As President Obama announces his plans for military withdrawal from Iraq, House Republican Leader John Boehner is praising the surge. “We’ve made significant progress in Iraq, and our troops and their families deserve great credit for their courage and sacrifice,” he says in a statement. “Despite what many politicians continue to say, the success of the surge strategy put in place by Generals Petraeus and Odierno is undeniable. Despite many difficult debates in 2007 and 2008, Republicans stood on principle against the irresponsible plans put forth by congressional Democrats to withdraw all our troops and leave Iraq in chaos.”
“By taking the fight to al-Qaeda, other terrorist threats, and the insurgency, our men and women in uniform succeeded in providing greater security to the Iraqi population and giving the government the time to build capacity to more effectively meet the needs of the Iraqi people,” Boehner adds. “As a result, the drawdown of U.S. troops that began under the previous administration has been able to continue. I commend President Obama for listening to our commanders in the field and working closely with them, the Iraqi people, and the Congress to ensure that we continue to make progress there.”