House Minority Leader, John Boehner on the Democrats’ bill to retreat from Iraq by April 2008: “This is not leadership. This is negligence.â€
A note about tonight’s vote on Iraq: Is this really a win for Democrats?
John Boehner photo credit RNC
Today, for the sixth time in as many months, Democrat leaders offered legislation that cheers for retreat in our war with radical jihadists in Iraq. It outlines no “new way forward†in Iraq at all – no plan for a safer Middle East or a safer America; no guarantees for the safety of the Iraqi people; no plan to prevent Iraq from becoming a breeding ground for terrorists; no consideration of the disastrous consequences of precipitous withdrawal; and completely disregards the safety of American troops.
In short, the Democrats’ bill does not constitute any “new direction†whatsoever – it just changes the subject on the Democrats’ failure to govern on every domestic policy issue under the sun.
In the meantime, House Republicans:
1. Remained unified today in supporting our troops and giving General Petraeus a chance to succeed – consistent with their firm belief that our generals on the ground should make military decisions, not politicians in Washington, DC.
2. Secured passage of the funding bill for our troops six weeks ago, enabled the General to receive the full complement of reinforcements three weeks ago, and refused to support the Democrats’ latest partisan charade to renege on those Congressional commitments.
3. Exposed the Democrats’ penchant to over-reach and pander to the Ultra-Liberal Left on Iraq. The “record of genuine bipartisanship†they promised last year has been non-existent this year; their blatant partisanship makes it that much easier for Republican members to stay united.
4. Repeatedly made it clear that Democrats have NO plan for Iraq should their plan to withdraw troops immediately pass, other than to leave Iraq in chaos.
5. Maintained a principled stand, never cowering to pressure from millions of dollars in political advertising by the outside groups that coordinate with Democrats. Republicans continue to do the right thing for the right reasons, regardless of the polls.
Democrats want to throw open the borders, disengage from fighting terrorism, protect criminals from justice and they want to take my guns away so I can’t defend myself against the havoc their insane policies will inevitably wreak.