While General Petraeus calls al Qaeda "public enemy number one," Democrats
have purposely written a bill that limits his ability to take them on. Last
week the general described areas of Iraq like al Anbar province where Sunni
Arab tribes are "linking arms" with American and Iraqi forces to combat al
Qaeda. A clean bill will help American forces root out and disrupt terrorist
forces - it will not handcuff our generals by putting arbitrary limits and
conditions on their resources.
And lastly, a clean bill will not tie troop funding to excess spending.
Democrats have openly admitted they "don't have the votes" to pass an
emergency war supplemental, and so resorted to buying votes with billions in
unrelated spending. The bill passed by the House and Senate was loaded with
billions of dollars that has absolutely nothing to do with American troops
or veterans, including money for production of salmon, cows, pigs, and dairy
products.
But there's a better way. If Democratic leaders do the right thing - and put
forward a bill that supports our troops without conditions, without
surrender dates, and without all of the excess spending - Republicans will
be there to support them.
Democrats claim they want to "change course," but they have failed to
explain what they want to accomplish by retreating from the Global War on
Terror. Given the nature of our enemy and the long-term consequences of
failure, the only course Democrats have charted is the road to danger.
We need a clean troop funding bill that gives our troops the resources they
need to succeed in the Global War on Terror, and we need it now. Let's get
it done and let's get a bill to the President's desk as soon as possible.