While I strongly support the brave American soldiers risking their lives in Iraq, I strongly opposed the manner in which President Bush led this nation to war because it weakened the strategic interests and security of the United States. President Bush stubbornly refuses to end the war in Iraq, and Congress now must step forward and bring our troops home immediately.

I do not believe the United States is more secure in a post-Saddam era, and I blame the President's lack of post-war planning for the current quagmire threatening American troops, Iraqi citizens and the stability of the Middle East. Additionally, I am deeply concerned that the Administration's unilateral, arrogant and hasty approach to war has lessened America's credibility in the eyes of the world and caused irreparable damage to our international alliances, which has in turn weakened our reconstruction efforts in Iraq and our ability to deter the spread of international terror. Finally, I am deeply disturbed by the fact that President Bush took America to war on false pretenses, on the basis of fabricated or grossly exaggerated intelligence claims.

I am proud to have been one of the few Democrats willing to take on General Petreus’ during his September 10th testimony before Congress. Unfortunately the General failed to answer my question about “how many more men and women will have to be sacrificed” in this misguided and tragic war. I will continue to vote to deny funding to President Bush for the war in Iraq unless a withdrawal in also mandated. Enough blood has been spilled in this tragically misguided war.

When there is evidence of abuse of power and illegal actions, it is Congress' duty to investigate. I strongly believe that, in the case of the Vice President, there is such evidence and I am pushing for formal hearings to learn the truth. America expects us to ask hard questions of our leaders, and history shows that we must.

Every American should have access to affordable and heath care coverage. I strongly support enacting universal heath care coverage. There is no excuse for the fact that in the richest nation on earth millions of our citizens go without health care. This a moral burden that we must overcome and should we enact such a system, health care costs will actually go down for all Americans.

It is a true tragedy that more than 47 million Americans go without insurance each year. Last Congress, I was proud to lend my name in supporting the Universal Health Care bill (H.R. 676), which would provide health coverage to all Americans. I am supporting the legislation again this year but the truth is – so long as George Bush remains in the White House the goal of universal heath care remains elusive.

While I look forward to a Democrat in the White House in the year 2008 who will make universal heath care a reality, I am focusing on other ways to provide heath care to uninsured Americans. For example I have been actively supporting the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) – that provides health insurance to poor children - which the President tragically vetoed.

I have recently sponsored several measures to extend coverage to the uninsured. These measures help working parents afford heath care and allow uninsured individuals aged 55 to 64 years to buy into Medicare and provides enrollees a 75 percent refundable, advanceable tax credit.

Our obligations to our children do not end at stemming the pace of global warming - we must also work to implement better environmental protections and begin to undo the damage caused by this administration's willful neglect.

Our air, groundwater, rivers, and oceans are becoming increasingly toxic. The long-term effects of our polluting are daunting.

As new industries like nano-technology and genetic engineering mature, Congress must stay vigilant and play an active regulatory role to ensure that we avoid the catostrophic environmental mistakes of the past.

For over five years, I have been aggressively advocating for a paper trail for every ballot cast in the state of Florida and throughout the nation. This battle led me to file suit against the State of Florida in both State and Federal Court in order to guarantee that all Floridians were treated equally under the law.

My fight to bring a paper trail has succeeded and by the 2008 Presidential election the voting systems in Florida will be a model for the nation. As you likely know, Governor Charlie Crist recently signed into law a bill that mandates that all Florida voters use optical scan machines that produce a voter verified paper trial. I am proud that Governor Crist has repeatedly cited my efforts as the primary reason for his support of a paper trail, and I am thankful that the Governor acted in the interest of all Floridians and finally delivered a paper trail for our voters.

Florida has now gone from the disastrous butterfly ballot of 2000 to standing today as a model for the nation in terms of transparency and legitimacy of our elections systems. Every citizen in Florida can now vote with confidence that their vote will be counted - and counted accurately. A paper trail was achieved in Florida through constructive cooperation between Republicans and Democrats, the Federal and State governments, citizen activists and government officials. This is an example of how government should work.

On the federal level, I worked hard to provide significant resources to states, including Florida, to fund elections equipment through the Help America Vote Act. The law also enacted minimum elections standards and ensured access for disabled voters. In addition, I am a sponsor of the Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act that requires a paper trail on a national level, mandates higher standards for meeting the needs of disabled voters, and enhances the auditing requirements of voting systems and recounts. If enacted, these vital reforms will be in place before the 2008 Presidential election.

Poker is an uniquely American game, where your hand is determined by chance but winning is determined by your skill. Presidents and Senators, Members of Congress – we all enjoy Poker. It is played in the White House and on kitchen tables throughout the country. Whether you're playing at home or in cyberspace, Poker is a game won and lost based on the skill of the players.

It is estimated that over seventy million American play poker, and until recently millions pitted their skill against competitors online. Regrettably, with the passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) in September 2006, playing poker online is now illegal. It is unfathomable that poker, an American pastime and game of true skill, should be banned for the millions who enjoy playing responsibly.

Poker is not a crime. This basic fact has gotten lost in a larger battle over the future of online gaming. Rather than forcing poker players to enjoy this pastime in unregulated websites offshore, we should create a reasonable, controlled system to regulate online poker in much the same way we regulate state lotteries. I have introduced legislation to restore this reasonable treatment. My bill, the Skill Game Protection Act would create a separate definition for games of skill, such as, poker, mah-jong, bridge, chess. Any game where players compete against each other not “against the house” will be legal and regulated.

Americans that are simply playing poker, chess, and other games online are not committing a crime. They are engaging in a competitive and recreational pastime that does not warrant prohibition.