Jon L. Christensen: “I don't have a vote in the full House, but if I did, I would have voted for the supplemental and for the override of the…”

“I don't have a vote in the full House, but if I did, I would have voted for the supplemental and for the override of the President's veto. So I am proud that a bipartisan majority voted on my behalf and on behalf of the American public, who do not support the war in Iraq, do not support the surge, and want to see a clear effort to extricate this country from an internal civil war and to bring our troops home. It is clear to me that, despite the glossed over reports, the surge has done nothing but to cause one of the highest casualty rates in the month that just ended. Although there is no good option, the problems will continue for some time whether we go or leave. It is clear that the Iraqis want us out. It is clear that we lose or disable our own soldiers every day, and that innocent Iraqis are also injured every day that we stay. So the only moral choice is the one embodied in the supplemental and the two votes that have been taken. I reject the way this supplemental has been characterized. If you listen to the news media, you would think that the nonIraq war items in the supplemental were nothing but pork, used to induce Members to vote on this bill. Nothing could be further from the truth. In addition to giving the President what he asked for, we have made sure that a number of emergency domestic issues are also addressed. That is what supplementals are for.”