Tom DeLay stuck to a predictable and insulting line over the weekend at a banquet for 200 troops and their families. Using the typical right-wing talking points, DeLay lashed out at Democrats and repeated the “stay the course” mantra.
Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay told a group of soldiers Saturday night that withdrawing troops from Iraq now would be “a death warrant for Americans in future terrorist attacks.” […]
On Saturday, DeLay said talk of troop withdrawal by Democrats, whom he described as the “cut and run caucus,” was the wrong thing to do. “America is America because we don’t quit in the face of overwhelming odds,” the Texas Republican said.
DeLay is of the opinion that once the United States starts a war, we keep fighting until we can confidently declare victory. Complaints from critics should be ignored, and the critics themselves should be held suspect for disparaging the commander-in-chief while troops are in harm’s way. As far as DeLay is concerned, we never, ever, “cut and run.”
With this in mind, I thought it might be fun to have a quick quiz. Who said the following:
1) A member of the House said, “The White House has bombed its way around the globe. International respect and trust for America has diminished every time we casually let the bombs fly.” About the troops’ mission, the lawmaker complained that “no one wants us to be there” and that the president’s effort “has harmed [our] standing in the world.”
2) A member also publicly called on Congress to consider de-funding the war, while troops are still in battle, and “pull out the forces we now have in the region.”
3) A member also said that once a U.S.-led coalition “starts meddling in the internal affairs of sovereign nations, where does it stop?” The lawmaker added that the United States is “starting to resemble a power-hungry imperialist army” and portrayed our mission as an “occupation by foreigners.”
OK, which America-hating traitors uttered these words after the president sent troops into harm’s way? Who would dare risk undermining troop morale with such hateful rhetoric while these brave men and women are putting their lives on the line?
All three came from the same member of Congress: it was Tom DeLay sharing his insights after President Clinton’s war in Kosovo began in 1999.
It’s funny how perspectives change over time, isn’t it?