Tomorrow, lawmakers in the [tag]House[/tag] will get together for a lengthy [tag]debate[/tag] on the [tag]war[/tag] in [tag]Iraq[/tag], a discussion that Roll Call described as “one of [the House’s] most significant debates in several years.” Majority Leader [tag]John Boehner[/tag] (R-Ohio) told reporters that he would like to see the debate take on a “serious, dignified tone.”
Of course, what Boehner tells reporters and what he tells his GOP caucus are two very different things.
ThinkProgress has obtained a “[tag]Confidential Messaging Memo[/tag]” from Boehner instructing his caucus to conduct a very different kind of deliberation. Here’s a quick summary:
1. Exploit 9/11. The two page memo mentions 9/11 seven times. It describes debating Iraq in the context of [tag]9/11[/tag] as “imperative.”
2. Attack opponents [tag]ad hominem[/tag]. The memo describes those who opposes President Bush’s policies in Iraq as “sheepish,” “weak,” and “prone to waver endlessly.”
3. Create a false choice. The memo says the decision is between supporting President [tag]Bush[/tag]’s policies and hoping terrorist threats will “fade away on their own.”
You mean Boehner and House Republicans want to somehow misuse a high-minded debate to score cheap points? They don’t want to debate war policy, but want to mislead the public and smear their rivals? Who ever could have guessed?
ThinkProgress posted Boehner’s memo here (.pdf). At least we’ll know what to expect tomorrow.