[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 2]
[House]
[Pages 2625-2626]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               AMERICANS OPPOSE TROOP ESCALATION IN IRAQ

  (Mr. PAYNE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, President Bush's dangerous plan to escalate 
the war in Iraq will not make Americans more secure. In fact, it will 
only lead to more bloodshed and violence. The plan faces significant 
bipartisan opposition in both Chambers of Congress and is opposed by a 
vast majority of people in this country.
  Some Republicans are belatedly calling for benchmarks to measure 
progress in Iraq, even as they stand by the President's plan to 
escalate the war. Democrats were calling for benchmarks for success in 
Iraq years ago, but our pleas fell on deaf ears.
  As an early and staunch opponent to this war, I have watched as every 
single prediction this administration has made has been proven wrong, 
from the duration of the war, the reception we would receive, the 
costs, the number of casualties and the existence of weapons of mass 
destruction, all wrong.
  The loss of more young men and women is too high a price to pay for 
this gamble. Let's support our troops by bringing them home and letting 
Iraqis shoulder responsibilities which should be theirs.

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