This past weekend in Washington, DC at the DNC Winter Meeting, I began a discussion that the “beltway insiders” don't like. It’s one of real consequence -- it’s about making it clear that we need immediate withdrawal from the civil war in Iraq.
I wasn’t hesitant to start this discussion and I am not shying away from what I said and will continue to say – Congress must stop funding the war.
It’s not about political calculation on Iraq – it’s about doing the right thing. And that’s cutting funding for President Bush’s war and begin bringing our troops home, now.
It’s what a true outsider does and only can do -- it’s about shattering the status quo. It becomes more apparent every day that the only solution to win in Iraq is to do the right thing, for both the Iraqi people and our brave American troops.
For the Iraqi people it’s about, they, themselves making a conscious choice to end their civil war. But that day will never come if we stay the course. It’s about making a tough but right choice and that is to bring our troops home.
The American people voted for a new direction in the Iraq War last November. And we are still waiting. It’s why at the DNC Winter Meeting I made it clear -- this war must end.
Those insiders who voted for the war, those who voted to continue to support the war, and those who voted to continue funding the war can surely vote to stop the war.
But what can we, in this community, do to bring our troops home safely?
Do we trust a long-term timeline -- that will never be followed?
Or do we call for cutting the Iraq War funding and finding the right and new course that we desperately need?
We can’t wait a week, a month or a year -- we need to start bringing our troops safely home now.
I urge that we stop funding this war. We find new solutions where failed ones linger. And we start moving in the right direction, bringing our troops home now in a safe manner -- no more "stay the course" discussions of troop caps, non-binding resolutions and distant timelines. Let's start the discussion on bringing our troops home now.
I made sure people knew where I stood on Sunday when I went on CNN
[UPDATE: Thank you for the warm welcome. I will be back at 2:30 EST to answer more questions. So, please keep the questions coming. ]