give this President the power to go to Iraq, and I believe history will prove it is a mistake to give him the open-ended power that this supplemental bill leaves in his hands. This war is not what this President says it is. I believe we have an obligation not to vote for the continuation of a policy that empowers the President to simply continue the war at his discretion. I have listened to some of my colleagues and others who have suggested that this bill will somehow change the course. I have to respectfully disagree. This bill does not provide a strategy worthy of our soldiers' sacrifice. Instead it permits more of the same, a strategy that relies on sending American troops into the alleys and back roads of Iraq to referee a deadly civil war. Instead of the same misguided strategy, I believe we had an opportunity. While I understand the votes and I understand the threat of veto, and I am not new to this process, I still believe we had an opportunity to elicit a legitimate, fundamental change and some commitments from this administration with respect to the way in which we would hold Iraqis accountable and the way in which this administration itself would be held accountable. I say with all due respect, that is what the American people voted for in November 2006. That is what they have a right to expect from this Congress. The fact is, we could show our support for our troops in many different ways in this legislation.…”