Chafee announcement speech

Good Afternoon, Thank you for inviting me. Mixing foreign policy and politics is an invitation I couldn’t pass up! It’s a pleasure to be here at George Mason University - which is named for one of the many great contributors to the best form of government on earth. As prescribed by our Constitution, which George Mason helped write, we will be electing a new President in 2016. I enjoy challenges and certainly we have many facing America. Today I am formally entering the race for the Democratic nomination for President. If we as leaders show good judgment and make good decisions, we can fix much of what is ailing us. We must deliberately and carefully extricate ourselves from expensive wars. Just think about how better this money could be spent. For instance, our transportation network is deteriorating and becoming dangerous. We should be increasing our investment and priority in public schools and colleges. This is especially important in some of our cities where there is a gnawing sense of hopelessness, racial injustice and economic disparity. We can and should do better for Native Americans, new Americans and disadvantaged Americans. Let’s keep pushing to get health care coverage to more of the uninsured. We can address climate change and extreme weather while protecting American jobs. I believe that these priorities: education, infrastructure, health care, environmental stewardship, and a strong middle class are Americans’ priorities. I am also running for President because we need to be very smart in these volatile times overseas. I’d like to talk about how we found ourselves in the destructive and expensive chaos in the Middle East and North Africa and then offer my views on seeking a peaceful resolution. There were twenty-three Senators who voted against the Iraq war in October 2002. Eighteen of us are still alive and I’m sure everyone of us had their own reasons for voting “NO”. I’d like to share my primary three. 1