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GOP senator criticizes Iraq war in emotional speech

In an emotional speech on the Senate floor Thursday night, Sen Gordon Smith, a moderate Republican from Oregon who has been a supporter of the war in Iraq, said the U.S. military's "tactics have failed" and he "cannot support that anymore."

Smith said he is at, "the end of my rope when it comes to supporting a policy that has our soldiers patrolling the same streets in the same way, being blown up the same bombs, day after day.

"That is absurd," he said. "It may even be criminal."

Smith said he has tried to quietly support President Bush during the course of the war, and doesn't believe the president intentionally lied to get the U.S. into the war, but now recognizes, "we have paid a price in blood and treasure that is beyond calculation" for a war waged due to bad intelligence.

Moved this week by the findings of the Iraq Study Group, Smith said he needed to "speak from my heart.

"I, for one, am tired of paying the price of 10 or more of our troops dying a day. So let's cut and run or cut and walk, but let us fight the way on terror more intelligently that we have because we have fought this war in a very lamentable way," he said.


This is just a snippet of the Senator's speech. Video of his speech here.

Full transcript here.

I must admit I have mixed feelings about speeches like this, speeches I’m sure we’ll be hearing more and more in the coming weeks and months.

On the one hand, I’m thrilled every time a rat jumps this sinking ship because it gives me hope that we’re one step closer to the Cheese standing alone. No support, no war.

On the other hand, it irritates me to no end that it took four years and countless lives, and that these ship-jumpers only do so when it becomes clear that it will be damaging to their own careers to remain on board. Let’s face it. He only had a change of heart after he lost the majority in the House and Senate, and after the ISG Report was made public, and after many, many other rats dove into the cold, crisp water of reality before him.

So I welcome the Senator to the Brotherhood of the Un-Insane. One question though. What took you so long?