Nick Lampson: “Today is, indeed, a day for thoughtfulness and courage in this House. As we debate the future of our involvement in…”

“Today is, indeed, a day for thoughtfulness and courage in this House. As we debate the future of our involvement in Iraq, we must not forget that our troops are engaged in armed conflict a half a world away. It is their future and their sacrifice which necessitated this debate today. Now is the time when this hallowed institution must dig deeply within its own conscience and rise above the politics and the platitudes which have plagued us for far too long. The American people and our troops demand and expect no less of us. Yet no simple solutions face us. Let's look first at the decisions we have made. We were advised that the conflict in Iraq would require more troops, a longer engagement, and an exit strategy. We did not heed that advice, and now we face an escalating insurgency and civil war. We were told the cost was $50 billion. We were wrong. It cost more than $380 billion and climbing fast, and we have not been good stewards of the taxpayer money, as there has been much corruption and waste in our spending. We were told of eminent success in Afghanistan, and we pulled out our troops in order to provide an earlier surge in Iraq. We were wrong, and we have seen a rise in violence in both countries. We must break this pattern. We can ill afford any further misjudgments, because it is our obligation in this deliberative body to consider every option available.”