"The President's Policies in Iraq Are Breaking the United States Army": " Mr. President, I rise once again to comment on the deeply disturbing consequences of the President's misguided policies in Iraq. I have spoken before about my grave concern that the Administration's Iraq policies are actually strengthening the hand of our enemies, fueling the insurgency's recruitment of foreign fighters and unifying elements of the insurgency that might otherwise turn on each other.

    

But today, Mr. President, I want to focus on a different and equally alarming issue - which is, that the Bush Administration's policies in Iraq are making America weaker. And none of us should stand by and allow this to continue.

    

It is shocking to me that this Senate has not found the time and energy to take up the Defense Authorization bill and give that bill the full debate and attention that it deserves. Our men and women in uniform, and our military families, continue to make real sacrifices every day in service to this country. They perform their duties with skill and honor, sometimes in the most difficult of circumstances. But the Senate has not performed its duties - and the state of the US military desperately needs our attention."

(Via t r u t h o u t.)