Rep. Markey said, "The Iraq War has cost hundreds of billions of dollars, thousands of lost lives and tens of thousands of wounded soldiers. This must end. Unfortunately, President Bush is either unwilling or unable to accept how destructive his policies have become, and he appears all too willing to leave the business of ending this war to the next president.

"Dramatically increasing U.S. troop levels in Iraq was supposed to set the stage for the political reconciliation necessary to stabilize Iraq. But more than a year later, the president's key benchmarks have not been met. We haven't seen provincial elections, a serious oil-revenue sharing law, or crucial constitutional reforms.

"American troops have done everything asked of them and served with bravery and honor. But the cost of this war has been far too high, both the human cost and the cost to our national security and standing in the world. I will continue to work with Democrats in Congress to push for an end to the war in Iraq and increased congressional oversight of this misguided war."