Political Quotes

“I just left my ``Welcome to Washington,'' which I have been having for many years. I had about 85 people from Nevada, my constituents--our constituents--and they asked me what I had done in the Senate that I remember. So I told them a few things. They also asked me if I have a regret, and I do. It takes a lot of gall for my friend the Republican leader to talk about foreign policy. My biggest regret is having voted for the Iraq war. I was misled, as a number of people were, but it didn't take me long to figure that out. So I became convinced it was a mistake, and I spoke out loud and clear. Why was it a mistake? It was the worst foreign policy decision made in the history of our country. That invasion has caused the death of-- no one knows for sure but about one-half million Iraqis--500,000 dead men, women, and children. At this stage, because of the invasion, we have now complete instability in Syria. About 300,000 are dead there. Millions have been displaced, driven into Europe and other places. Iran is stronger than they would have been but for the war. The whole Middle East is destabilized. When President Bush took office, because of the work done in the Clinton administration, we had a balanced budget. Can you imagine that? A balanced budget. We were spending less than we were taking in as a country. When Bush took office, we had a surplus of, over 10 years, $7 trillion. Where is that money now?…”