The Palm Beach Post has a letter to Americans nationwide from Rep. Allen West explaining his plan to vote "yea" on the Boehner debt ceiling proposal, which passed last night. The vote saw some staunch conservatives vote "nay," including Rep. Jason Chaffetz and chair of the Republican Study Committee Jim Jordan.
The letter is dated July 28, 2011.
"While not perfect, it is a real plan to take the first of many necessary steps to move our nation forward," West said in the letter. "The Budget Act is far from perfect but the hard reality is that fiscal conservatives control only one-half of one-third of our government. The bill will make sure the President does not receive a blank check to continue his spending binge and the old ways of Washington, D.C. ... This vote is historic-it is the first time we are raising the debt ceiling with cuts greater thn increase."
West explained he learned during his military service that officers wasted too much time trying to come up with the perfect plan, saying they often fell short trying to do so because they were "too inflexible or divided." He said that coming up with a 70-75 percent plan executed well is often the path that ensures victory. He adds, "The Budget Control Act is not perfect, but it is the 70 percent plan that my colleagues and I can execute 100 percent."
He does not, however, take it easy on the president.
"In my 22 years of service in the United States Army, I never came across a Commanding Officer who spoke of a plan, yet never presented a plan. Even the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has stated that it is impossible to score a political speech," West says.
Read the full letter here.