In remarks today on Capitol Hill, Speaker of House John Boehner called for action in Iraq:
“On Iraq: It’s been a week now since ISIL fighters stormed Ramadi – the capital of Iraq’s largest province. Hundreds of innocent Iraqi men, women and children have been executed, dozens of U.S.-supplied tanks and military vehicles have been seized,” said Boehner.
“The White House still insists that no new strategy is needed. It says the president’s policies have been a success. It just isn’t credible, things need to change.
“A stable and sovereign Iraq is vital to America’s interests. As I told the Iraqi prime minister when I was there before Easter, I was embarrassed that the Iraqis had to bring the Iranians in to help them with the fight in Tikrit.
“To win this fight, the president is going to have to scrap his policies that aren’t working, lay out a broad, overarching strategy to defeat these savage terrorists. What could it look like?
“To start, instead of placing artificial constraints on our commanders, it’s critical that we have a strategy that ensures that conditions on the ground dictate our approach. But I think security is just one piece of this overarching strategy. I think we need to better engage in a meaningful way with Islamic leaders to address the factors that are driving this radicalization. And we need a plan to combat ISIL’s sophisticated use of social media and communications. It’s a battle that we’re losing right now. And, any overarching strategy has to put a priority on backing – not ignoring – America’s allies in the region.
“In the House, Republicans are committed to working with the president to ensure that our troops have what they need to carry out their vital missions. Sadly, Democrats continue to say they won’t support a raise in pay for our troops until they get more domestic spending. So as we pause for Memorial Day to reflect on the great sacrifices made by those who wore the uniform, I hope they’ll reconsider their position.
“After all, the American people sent us to Washington to focus on their priorities, not Washington’s.”
