The last eight years have marked one of the most serious erosions of civil liberties in the history of our country.  The Bush Administration has worked at every turn to undermine Constitutional protections that many Americans take for granted.  They have sought to detain American citizens indefinitely without trial.  They have broadened the government's ability to conduct warrantless wiretaps and searches.  They have sanctioned the use of torture.  The list grows ever larger and more shocking.

It is now clear that Wall Street's failures have spread throughout the American economy.  Our country is now faced with the most serious economic crisis since the Great Depression.

I have had the great privilege of serving on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, the San Jose Evergreen Community College District Board, and as a member of Congress.  As a result, I've been part of both the local and national conversation on education.  My commitment has remained the same -- to ensure that our schools have every resource at their disposal to give every student a chance to succeed and grow.

I have long  believed that respect for human rights should form the core of American foreign policy.  In the past, we have let other interests trump our concern for the basic human rights of others, which is both morally wrong and shortsighted.  Where human rights flourish, understanding and prosperity follow.

As an immigration attorney, I understand the frustrations inherent in dealing with our immigration service agencies.  As Chair of the Immigration Subcommittee in the House of Representatives, I have worked to improve technology at our immigration service centers, decrease the immigration application backlog, improve visa processing at our consulates around the world, lift the burdens faced by immigrant family members of the men and women in our armed services, provide better opportunities to highly skilled graduates of American universities, and pass a comprehensive solution to cur

As a life-long resident of Silicon Valley, I've had a front row seat to the birth and expansion of the internet age.  The digital world, as it exists today, is a direct result of investments that Americans made decades ago. Today's technologies — the Internet, GPS, satellite communications — have their roots in projects and efforts begun in the post-World War II era. For our nation to remain at the forefront of the global economy, we must continue to make the kinds of serious and committed investments in research and education that we made in years past.

In 2002, I voted against granting President Bush the authorization to launch this unnecessary expedition into Iraq.  Since then, I have consistently voted to bring home our brave and dedicated men and women in uniform. We have paid a brutal price for this administration's mistakes.  Over 4,000 U.S. soldiers have been killed and more than 30,000 have been wounded.  The Iraqi people have paid an even higher price, with hundreds of thousands dead or wounded, and millions displaced.