Political Quotes

“Tomorrow night President Bush will go on prime time television to present to the Nation the results of, quite frankly, what I call his listening tour on what to do about Iraq. After 4 years since the war began, the President has suddenly taken an interest in listening. But he certainly is not hearing the American people. Nearly 4 years ago, this unnecessary war in Iraq began, and it has cost our Nation so much. Over 3,000 brave American men and women have given their lives. We have spent close to $400 billion on this war, and the President is poised to ask for another $100 billion in the fiscal 2006 supplemental next month. And this war has greatly undermined our standing in the world and our national security. Each additional day that our troops remain on the ground in Iraq, the longer the target remains on their backs. Instead of doing something immediately to remove these targets from our troops, the President is expected to propose escalating the number of our troops in Iraq by 20,000. Now, regardless of how you spin this, either as a surge or a bump, it amounts to an escalation of the war at precisely the time we should be seeking to bring the Iraq war to an end. It is like the man who finds himself in a hole and decides that the best way out is to keep digging. An escalation in troops won't change a thing on the ground. Iraq is still in a civil war, and we are still occupiers. As reported yesterday, nearly 23,000 Iraqis died in 2006.”