Today belongs to our troops (Rep. John Boehner)

Before
I go any further, I want to thank the American Legion and all our
veterans service organizations for supporting our troops wherever they
are stationed and caring for them when they come home.

It is truly hero’s work and I know I speak for all the members of the United States Congress when I say ‘thank you.’

I also want to congratulate Commander Hill and the hundreds of bikers
who participated in yet another successful Legacy Run. All told, you
raised more than $360,000 for the families of servicemembers who have
fallen in the line in the years following the terrorist attacks of
September 11, 2001.

Your efforts serve as a reminder of our shared resolve as a country to
never forget 9/11 and to keep faith with the heroes who lost their
lives that day — often in the hope that others might live.

Those memories don’t fade and these colors don’t run. So we honor the sacrifices of our 9/11 heroes — today… tomorrow…always.

Thank you for the work you are doing to help improve veterans’ access to the quality health care they deserve.

I was proud to work with the Legion last year to stop a severely
misguided plan to bill veterans’ health insurance companies for combat
injuries. Insurance companies don’t send men and women into combat, our
Nation does – and our Nation should take responsibility for that
momentous decision.

And I was proud to stand with the Legion this year to expose flaws in
the new health care law that could have harmed veterans. With the
Legion’s help, we successfully protected veterans’ health care benefits
from new mandates and costly regulations.

JOBS AND THE ECONOMY

As important as our government’s commitment to provide quality health
care for our veterans may be, just as important is a commitment to the
dignity and respect that comes from holding a job.

Today, as thousands of our warriors come home seeking to provide for
their families and realize the American Dream they have volunteered to
defend, awaiting them is an economy that affords neither opportunities
nor jobs. Veterans’ unemployment is now at 11 percent.

That is why I have called on my colleagues in the Congress and the
president to join me in supporting a series of immediate actions to end
the ongoing economic uncertainty and help more Americans find an honest
day’s work.

‘Stimulus’ spending sprees, permanent bailouts, federal mandates and
government takeovers have failed this nation and have failed our
veterans.

It’s time for a fresh start so that every man and woman who has donned
the uniform of our nation knows that when they leave the service, the
opportunity for a good job in the private sector awaits them.

IRAQ

It is an honor to share the stage today with Secretary Robert Gates and
I join him in thanking our brave men and women who have served and are
currently serving in Iraq.

This day belongs to our troops, whose courage and sacrifices have made
the transition to a new mission in Iraq possible. It is with profound
gratitude that we reflect on all that our servicemembers and their
families have done – and continue to do – during a time of peril. We
also salute the work of their commanders, General David Petraeus and
General Ray Odierno.

At this moment, I can’t help but think back to a time when the situation in Iraq was grim and the future seemed bleak.

When General Petraeus embarked on the surge strategy, it was widely
viewed as our last chance to save Iraq from spiraling into an
irreversible descent toward chaos. The consequences of failure then, as
now, were severe.

Some leaders who opposed, criticized, and fought tooth-and-nail to stop
the surge strategy now proudly claim credit for the results.

    * One leader in the U.S. House of Representatives declared the surge a failure before it was even implemented.

    * One leader in the United States Senate said, and I quote – ‘this
war is lost’ – while additional forces were being mobilized.

    * One lawmaker rejected the idea that the surge would reduce
violence in Iraq, saying – and again I’m quoting – ‘in fact, I think it
will do the reverse.’

These are lawmakers who supported – and accepted support from – an
anti-war organization that ran a full page ad in The New York Times
smearing a four star general, a commander of men and women in harm’s
way as “General Betray Us.”

These are sad facts.

Today we mark not the defeat those voices anticipated – but progress.

And I want to thank President Obama for setting aside his past
political rhetoric and recognizing the importance of the surge and the
diplomatic agreement signed by President Bush and Prime Minister Maliki.

At this hour, 50,000 U.S. troops are still in Iraq. For those troops,
and for their families, the war will not be over until they come home.
And though the mission has changed, their work is no less critical.

For there is no stronger bulwark against the menace posed by the
Iranian regime or other extremist forces in the region than a
democratic Iraq. There is no greater inspiration to moderate
governments and reformers in the region than a successful Iraq. And
there is no better argument against those who preach intolerance and
hatred than a free, stable, thriving Iraq.

Of course, true success in Iraq will be determined not by the words
politicians speak today, but by their actions in the months and years
ahead.

The hard truth is that Iraq will continue to remain a target for those who hope to destroy freedom and democracy.

The people of that nation – and this nation – deserve to know what
America is prepared to do if the cause for which our troops sacrificed
their lives in Iraq is threatened. I hope the president will address
that question as early as tonight, when he speaks to the nation, and
the world.

Over the past several months, we’ve often heard about ending the war in
Iraq, but not much about winning the war in Iraq. If we honor what our
men and women fought for, we cannot turn our backs now on what they
have achieved.

When we support our troops, we support them all the way – there is no
such thing as supporting our troops, but not their mission.

Victory in Iraq was the only option in 2007 – and it is the only option now.

The American Legion understands that, and the American people
understand that. That is why we are here talking about our troops
returning home in success instead of gradual surrender.

Of course, too many of our own have returned home from Iraq to be laid
to rest. Their sacrifices have not been in vain, and I know
Legionnaires give their all to ensure that the families of the fallen
are held up in our hearts and deeds.

Staff Sergeant Daniel Clay is one of our fallen heroes. His wife, Lisa
Bell Clay, once worked in my congressional office. Sergeant Clay was
one of our United States Marines killed in Fallujah in 2006.

He left behind a letter to his family to be read in case of his death.
In the letter, Sergeant Clay wrote: ‘What we have done in Iraq is worth
any sacrifice. Why? Because it was our duty. That sounds simple. But
all of us have a duty. Duty is defined as a God-given task. Without
duty, life is worthless.’

This Marine understood his duty to God and country. We as elected leaders must understand ours as well.

COMMITMENTS TO OUR TROOPS

Our troops in harm’s way should never have to doubt Congress’s commitment to supporting their mission.

When asked to provide our troops in harm’s way with the resources they
need, we should do so without delay. That means no more troop funding
bills held up by unrelated, extraneous domestic spending and pork
barrel projects.

We need a Congress that understands when we send our sons and daughters
to risk all in defense of our security – victory is the only option –
and we will do whatever it takes to provide them with the necessary
support so they can return home swiftly and successfully.

No voice – no matter how strong or committed – can substitute for the voice of the Commander-in-Chief.

That is why the president must take the time to articulate in a
coherent, consistent matter to their families and fellow citizens the
cause, purpose, and goal of their mission.

These imperatives should not be communicated in the manner of ‘checking
a box.’ These missions should not be bunched together among a laundry
list of political challenges.

AFGHANISTAN

Afghanistan is not just one of ‘two wars’ – it is central to the global struggle against extremism and intolerance.

The border Afghanistan shares with Pakistan is a virtual command and
control center where al Qaeda leaders plan and plot their attacks
against the United States and its allies.

Afghanistan must be resistant to the forces of extremism hell bent on
returning to power and it must be resistant to becoming a potential
safe haven for terrorist organizations.

I support our counterinsurgency strategy in Afghanistan, but the
president must do more to emphasize his commitment to ensuring its
success rather than focusing on arbitrary deadlines for withdrawal. And
he must also place a greater emphasis on ensuring successful
implementation of both the military and civilian components of his
strategy.

Using campaign promises as a yardstick to measure success in Iraq and
Afghanistan runs the risk of triggering artificial victory laps and
premature withdrawal dates unconnected to conditions on the ground.

After years of hard fighting – which has come at a high price – we
cannot afford to underestimate the impact our domestic debates and
political hedging have on decisions made by friend and foe alike.

If we are successful in accomplishing our goals in Afghanistan, it will
be because of the endurance, discipline, and patience of our troops. I
know the American Legion joins me in expressing gratitude to our men
and women serving in Afghanistan.

CONFRONTING AND DEFEATING THE TERRORIST THREAT

The United States certainly cannot afford to think short-term when our
enemies have proven time and again they are in it for the long haul.

This is a war that began well before the tragic events of 9/11 – it is
a war the American people did not seek, and did not start. This is an
enemy that first tried to blow up the World Trade Center in 1993. This
is an enemy that then took its desire to kill Americans abroad – to
Riyadh in 1995, to Khobar Towers in 1996, to East Africa in 1998, and
to the U.S.S. Cole off the coast of Yemen in 2000.

This is an enemy that seeks to impose a pernicious legal code and wills the death and destruction of anyone who opposes them.

Before 9/11, the United States treated terrorism like a law enforcement
issue. We handled each incident as separate and unique, content with
investigating after the fact rather than focusing on preventing the
attack. We characterized the perpetrators as criminals to be tried and
contained, rather than terrorists to be deterred and defeated.

We see signs of a return to this pre-9/11 mentality in proposals to
house terrorists on American soil just to fulfill a political promise.

The American people were told last year that keeping open the
Guantanamo Bay Prison, which houses the worst of the worst, served as a
rallying cry for our enemies.

We were told that closing the detention facilities and importing the
remaining terrorists into the United States would diminish the threat.

And then, starting with a plot to blow up the Manhattan subway system
last September, we witnessed four terrorist incidents on U.S. soil in
an eight-month period – including the Fort Hood shooting….the attempted
Christmas Day bombing….and the failed Times Square bombing.

Each of these attacks represented new strands of terrorism. Each of
these terrorists received varying degrees of support, but all had ties
to international terrorist organizations and their radical extremist
platforms.

Now more than ever, the American people deserve every assurance that
their government has the right legal authorities and the right mindset
in place to prevent future attacks.

Just days ago, the Justice Department announced it would not be
pursuing charges against the terrorist who allegedly coordinated the
bombing of the USS Cole.

This is no garden variety terrorist. This is a terrorist who has the
blood of 17 American sailors on his hands. This is a terrorist who
worked hand in hand with one of the 9/11 hijackers.

The commander of the Cole, who has fought for justice alongside the
families of the fallen sailors, has said the Obama Administration is
blatantly playing politics with this issue.

When it comes to holding those who kill innocent Americans responsible
for their heinous acts, politics should be the last thing on our mind.

Over the course of the last 20 months, it is clear our country’s
overarching detention policy has been lost. We do not know the
parameters for when, how, and under what circumstances we will capture,
solicit information from, and detain illegal enemy combatants.

We are a nation at war. A patchwork of political promises does not
represent a coherent strategy to confront and defeat the terrorist
threat.

We need a Congress that will hold our government accountable for an
overarching capture, detention and interrogation policy. And we need a
Congress that will use every tool at its disposal to keep terrorists
off U.S. soil.

Stopping at nothing to confront and defeat the terrorist threat – that
is how we can best protect the American people and set an example for
the world.

IDEAS MATTER

Our missions in Iraq and Afghanistan are also critical to maintaining
America’s centuries-old role as a selfless beacon of freedom and hope.

For America did not become ‘the last, best hope of man’ by accident or
by force. It was a choice – a choice first made by revolutionaries who
faced down what was then the most powerful empire in the world.

During his second Inaugural Address, President Lincoln talked about how
the Union did not seek to make war, but chose to accept war in
freedom’s defense rather than letting the nation perish.

And at the height of our test of wills against Soviet Communism,
President Reagan reaffirmed America’s commitment to a genuine peace,
but made certain the Evil Empire knew that “we will never compromise
our principles and our standards, and we will never give away our
freedom.”

Ideas matter.

When reports of President Reagan’s words reached the Siberian gulags,
the Soviet dissident Natan Sharansky tapped them out to his fellow
prisoners in code.

Years later, when finally he was free and his oppressors had been
tossed to the ash heap of history, Sharansky visited the Oval Office.
And he urged President Reagan to keep giving his speeches, so that
others who aspired to liberty could hear his call to arms.

President Reagan’s rhetoric rang out to another dissident, an
electrician by the name of Lech Walesa, who shaped the Solidarity
movement that caused one of the first dents in the Iron Curtain.

When President Reagan died – 15 years after the Berlin Wall came down –
Walesa wrote in America’s newspapers that “we in Poland took him so
personally. Why? Because we owe him our liberty.”

Margaret Thatcher said of President Reagan: he took words and sent them out to fight for us.

What words are being sent out now from our government to fight for the
cause of freedom and democracy? What words does a prisoner in Cuba’s
gulag or a freedom fighter in Iran hear?

Or those who are struggling to hold onto newly formed democracies in
places such as Georgia or the democracies in our own hemisphere
threatened by Venezuela?

And if the prisoners of Belarus or North Korea hear nothing – if it is
silence that echoes in their cells rather than the firm words of
America’s support – if they hear nothing, will they one day be able to
sit in the Oval Office or write in the pages of a free media to thank
an American president?

Never forget that America remains the only nation on the face of the
Earth founded on an idea, not an identity – an idea that free people
can govern themselves, and that government’s powers are endowed only
through the consent of the governed.

An idea that the rights of all will be respected and protected, and
that no one’s opportunity to pursue happiness will be limited.

If America will not stand with freedom-loving peoples and those who
seek to be free from evil – whether in the guise of petty tyranny,
radical Islam, or any Marxist regime – then who on this Earth will?

Ideas matter. Our government must reawaken itself to the task of providing a more robust defense of freedom and liberty.

Because when America does not articulate these enduring values in a
forceful, consistent manner – when we do not send these words out to
fight for us – we cause turmoil and confusion.

Our enemies take this as a sign of weakness or a dimming of our belief in ourselves.

Our allies see cause to be uncertain and unsettled about what role the United States will play in the future.

When we do not speak out, our deeds are left to speak for themselves.

Every time we make a concession to countries acting against our
national interests…every time we ignore or snub the commitments, shared
values, and sacrifices of our allies…we pay a price.

IRAN AND ISRAEL

As we gather here, Iran is working to develop a nuclear weapons
program. Contrary to the wishful thinking of some, the Iranian regime
is capable of doing a cost-benefit analysis of pursuing these weapons
in the face of international isolation.

Iran is more than prepared to sacrifice the well-being of its people
for the chance to fundamentally change the balance of power in the
region. It is the true source of instability in the region, and we must
not naively assume a nuclear-armed Iran would be containable.

The destinies of Iran and Israel are often inter-linked, with good
reason. Israel is an island of freedom surrounded by a sea of
oppression and hate, surrounded by enemies who seek its destruction.

Israel is on the front lines of the ideological and violent clash we
are confronting. The attacks against it – whether through acts of
violence, international criticism, or manipulation of laws of war – are
often the vanguard of what our country will face.

America has stood by Israel since Harry Truman sat in the Oval Office.
Our commitment to this long-standing friendship should be no less
strong today.

Where I come from, you stick by your friends, you stick by people who
share your values. You do not send a message of strength to your
enemies by shunning your friends and allies.

The foreign policy of the United States should not be built on a
platform of apologies, corrections, and reset buttons. We will not
confront and defeat the terrorist threat by blurring America’s
exceptionalism and backing out on America’s commitments.

CLOSING

Our nation has paid a tremendously high cost these last nine years at
war, and our military personnel and their families have paid the
highest price.

We have had heart-wrenching debates regarding how best to address these
challenges. These debates have left scar tissue – between parties and
ideologies – but the challenges we face know neither.

We have serious decisions to make regarding our path forward, and these
decisions will be made in an environment in which we borrow 41 cents of
every dollar we spend. This means we must focus on working together to
identify our national security priorities and ensure our continued
military and economic superiority.

Just as America’s founding was a choice, maintaining its greatness is a choice as well.

Today, we choose to do what needs to be done – to do what we know to be
right – and to never accept the next best thing for our families, for
our country, and for freedom.

These are articles of faith worth fighting to the last for. You have
done it. Your comrades have died for it. Our troops risk all for it.

All you’ve asked for, and all they ask for, is the full support of
their elected leaders, and so long as I have anything to say about it –
I give you my word – they will have it.

High atop the United States Capitol Dome stands the Statue of Freedom,
completed in 1863 during some of the darkest and most divisive days in
the history of our country.

What I love most about the Statue of Freedom is that she faces to the east … because the sun never sets on freedom’s face.

The sun never sets on an idea America pioneered…an idea America has
championed…an idea generations of Americans have fought and died for,
incurring a debt this nation can never fully repay.

Thank you. God bless you, God bless your families, and God bless America.