five year ago __PUNCT__ the war in iraq began __PUNCT__
and on thi fifth anniversari __PUNCT__ we honor the brave men and women who ar serv thi nation in iraq __PUNCT__ afghanistan __PUNCT__ and around the world __PUNCT__
we pai tribut to the sacrific of their famili back home __PUNCT__
and a grate nation mourn the loss of our fallen hero __PUNCT__
i understand that the first serviceman kill in iraq wa a nativ west virginian __PUNCT__ marin __NUM__ lieuten shane childer __PUNCT__ who di five year ago tomorrow __PUNCT__
and so on thi anniversari __PUNCT__ my thought and prayer go out to lieuten childer __PUNCT__ famili __PUNCT__ and to all who lost love on in iraq and afghanistan __PUNCT__
the cost of war ar greatest for the troop and those who love them __PUNCT__ but we know that war ha other cost as well __PUNCT__
yesterdai __PUNCT__ i address some of these other cost in a speech on the strateg consequ of the iraq war __PUNCT__
i spoke about how thi war ha divert us from fight al qaeda in afghanistan and pakistan __PUNCT__ and from address the other challeng of the __NUM__ centuri __PUNCT__ violent extrem and nuclear weapon __PUNCT__ climat chang and poverti __PUNCT__ genocid and diseas __PUNCT__
and todai __PUNCT__ i want to talk about anoth cost of thi war __PUNCT__ the toll it ha taken on our economi __PUNCT__
becaus at a time when we on the brink of recess __PUNCT__ when neighborhood have for sale sign outsid everi home __PUNCT__ and work famili ar struggl to keep up with rise cost __PUNCT__ ordinari american ar pai a price for thi war __PUNCT__
when you spend over __MONEY__ to fill up your car becaus the price of oil is four time what it wa befor iraq __PUNCT__ you pai a price for thi war __PUNCT__
when iraq is cost each household about __MONEY__ a month __PUNCT__ you pai a price for thi war __PUNCT__
when a nation guard unit is over in iraq and can't help out dure a hurrican in louisiana or with flood here in west virginia __PUNCT__ our commun ar pai a price for thi war __PUNCT__
and the price our famili and commun ar pai reflect the price america is pai __PUNCT__
the most conserv estim sai that iraq ha now cost more than half a trillion dollar __PUNCT__ more than ani other war in our histori besid world war ii __PUNCT__
some sai the true cost is even higher and that by the time it over __PUNCT__ thi could be a __MONEY__ trillion war __PUNCT__
but what no on disput is that the cost of thi war is far higher than what we were told it would be __PUNCT__
we were told thi war would cost __MONEY__ to __MONEY__ billion __PUNCT__ and that reconstruct would pai for itself out of iraqi oil profit __PUNCT__
we were told higher estim were noth but __PUNCT__ balonei __PUNCT__
like so much els about thi war __PUNCT__ we were not told the truth __PUNCT__
what no on disput is that the cost of thi war have been compound by it careless and incompet execut __PUNCT__ from the billion that have vanish in iraq to the billion more in no __PUNCT__ bid contract for reckless contractor like halliburton __PUNCT__
what no on disput is that five year into thi war __PUNCT__ soldier up at fort drum ar have to wait more than a month to get their first mental health screen __PUNCT__ even though we know that incid of ptsd skyrocket between the second __PUNCT__ third __PUNCT__ and fourth tour of duti __PUNCT__
we have a sacr trust to our troop and our veteran __PUNCT__ and we have to live up to it __PUNCT__
what no on disput is that presid bush ha done what no other presid ha ever done __PUNCT__ and given tax cut to the rich in a time of war __PUNCT__
john mccain onc oppos these tax cut __PUNCT__ he rightli call them unfair and fiscal irrespons __PUNCT__
but now he ha done an about face and want to make them perman __PUNCT__ just like he want a perman occup in iraq __PUNCT__
no matter what the cost __PUNCT__ no matter what the consequ __PUNCT__ john mccain seem determin to carri out a third bush __PUNCT__ term __PUNCT__
that an outcom america can't afford __PUNCT__
becaus of the bush __PUNCT__ mccain polici __PUNCT__ our debt ha balloon __PUNCT__
thi is creat problem in our fragil economi __PUNCT__
and that kind of debt also place an unfair burden on our children and grandchildren __PUNCT__ who will have to repai it __PUNCT__
it also mean we have to pai for thi war with loan from china __PUNCT__
have china as our banker isn't good for our economi __PUNCT__ it isn't good for our global leadership __PUNCT__ and it isn't good for our nation secur __PUNCT__
histori teach us that for a nation to remain a preemin militari power __PUNCT__ it must remain a preemin econom power __PUNCT__
that is why it is so import to manag the cost of war wise __PUNCT__
thi is a lesson that the first presid bush understood __PUNCT__
the conduct of the gulf war cost america less than __MONEY__ billion __PUNCT__ what we pai in two month in iraq todai __PUNCT__
that becaus that war wa prosecut on solid ground __PUNCT__ and in a respons wai __PUNCT__ and with the support of alli __PUNCT__ who paid most of the cost __PUNCT__
none of thi ha been the case in the wai georg w __PUNCT__ bush and john mccain have wage the current iraq war __PUNCT__
now __PUNCT__ at that debat in texa sever week ago __PUNCT__ senat clinton attack john mccain for support the polici that have led to our enorm war cost __PUNCT__
but her point would have been more compel had she not join senat mccain in make the tragic ill __PUNCT__ consid decis to vote for the iraq war in the first place __PUNCT__
the truth is __PUNCT__ thi is all part of the reason i oppos thi war from the start __PUNCT__
it why i said back in __NUM__ that it could lead to an occup not just of undetermin length or undetermin consequ __PUNCT__ but of undetermin cost __PUNCT__
it why i said thi war should have never been author and never been wage __PUNCT__
now __PUNCT__ let me be clear __PUNCT__ when i am presid __PUNCT__ i will spare no expens to ensur that our troop have the equip and support thei need __PUNCT__
there is no higher oblig for a command __PUNCT__ in __PUNCT__ chief __PUNCT__
but we also have to understand that the more than __MONEY__ billion we spend each month in iraq is monei we could be invest here at home __PUNCT__
just think about what battl we could be fight instead of fight thi misguid war __PUNCT__
instead of fight thi war __PUNCT__ we could be fight the terrorist who attack us on 9/11 and who ar plot against us in afghanistan and pakistan __PUNCT__
we could be secur our homeland and stop the world most danger weapon from fall into terrorist hand __PUNCT__
instead of fight thi war __PUNCT__ we could be fight for the peopl of west virginia __PUNCT__
for what folk in thi state have been spend on the iraq war __PUNCT__ we could be give health care to nearli __NUM__ of your neighbor __PUNCT__ hire nearli __NUM__ new elementari school teacher __PUNCT__ and make colleg more afford for over __NUM__ student __PUNCT__
we could be fight to put the american dream within reach for everi american __PUNCT__ by give tax break to work famili __PUNCT__ offer relief to struggl homeown __PUNCT__ revers presid bush cut to the manufactur extens partnership __PUNCT__ and protect social secur todai __PUNCT__ tomorrow __PUNCT__ and forev __PUNCT__
that what we could be do instead of fight thi war __PUNCT__
instead of fight thi war __PUNCT__ we could be fight to make univers health care a realiti in thi countri __PUNCT__
we could be fight for the young woman who work the night shift after a full dai of colleg and still can't afford medicin for a sister who ill __PUNCT__
for what we spend in sever month in iraq __PUNCT__ we could be provid them with the qualiti __PUNCT__ afford health care that everi american deserv __PUNCT__
instead of fight thi war __PUNCT__ we could be fight to give everi american a qualiti educ __PUNCT__
we could be fight for the young men and women all across thi countri who dream big dream but aren't get the kind of educ thei need to reach for those dream __PUNCT__
for a fraction of what we spend each year in iraq __PUNCT__ we could be give our teacher more pai and more support __PUNCT__ rebuild our crumbl school __PUNCT__ and offer a tax credit to put a colleg degre within reach for anyon who want on __PUNCT__
instead of fight thi war __PUNCT__ we could be fight to rebuild our road and bridg __PUNCT__
i propos a fund that would do just that and gener nearli two million new job __PUNCT__ mani in the construct industri that been hard hit by our hous crisi __PUNCT__
and it would cost just six percent of what we spend each year in iraq __PUNCT__
instead of fight thi war __PUNCT__ we could be free ourselv from the tyranni of oil __PUNCT__ and save thi planet for our children __PUNCT__
we could be invest in renew sourc of energi __PUNCT__ and in clean coal technolog __PUNCT__ and creat up to __NUM__ million new green job in the bargain __PUNCT__ includ new clean coal job __PUNCT__
and we could be do it all for the cost of less than a year and a half in iraq __PUNCT__
these ar the invest we could be make __PUNCT__ all within the paramet of a more respons and disciplin budget __PUNCT__
thi is the futur we could be build __PUNCT__
and that is why i will bring thi war to an end when i presid of the unit state of america __PUNCT__
but we also know that even after thi war come to an end __PUNCT__ the cost of thi war will not __PUNCT__
we have to keep our sacr trust with our veteran and fulli fund the va __PUNCT__
we have to look after our wound warrior __PUNCT__ whether thei suffer from wound seen or unseen __PUNCT__
that must includ the signatur injuri of the war in iraq and afghanistan __PUNCT__ not just ptsd __PUNCT__ but traumat brain injuri __PUNCT__
we have to give veteran the health care and disabl benefit thei deserv __PUNCT__ the support thei need __PUNCT__ and the respect thei earn __PUNCT__
thi is an oblig i have fought to uphold on the senat veteran __PUNCT__ affair committe by join jai rockefel to expand educ opportun for our veteran __PUNCT__
it an oblig i will uphold as presid __PUNCT__ and it an oblig that will endur long after thi war is over __PUNCT__
and our oblig to rebuild our militari will endur as well __PUNCT__
thi war ha stretch our militari to it limit __PUNCT__ wear down troop and equip as a result of tour after tour after tour of duti __PUNCT__
the armi ha said it will need __MONEY__ billion a year just to replac and repair all the equip that been broken or lost __PUNCT__
so in the come year we won't just have to restor our militari to it peak level of readi __PUNCT__ and we won't just have to make sure our nation guard is back to be fulli prepar to handl a domest crisi __PUNCT__ we also have to ensur that our soldier ar train and equip to confront the new threat of the __NUM__ centuri and that our militari can meet ani challeng around the world __PUNCT__
and that is a respons i intend to meet as command __PUNCT__ in __PUNCT__ chief __PUNCT__
so we know what thi war ha cost us __PUNCT__ in blood and in treasur __PUNCT__
but in the word of robert kennedi __PUNCT__ past error is no excus for it own perpetu __PUNCT__
and yet __PUNCT__ john mccain refus to learn from the failur of the bush year __PUNCT__
instead of offer an exit strategi for iraq __PUNCT__ he offer us a __NUM__ __PUNCT__ year occup __PUNCT__
instead of offer an econom plan that work for work american __PUNCT__ he support tax cut for the wealthiest among us who don't need them and aren't ask for them __PUNCT__
senat mccain is embrac the fail polici of the past __PUNCT__ but america is readi to embrac the futur __PUNCT__
when i am your nomine __PUNCT__ the american peopl will have a real choic in __DATE__ __PUNCT__ between chang and more of the same __PUNCT__ between give the bush polici anoth four year __PUNCT__ or bring them to an end __PUNCT__
and that is the choic the american peopl deserv __PUNCT__
somewher in baghdad todai __PUNCT__ a soldier is step into hi humve and head out on a patrol __PUNCT__
that soldier know the cost of war __PUNCT__
he been bear it for five year __PUNCT__
it the cost of be kept awak at night by the whistl of fall mortar __PUNCT__
it the cost of a heart that ach for a love on back home __PUNCT__ and a famili that count the dai until the next r&r __PUNCT__
it the cost of lose a friend __PUNCT__ who ask for noth but to serv hi countri __PUNCT__
how much longer ar we go to ask our troop to bear the cost of thi war __PUNCT__
how much longer ar we go to ask our famili and our commun to bear the cost of thi war __PUNCT__
when ar we go to stop mortgag our children futur for washington mistak __PUNCT__
thi elect is our chanc to reclaim our futur __PUNCT__ to end the fight in iraq and take up the fight for good job and univers health care __PUNCT__
to end the fight in iraq and take up the fight for a world __PUNCT__ class educ and retir secur __PUNCT__
to end the fight in iraq and take up the fight for opportun __PUNCT__ and equal __PUNCT__ and prosper here at home __PUNCT__
those ar the battl we need to fight __PUNCT__
that is the leadership i want to offer __PUNCT__
and that is the futur we can build togeth when i presid of the unit state __PUNCT__
thank you __PUNCT__
