mr. chairman , in a few days we will mark the second anniversary of the invasion of iraq and the start of a war that , in my judgment , did not need to be fought . 
at the time , the war was rationalized on intelligence estimates of iraqi weapons of mass destruction capabilities that were wrong , and on suggestions that iraq was somehow connected with the september 11 al-qaeda attacks on our country that were never true . 
the president now says that the war is really about the spread of democracy in the middle east . 
this effort at after-the-fact justification was only made necessary because the primary rationale was so sadly lacking in fact . 
the one constant in 2 years of combat has been the courage , dedication , and skill of the men and women of our armed forces . 
for more than 1 , 500 of our troops , service in iraq required the ultimate sacrifice . 
that is a loss for which our country mourns each day . 
thousands more have been wounded -- their lives , and the lives of their families changed forever by this war . 
similar losses have been experienced by families in spain , in italy , and , of course , in iraq . 
the bill before us provides another $ 75 billion for military operations in afghanistan and iraq . 
this enormous sum was not requested through the normal budget process , not subjected to any hearings , and not counted against our massive budget deficits . 
in fact , this will be the third largest appropriations measure this year . 
and this $ 75 billion will be on top of the more than $ 200 billion previously appropriated , mostly by the supplemental appropriations process , for these military operations . 
how much of this cost would have been unnecessary had the administration taken the time and the care to plan adequately for a war of choice ? 
we will never know . 
but we do know -- because these supplementals are evidence of it -- that our troops were sent into combat without the equipment they would need for a protracted insurgency operation . 
our responsibility now is two-fold . 
first , to ensure that our troops have what they need to do their jobs effectively and as safely as possible . 
and second , to develop a strategy for success that will contain clear benchmarks by which the american people can measure progress toward the time when our forces will be brought home . 
that strategy for success must include an aggressive plan for transferring responsibility for their country 's security to the iraqis , an improved plan for iraq 's reconstruction , and an intensification of diplomatic efforts in the region . 
other countries -- the netherlands and italy among them -- are making plans for the return of their forces . 
the united states does not need to adopt their timelines , but we do need clear criteria for judging certain fundamentals , including the capability and willingness of iraqi security forces to deal with the insurgency and protect the country . 
somewhere between an open-ended u.s. commitment to iraq and a timetable for withdrawal must be a strategy for ending our military involvement . 
that fact was the heart of the amendment by the gentleman from virginia , mr. moran , which this house adopted yesterday . 
the president owes it to the american people and this congress to develop such a plan , clearly describe it , and provide an assessment of how much it will cost and how long it will take . 
i understand and share the frustration that will lead some to vote against this bill . 
we are being asked , again , to clean up a mess that many of us argued strongly against creating . 
putting aside our frustration with this administration so that we can provide our troops what they need does not , however , mean that we will forget the mistakes , miscalculations , and misrepresentations that brought us to the point where these billions are necessary . 
the time is long past due for an accounting for those failures . 
we in congress understand our responsibility to provide for the common defense . 
the administration must understand its responsibility to use the money this congress provides effectively , and with a transparency that can withstand scrutiny . 
