Joe Crowley: “I rise to thank our young men and women in our armed services and their families, those who have understood the…”

“I rise to thank our young men and women in our armed services and their families, those who have understood the sacrifices that they have made on behalf of our great Nation. But I also rise to speak out in strong opposition to President Bush's misguided escalation of troops in the Iraq War and to commend the Democratic leadership of this House for holding a real debate on our involvement in Iraq. Since January 4, when Speaker Pelosi took the gavel, the Democratic majority has delivered on its pledge of oversight and accountability of this war in Iraq, and Democrats have changed the direction of the discussion and have changed this war to lead us to the ultimate goal of all Americans, that is, to bring our troops home. For too long, Congress has taken a backseat on the President's handling of this war, but this majority has held more hearings on Iraq than the Republican-controlled Congress did since this war began. This debate is about not about trying to embarrass our President for political purposes. We are debating the escalation because the American people have demanded a change in direction.”