Political Quotes

“we all know it is rare for the Senate to hold a Saturday vote, but the issue before us is too important to wait. There are challenges facing America today, but there is no greater challenge facing America today than finding a new direction in Iraq. Every Senator in this Chamber has a responsibility and an obligation to say whether they support or oppose the President's plan to escalate the war. Yesterday the House of Representatives acted, 246 to 180, no escalation. Now it is the turn of this body, the Senate, to give advice to the President that he is wrong in sending tens of thousands more American soldiers to a civil war in far away Iraq. In a few moments, a vote will occur on a straightforward resolution which simply states that we support our troops and oppose escalation of the intractable Iraq war. My colleagues on the other side of this Senate Chamber, colleagues who blocked an Iraq debate last week, have a choice to make. Do they intend to join the American people in opposing more of the same in Iraq or do they intend to continue to give the President a green light to escalate the war? Let the debate proceed. Let the Senate express its views on the issue of our time. This month, the Iraq war has cost the lives of three American soldiers every day, putting us on pace for the bloodiest February since the war began. It is threatening our Nation's strategic interests and risking our Nation's security.”