Rick Larsen: “I rise today as we reexamine why Congress and the administration diverted attention from our fight against terrorists…”

“I rise today as we reexamine why Congress and the administration diverted attention from our fight against terrorists and terrorism in order to invade Iraq. {time} 2345 The current administration has gotten too many things wrong in Iraq and has totally misinterpreted the lessons of the post-9/11 world. It is up to Democrats to get things right in Iraq so we can refocus our military efforts to fighting terrorists around the world who want to harm us. Today I ask my colleagues: Will we realistically confront terrorists and terrorism with all the elements of our national power, or will we continue to ignore a proven approach to follow a shop-worn, idealistic approach that drains our military of its resources and America of its good will with the very partners that we need to fight terrorism? That is the choice our country faces. The administration has made countless mistakes since the start of the war in Iraq. As Congress looks to clean up the mistakes that have been made, Democrats must speak out against this administration's tendency to overlook problems and instead push for a policy that centers on oversight of U.S. taxpayer dollars. We must respond to the public's frustrations by creating a secure future for our military and reestablish a foundation for American efforts to fight terrorists and terrorism around the globe. We can only do that by confronting and repairing the waste, fraud, and abuse that plagues our efforts in Iraq.…”