check out this terrific floor speech from democratic leader pelosi below. you can actually watch her present it on her website too:

'It's Time to Face the Facts'

Washington, D.C. - House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi spoke on the House floor this morning in strong opposition to H. Res 861 -- Resolution on the War in Iraq. Republicans brought the resolution to the House floor yesterday in order to politicize the debate on the Iraq war. Below are Pelosi's remarks:

"At the opening of this debate, Mr. Skelton asked the House to observe a moment of silence for the 2,500 troops that we have lost in the war in Iraq.

"The number is a staggering one, but we mourn them one person at a time. I hope their families will live with great pride. I know they will live with great sorrow. My uncle was killed at the Battle of the Bulge and for my father's entire life, it was as if it had happened yesterday. We know that experience has been repeated over and over again across our country.

"In remembering them, let us also salute all our men and women in uniform who are doing their jobs with great courage and dedication, and their families, who are making enormous sacrifices.

"2,500 troops killed, 18,000 wounded more than half of them permanently, the strain our military readiness and eroding our reputation in the world. Stay the course - I don't think so. It's time to face the facts.

"On every important aspect of the Iraq war, President Bush and his advisors have been wrong: wrong on the reason to go to war; wrong on the reception our troops would receive; wrong on the rapidity with which the Iraqi economy would be able to pay for the war and reconstruction; and wrong on the willingness of the international community to join in efforts to stabilize Iraq.

"But don't take my word for it. This gross incompetence has driven some of our fighting generals to level devastating public criticism. Major General John Batiste who led the First Infantry Division in Iraq, has said: 'My own decision to speak out goes back to watching first hand the arrogant and contemptuous attitude of Rumsfeld as he ignored the advice of military experts during preparations for war, and then living with the impact of those strategic blunders as a division commander in Iraq. Secretary Rumsfeld and his team turned what should have been a deliberate victory in Iraq into a prolonged challenge.' That is why, over two years ago, I asked for the resignation of Secretary Rumsfeld, and I do so again today. No one has been held accountable for all of these mistakes in Iraq.

"This incompetence comes at great cost. The Bush Administration is so obsessed with the effort to paint an optimistic picture of the situation in Iraq that it refuses to face the facts. The facts are these: more than 2,500 American troops have been killed, more than 18,000 have been injured - over half permanently, and as the war costs have grown over $400 billion, key reconstruction projects remain unfinished. As defense and intelligence expert Anthony Cordesman recently wrote: 'The U.S. aid process has failed...it has wasted at least half of the some $22 billion in U.S. funds and much of the $34.6 billion in Iraq funds it attempted to use to secure and develop Iraq's economy.' This is outrageous. Where is the accountability? In fact, Mr. Cordesman concludes that the U.S.-managed Iraq reconstruction efforts have been as failed as our response to Hurricane Katrina.

"The Bush Iraq policy has diverted resources and attention from what should be the focus of our effort against terrorism in places like Afghanistan. The lack of stability and deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan is a casualty of the war in Iraq. The war has not made our country safer, it has not made our military stronger, it has caused great damage to our reputation in the world, and it has hindered the fight against terrorism.

"In the face of all of the incompetence and cost of this war, the President urges us to stay the course. 'Stay the course,' Mr. President, is not a strategy, it's a slogan. I will vote against this resolution because it is an affirmation of President Bush's failed policy in Iraq. And in doing so, I am pleased to join Mr. Murtha and Mr. Skelton and I salute them for their patriotism and dedication to our country. They are second to none in this Congress in looking out for the troops and for being concerned and knowledgeable about troop readiness, about the strains on our military that this war is putting upon them, and deterring our ability to respond to other threats. I salute them for their leadership and their courage - because here we have the Republicans putting on the floor a vacuous resolution, a challenge that if you want to say you support the troops you have to vote for this - that day is over.

"The credentials on Real Security for our country, be it homeland security, to project our military might to protect our interests at home and abroad - we all share that - so don't put something on the table that says, 'You vote for this if you support the troops, or you don't support them.' This resolution is one thing only - it is an affirmation of President Bush's failed Iraq policy. The American people know that. Hopefully it will dawn on the President and instead of stay the course, he will change the course. He will stop digging the hole that he is digging in Iraq and come out and see the light of day, to what is the right direction.

"Across the country, Americans are having free and open debates about this war. But when the time came to debate Iraq in this Congress, Republicans shut down debate with a closed rule. This is not only an affront to the Democrats; it is an affront to the American people. Closed rule, limited debate - twice as many people on our side of the aisle would like to have spoken, but there wasn't enough time. There wasn't enough time to give Members of Congress the opportunity to give voice to the concerns of their constituents about a matter as important as sending our troops to war. What a sad commentary on our democracy. We supposedly are in Iraq to promote democracy; we don't even have it on the floor of the House of Representatives. We owe better than that to the American people, particularly the brave men and women sent to fight in Iraq.

"Democrats are calling for a new direction in Iraq. Our new direction would say to the Iraqi people: we will not be in your country indefinitely, we will not construct permanent bases, and we will not control the flow of your oil. We will work with you and your neighbors diplomatically to ensure that the reconstruction of Iraq is successful. We will do as Mr. Murtha advocates: we will 'redeploy and be ready.'

"Republicans in Congress continue to try to mislead the American people by suggesting a link between the war in Iraq and the war on terror. They are distinct, as Mr. Skelton has repeatedly stated, and efforts to portray one as part of the other are a disservice to the truth and to the men and women sent to fight in Baghdad, Kirkuk, and Ramadi. The huge costs of the Iraq war in lost lives, life-altering wounds sustained, and billions of dollars spent demand better of us.

"The defense authorization bill enacted last year declares 2006 to be 'a period of significant transition to full Iraqi sovereignty...creating the conditions for the phased redeployment of United States forces from Iraq.' That's in the 2006 Department of Defense authorization bill. We are halfway through 2006; significant transition has not occurred and the only redeployment has been of U.S. forces into Iraq, not out.

"The war in Iraq has been a mistake - a grotesque mistake. It must be our resolve to end the war as soon as possible and to resolve to not make similar mistakes in the future. We owe it to the American people and we owe it to the young men and women that we send in to fight the fight. Democrats take our responsibility to provide for the common defense very seriously. We are proud to have leaders like Mr. Murtha and Mr. Skelton to lead the charge. Thank you, Mr. Speaker."