mr. speaker , i rise in opposition to this supplemental appropriations bill for iraq and afghanistan . 
at $ 82 billion , this is the second largest supplemental appropriations request passed by congress . 
this is on top of an already bloated $ 400 billion defense budget . 
instead of borrowing more from our children , congress ought to instead stop wasteful spending on ineffective , redundant and unnecessary weapons programs . 
a supplemental of this size would n't even be necessary if congress dumped pie-in-the-sky missile defense programs , put a stop to the delayed and over budget f-22 and f-35 , and ended the boondoggle osprey that 's unsafe for our troops . 
there is , however , a larger , more fundamental issue here . 
the bush administration refuses to live up to the human costs of this ongoing war . 
over 1 , 500 young americans dead , over 12 , 000 young americans maimed and wounded and countless iraqi civilians killed in the continuing bloodshed . 
the message of my vote against this bill today is clear . 
the immediate withdrawal of u.s. troops from iraq is necessary if the united states is serious about bringing peace and security to the iraqi people . 
the continued presence of an american occupying force only intensifies the resentment , anger and distrust that fuels the ongoing violence against our troops . 
it 's time to bring our troops home . 
this message is lost on the bush administration . 
they 've sought to establish american dominance in the region and to pursue regime change at any cost . 
they 'll stay the course whatever the tragic consequences for the wives , husbands and families of our soldiers . 
these brave young americans face down deadly conflict in the streets each and every day . 
we honor their courage and service . 
but , for their sake , everyone of us in this house must consider the burden they bear . 
is it worth it for them and for all of us ? 
america is not safer today two years after the capricious preemptive invasion of iraq . 
terror networks continue to grow and recruit in response to the us ' arrogant preeminence in the middle east . 
terrorism has been brought to the front door of america : waged mercilessly against our troops in places like baghdad and tikrit . 
that terror wo n't stop until we get serious about involving the world in solving this conflict . 
we must actively involve arab states , the united nations and our major world partners in taking a stand against these insurgents -- and in taking our place . 
a large , multinational peacekeeping force is the soundest way forward to end the war and win the peace . 
the bush administration can continue to throw billions at halliburton without real accountability . 
they can continue to look the other way as profiteering trumps genuine reconstruction in iraq . 
they can laud its new democracy as one of the key foundations necessary to sustain it -- iraq 's economy -- continues to flounder . 
the bush administration can do all these things , but the end of this war will not come any day sooner . 
what america needs most is honest leadership and a clear strategy for iraq . 
that 's not reflected in this bill . 
its just more money thrown at a crisis we can not solve through force of will alone . 
that is our problem here today . 
congress wo n't force our president and his advisors to live up to their failure . 
we 'll vote to give them another blank check without addressing the fundamental illusion of our iraq policy : we can win the peace alone . 
that 's a costly falsehood . 
i urge my colleagues to take responsibility for the lives of our soldiers , iraq 's future , and the future security of the united states and the world . 
vote down this bill . 
it is time to bring our troops home . 
