Donald M. Payne: “President Bush's dangerous plan to escalate the war in Iraq will not make Americans more secure. In fact, it will only…”

“President Bush's dangerous plan to escalate the war in Iraq will not make Americans more secure. In fact, it will only lead to more bloodshed and violence. The plan faces significant bipartisan opposition in both Chambers of Congress and is opposed by a vast majority of people in this country. Some Republicans are belatedly calling for benchmarks to measure progress in Iraq, even as they stand by the President's plan to escalate the war. Democrats were calling for benchmarks for success in Iraq years ago, but our pleas fell on deaf ears. As an early and staunch opponent to this war, I have watched as every single prediction this administration has made has been proven wrong, from the duration of the war, the reception we would receive, the costs, the number of casualties and the existence of weapons of mass destruction, all wrong. The loss of more young men and women is too high a price to pay for this gamble. Let's support our troops by bringing them home and letting Iraqis shoulder responsibilities which should be theirs.”