Boehner Debunks Dems' Latest, Desperate "Economic" Argument on Iraq
Democratic Leaders' Latest Flawed Argument: Sluggish Economy Is the Fault of Our Troops' Efforts in Iraq
Washington,
Apr 7, 2008 -
Faced with undeniable security gains in Iraq and an Iraqi government that has met 12 of 18 benchmarks, with five more close to being met, congressional Democratic leaders are scrambling for a new message strategy in advance of General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker’s testimony before Congress later this week. The Majority seems to have settled on this simple but flawed message: our troops’ efforts in Iraq are to blame for our increasingly sluggish economy.
Calling it “political opportunism at its worst,” House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) today debunked this latest, desperate strategy in which the work of our men and women in uniform is singled-out as the cause of our economic downturn:
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“While both parties agree that middle class families and small businesses are struggling with skyrocketing costs of living, this latest argument from Democratic leaders smacks of political opportunism at its very worst. Congress has worked – and continues to work – with the Administration to craft policies that encourage economic growth, including passing the bipartisan stimulus legislation. To characterize our ongoing effort to defeat radical Islamic terrorists as the trigger for our nation’s economic downturn is cynical and irresponsible.”
“If our nation abandoned efforts to stabilize Iraq, not only would terrorism follow our troops home, but it would lead to chaos in the Middle East that would wreak havoc on our national and economic security as well. While American consumers are dealing with spiking fuel prices today, these costs would pale in comparison with those they would face if radical jihadists – or the Iranian regime – gained the upper hand in the Middle East.”
“The fact is, the true cost of this war is the precious lives of the men and women who have so bravely and admirably fought to defeat the terrorist threat. Abruptly leaving Iraq before the job is done not only would imperil our security, but it also would demean their memories.”
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Boehner’s statement follows the advice of Stanford economist John Taylor, who was cited in a recent San Francisco Chronicle op-ed for disputing the Democrats’ “economic argument”:
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“Noted Stanford economist John Taylor said, ‘A lot of people could listen to that and think it sounds reasonable.’ But the high price of gasoline is largely a function of increased demand for oil in the global economy. And a more secure Iraq could mean more oil.”
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And Senators Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and Lindsay Graham (R-SC) also took aim at the Democratic leadership’s latest rhetoric on Iraq in an op-ed published in this morning’s Wall Street Journal:
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“Unable to make the case that the surge has failed, antiwar forces have adopted a new set of talking points, emphasizing the ‘costs’ of our involvement in Iraq, hoping to exploit Americans’ current economic anxieties…”
“There is no question the war in Iraq – like the Cold War, World War II and every other conflict we have fought in our history – costs money. But as great as the costs of this struggle have been, so too are the dividends to our national security from a successful outcome, with a functioning, representative Iraqi government and a stabilized Middle East. The costs of abandoning Iraq to our enemies, conversely, would be enormous, not only in dollars, but in human lives and in the security and freedom of our nation.”
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Even liberal New York Times columnist and economist Paul Krugman has shot down the Democratic leadership’s faulty “economic” argument, asserting, “One thing I get asked fairly often is whether the Iraq war is responsible for our economic difficulties. The answer (with slight qualifications) is no… Overall, though, the story of America’s economic difficulties is about the bursting housing bubble, not the war.”
With General Petraeus’ and Ambassador Crocker’s testimony just hours away, will Democratic leaders continue to peddle their latest, shallow “economic” argument for abruptly and irresponsibly pulling our troops home in defeat? Or will they finally join House Republicans – and an increasing number of rank-and-file Democrats as well – in acknowledging the gains of our troops and Iraqi leaders?
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