Since the United States invaded Iraq five years ago this week, nearly 4,000 American troops have lost their lives, and nearly thirty thousand more have suffered serious injuries, while as many as a million Iraqis may now be dead. We have already spent more than $500 billion, and the costs of the war to the U.S. economy are expected to ultimately exceed $3 trillion.

There is still no end in sight. And the war goes on endlessly at a time the U.S. economy is slipping into a very serious financial crisis, and hundreds of thousands of American families risk losing their homes to foreclosure.

For five years we've asked our leaders in Washington D.C., how are you going to end the war in Iraq? How do we bring our troops home?  How do we redirect the hundreds of billions of dollars being spent on the war to solving our problems here at home? And how do we prevent the mistakes that led to this fiasco from happening again in the future?

My favorite part of campaigning is getting people involved.  So I'm opening the doors and inviting you all in.

My experience as a mother and a businesswoman tells me that the country is currently headed in the wrong direction -- and that together, we can change it. We must take back our country - starting with the House of Representatives in November.

Like you, I am doing everything I can to win back the House this year. I've given up my career, all my time and energy, and much of my life's savings to this task - because I know that we can win.

But the Republicans won't give up their power easily. They are vulnerable here in Washington State, where I'm fighting them - so they're sending President Bush across the country to my district, WA-08, to raise half a million dollars in one morning (tomorrow morning) for my opponent, Dave Reichert.

They know that control of the House is likely to hinge on a handful of seats in November, and they will do whatever they can to keep us from winning them.