Boehner Weekly Column: "Continue Funding Our Troops, Stop Engaging in Political Theater"

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By Congressman John Boehner (R-West Chester)

In the coming days, a debate will begin in Congress about whether to cut off funding for our troops who are fighting in Iraq.

The measure that is likely to come to a vote in the U.S. House, however, will be a non-binding resolution expressing opposition to increasing our troop numbers. This vote is political theater, and its impact will be detrimental both to our troops and our cause.

Victory in Iraq is the most important issue facing our country today. The well-being and safety of our troops is tantamount to that, and to that end, I am an original co-sponsor of legislation authored by Rep. Sam Johnson of Texas to ensure that Congress does not cut off or restrict funding for our troops in combat zones.

Victory in Iraq is our only option, and we must ensure that our troops have the resources and equipment not only to protect them but to ensure that victory. The legislation we offer in Congress and the votes we take send a clear message not only to our troops but to our enemy concerning our resolve to win the Global War on Terror.

Last week, I delivered a radio address in which I stated that “leaving Iraq in chaos would directly threaten America’s safety and security.” While Iraq is the most public face in the Global War on Terror, we’re fighting this war there and around the world.

The September 11th attacks were not the first salvos fired against us in the war on terror. We saw radical jihadists in the 1983 attack on the U.S. Marine Corps barracks in Beirut, in the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center and in the 2000 attack on the U.S.S. Cole. While some recent strategies in Iraq have failed to meet our expectations, we all must continue to work together to stabilize the still-growing Iraqi democracy so as not create another safe-haven for terrorists who wish to harm us.

It is my hope that my colleagues in the House realize the message we send to our troops when we threaten the funding that provides them with critical resources and equipment. We have a responsibility to the men and women who have volunteered to serve in harm’s way to defend us.

The troops are our neighbors, our friends and our families. They are the men and women who serve in the 324th Military Police Company from Middletown. They serve in the Ohio Air and Army National Guard – the 1487th Transportation Company, the 612th Engineer Battalion and the 107th Cavalry Squadron. They are the men and women who serve at Wright Patterson Air Force Base.

Fleeing Iraq will not only make a mockery of the sacrifices that have been made in this war, it will send a clear signal to our enemy that we’re not committed to defeating them. We’ve seen the devastating affects of ignoring radical jihadists whose one mission is to destroy us. This enemy is every bit as dangerous as the one we faced in World War II. We must stand together and have that same commitment to victory.