John Kerry: “we are in the sixth year of the war in Iraq, and the costs to our troops, our security, and our country rise by the day.…”

“we are in the sixth year of the war in Iraq, and the costs to our troops, our security, and our country rise by the day. With the current course still not working, I have no choice but to vote against amendments 4817 and 4818 to the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2008. It is clear that these measures continue to give President Bush a blank check to continue his chosen policy, despite the constant warnings of military experts who tell us that there is no military solution to Iraq's civil war and that political compromise in Iraq will not occur absent meaningful deadlines for the transition of our mission and the redeployment of U.S. troops. I believe this was an occasion where Congress had the responsibility to force the President to change a policy that is broken. Not to caution, warn, or cajole--not to give a blank check and hope for the best--but to force a change in a policy that is making us weaker, not stronger. Make no mistake--on the core issue of changing our deployment in Iraq, these amendments are deficient, and that is why I must oppose them.”