“Go After the Terrorists Where They Are?” They’re in Iraq
Posted by GOP Leader Press Office on May 1st, 2007
On the House floor over the last hour, Democrats have repeatedly said, “go after the terrorists where they are!” Perhaps they should listen to their own House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) who has said:
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“Al Qaeda is obviously a very significant presence at this point in time.” (AUDIO)
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If Democrats want to go after the terrorists where they are, and al Qaeda has a “very significant presence” in Iraq, why do Democrats insisting on forcing our surrender?
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Democrats’ Bill Announces Surrender Date, Leaves Iraq in Chaos to Al Qaeda
Posted by GOP Leader Press Office on May 1st, 2007
This week, the President will veto a spending bill authored by Democrats because it ties critical troop funding to arbitrary conditions and a surrender date, and billions in unrelated spending. Conditioning funding on a series of arbitrary conditions and forcing our troops to surrender would leave Iraq in chaos, fostering further regional instability and providing fertile ground for al Qaeda to plot future attacks. On Sunday, the New Hampshire Union Leader criticized Democrats for failing to recognize the consequences of abandoning Iraq to al Qaeda:
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“Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid called the war ‘lost’ and other Democratic leaders tried to distance themselves from his comment. Yet they nonetheless voted for a bill to end the war prior to victory. In other words, to give up and go home. Obviously, most Democrats in Congress believe the war is lost and are unwilling to continue fighting it. Which is exactly the result the terrorists have worked so hard to achieve.”
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Al Qaeda, which House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) admitted has “a very significant presence” in Iraq, would love nothing more than for the United States to retreat. In the Boston Globe, columnist Jeff Jacoby blasted Democrats for recklessly disregarding the consequences of forcing a premature surrender:
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“[A]s Connecticut’s Joseph Lieberman pointed out on Thursday … US troops have retreated from Iraqi cities and regions a number of times, yet ‘in each of these places where US forces pulled back, Al Qaeda rushed in. Rather than becoming islands of peace, they became . . . islands of fear and violence.’
“Lieberman quoted the grim forecast of Sheik Abdul Sattar, a Sunni tribal leader in Anbar province: ‘If the American forces leave right now, there will be civil war and the area will fall into total chaos.’ The most recent National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq agrees. An American withdrawal in the near future ‘almost certainly would lead to a significant increase in the scale and scope of sectarian conflict in Iraq,’ it concludes. ‘Massive civilian casualties and forced population displacement would be probable.’”
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In March, Democratic leaders were privately telling their Members that if the Democrats’ surrender bill was defeated, they would do the right thing and “quickly bring up a ‘clean’ spending bill just for combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.” We’re still waiting.
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So, Where Is the Clean Troop Funding Bill?
Posted by GOP Leader Press Office on May 1st, 2007
In March, Democratic leaders were privately telling their Members that if the Democrats’ surrender bill ultimately fails, they would do the right thing and bring up a clean troop funding bill. According to the March 20th issue of the Politico:
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“[House Speaker Nancy] Pelosi is privately telling leaders of the Out of Iraq Caucus, including California Democratic Reps. Maxine Waters, Barbara Lee and Lynn Woolsey, that if the leadership-crafted spending bill, which includes a 2008 withdrawal date, goes down, she’ll quickly bring up a ‘clean’ spending bill just for combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan through the end of the year and seek Republican support to pass it.”
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Well, the Democrats’ surrender bill – which endangers our troops in harm’s way and undermines our generals on the ground – will soon “go down” as the President plans to veto the reckless measure. In a press conference last week, House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) said that if Democrats bring a clean troop funding bill to the floor, House Republicans will support it:
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“There is a bipartisan majority in the Congress – in the House and Senate – to support our troops without conditions, without surrender dates, and without all of the excess spending we see in this bill. And I can tell you this: if Democrat leaders do the right thing, I can promise that Republicans will be there to support them to get this bill to the President’s desk as soon as possible – a bill that he can sign that will in fact support our troops that are in harm’s way.” (AUDIO)
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The Richmond Times-Dispatch called the Democrats’ bill “a disgrace” for tying troop funding to arbitrary conditions and unrelated spending:
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“The resolutions imposing a timetable for success in Iraq define congressional irresponsibility. Whether controlled by Democrats or Republicans, Congress has no business micro-managing war…The timetable offers a classic example of appearing to take a stand — but without embracing accountability. To make matters worse, Congress has larded Iraq legislation with appropriations that have nothing to do with national security. This is a disgrace.”
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With the Democrats’ surrender bill about to fail, where is the clean troop funding bill?
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