Iraq Debate Is Only The First Step

Starting this morning the House will begin to debate the moral issue of our times – our continued military occupation of Iraq. My colleagues and I will have the opportunity to vote on President Bush’s escalation – a failed policy from the start, which will only deepen our engagement in the Iraq, and increase the cost to our country in lives, limb and treasury. The American public has already overwhelmingly voiced their opposition to the President’s plan, and now it is our turn, and our responsibility to have our voices heard.

I will support this week’s effort, and will cast my vote against the President’s proposed escalation, but I will not stop there, and neither should my colleagues.

To oppose the escalation is an important first step, but it must be the beginning of our debate, not the end. Even if we succeeded in preventing President Bush’s escalation we would be left with an unacceptable status quo – over one hundred thousand of our brave men and women still in harm’s way, and a continued military occupation that is fueling the insurgency. Let me be clear, we must do more than oppose the President’s escalation, we must bring our troops home.