Jon S. Corzine: “after giving this matter considerable thought, I have decided to vote for this emergency supplemental. I do so with…”

“after giving this matter considerable thought, I have decided to vote for this emergency supplemental. I do so with great reluctance, and I wanted to take a few moments to explain how I came to this decision. Let me begin by saying that I voted in October 2002 against the resolution to give the President broad authority to go to war in Iraq. At the time, I believed the administration had failed to make the case that Iraq posed an imminent threat; had failed to develop a meaningful international coalition with whom to share the burdens and costs of war; had failed to prioritize the more serious risks of global terrorists, North Korea and Iran; had failed to develop a plan for reconstruction once the war was over, and had failed to be straight with the American people about why we were going to war in the first place. Looking back at my decision, I am more convinced than ever that it was correct. It has become increasingly clear that numerous administration claims about the Iraqi threat were either exaggerated or simply wrong. With little international support, America has been left to fight the war and rebuild Iraq largely on our own. America is shouldering 90 percent of the costs, providing 90 percent of the troops, and tragically bearing 95 percent of the casualties on the ground. In that context, the administration still has not put forward a meaningful, long-term plan to rebuild Iraq and move toward its self-governance.”