House Republicans will have no trouble sustaining the President's veto of a
Democratic bill that shamefully ties critical troop funding to a series of
arbitrary conditions and timelines, not to mention billions in unrelated
spending. And while Democrats are now toying with idea of rationing support
for our troops in the short-term while they find another way to force a
withdrawal, that won't work either. What we need is a clean bill - an up or
down vote on giving our troops the resources they need to succeed.
For the benefit of those who think "supporting the troops" means choking off
their resources and undermining their mission, here is a brief primer on
what a clean bill should look like.
First of all, a clean bill will not tie troop funding to a surrender date.
Democrats repeatedly say the war in Iraq is "lost" and make the peculiar
argument that America should instead "go after the terrorists where they
are." They should listen to their House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD)
who has admitted al Qaeda has a "very significant presence" in Iraq. He's
right - al Qaeda's presence in Iraq is real and it is deadly, and it is
foolish to think that withdrawing would somehow diminish the threat it
poses.
There is no doubt that al Qaeda would benefit from America's failure.
Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT) has soberly reminded his colleagues that, over
the last few years, every time "U.S. forces pulled back, al Qaeda rushed in"
to fill the void. The long-term consequences of a retreat would be
devastating for America's national security, fostering further regional
chaos and providing fertile ground for al Qaeda to plot future attacks.
Democrats should also listen to the Washington Post's David Broder who
lambasted the mistaken argument that "the military effort is lost but a
diplomatic-political strategy can succeed." In fact, General Petraeus has
insisted that "military action is necessary to help improve security" in
Iraq. Circling a surrender date on the calendar will do nothing to help our
soldiers succeed in Iraq, and it will do nothing to further political and
diplomatic progress.
Second, a clean bill will not tie troop funding to arbitrary conditions.
Democrats claim they want "benchmarks." But benchmarks, by definition, are
used to measure progress so that adjustments can be recommended periodically
- based on results - to improve weaknesses and build upon strengths. What
Democrats have actually authored and supported are a series of unrealistic
conditions and timelines that choke off resources for our troops.