If surge is working, let’s fund the troops

Today, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) said “the surge is working” after returning from his latest visit to Iraq. Reacting to those comments, the Politico carried this response from a “top House Democratic aide”: “This could be a real headache for us … [Speaker] Pelosi is going to be furious.”*

U.S. Rep. John Boozman (R-AR) is formally calling on Congressional leaders to craft a clean, bipartisan, troop funding bill by Christmas in light of the admission by Rep. John Murtha (D-PA), the leading anti-war critic in the House, that “the surge is working.”

“Chairman Murtha’s statement is an acknowledgement of the success the men and women of our armed forces have achieved under the new direction laid out by the administration, and it is one I hope to see embraced by his colleagues. Over the last six months, we have seen greater security, a reduction in attacks, and citizens joining together to put the terrorists on the run. If the surge is working, then let us fund the troops.

“I call on the leadership of this Congress to put forward a bipartisan troop support bill which will allow the military to capitalize on its efforts, and to do so by the time we adjourn for Christmas. This is not a time to play games, but to come together and stand-up for the men and women who continue to implement this successful strategy. We do not need to risk the safety of our troops by delaying a clean bill any further.” * Looks like that “furious” Pelosi made a phone call this a.m.: Murtha clarifies remarks on Iraq ‘surge’ See also: Murtha's comments on 'surge' are a problem for House Democrats; U.S. deaths in Iraq remain down; Quote of the day concerning Iraq visit by Rep. Norman Dicks (D-WA) : “There is a sense of normalcy you didn’t see before. In that sense, the surge is being successful. . . . I felt kinda embarrassed telling the Iraqis they had to get their act together and pass legislation when we can’t do it back here.”

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Tags: Iraq War, John Boozman, John Murtha, military funding, Nancy Pelosi, troop surge, US House