Boehner on "Fox News Sunday": "It's Time to Support Our Troops"

Via email:

On Fox News Sunday this morning, House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) challenged House Democrats to "do the right thing" and bring a clean troop funding bill to a vote. Boehner discussed the danger of Democrats' arbitrary timelines and conditions, the stakes in the Global War on Terror, and Democrats' lack of legislative accomplishments.

ON THE NEED FOR A CLEAN TROOP FUNDING BILL

BOEHNER: "I've made it clear to the Democrat leadership on Capitol Hill that if they're willing to do the right thing, fund the troops with a clean bill, without all the excess spending that's in the bill, the Republicans will be there to work with them and to put a bill on the president's desk. It's time to support our troops."

BOEHNER: "We want a clean bill. We don't want artificial deadlines. We don't want handcuffs on our generals. We don't want artificial measures in there to try and ensure failure. Iraq is very important. We need to win in Iraq ."

ON THE DANGER OF DEMOCRATS' ARBITRARY TIMELINES AND CONDITIONS

BOEHNER: "I used to run a small business. I owned a small business. I had benchmarks every month, but if I didn't meet the benchmarks, if I missed the profit margin, I didn't shut down the business. I didn't yank the funds and close up the door. I tried to figure out what do I need to do in order to meet those benchmarks. That's the whole point. I'm for benchmarks that are for success. I'm not for benchmarks with artificial timelines, yanking funds, trying to ensure that there's failure in Iraq ."

ON THE STAKES IN THE GLOBAL WAR ON TERROR

BOEHNER: " Iraq is about al Qaeda and 76 other terrorist groups operating there, and all of their effort is aimed at defeating the United States . ... [I]t's al Qaeda and their affiliates who have made Iraq the central front in their war with us. We have to remember they started this, not us. And if we don't take on al Qaeda there, in Iraq , where do we take on al Qaeda? Where do we take on radical Islam who is hell-bent on killing Americans and our allies?"

ON DEMOCRATS' LACK OF LEGISLATIVE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

BOEHNER: "All we have to do is look at their policy in Iraq . They have no policy on Iraq other than give up and bring the troops home. And as this presidential nominating process continues to heat up, and you've got all these Democrats, Democrats especially in the Senate, running for President, they're being pulled further and further to the left by these anti-war and liberal groups. ... [T]hey're continuing to be pulled to the left. They have no plan. And when you look at their domestic agenda, there is none. There's none."

5/7 Update - Transcript