On the House floor yesterday, Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana said
"Listening to this debate today and to the opposition to the 'surge' being espoused by the Democratic majority I have begun to wonder . . . What if? I have made it clear that I support the 'surge' and the president's new strategy. My Democratic friends have made it clear that they oppose the 'surge' and the president's new strategy, and that is their right. At this moment, a majority of Americans appear to be with the Democrats. But what if? What if they're wrong? What if you're wrong? What if the 'surge' and General Petraeus and our brave men and women in Iraq succeed?"
I have pointed out that while Americans don't necessarily like the situation in Iraq, they most definitely do not want to lose.
But there are a group of Republicans who think they are being politically savvy, but what they are really doing is betting against the President, General Petraeus, and the troops fighting in Iraq. They think they are saving their jobs.
Americans don't want to lose in Iraq. And the fact of the matter is, the new plan may very well succeed. And one thing every politician knows is that success has a whole lotta fathers.
Whether on not the new plan succeeds, we will remember the names of those who turned their backs and showed cowardice when the chips were down.
The vote in the House takes place today, and as of this moment, those Republicans who will vote for failure; the White Flag Republicans; the Move-On Republicans shall be named.
NRCC Chairman Representative Tom Cole
Representative Roscoe Gardner BartlettRepresentative James T. Walsh
Representative Walter Jones
Representative Wayne Gilchrest
Representative Michael Castle
Representative Richard (Ric) Keller
Representative Philip Sheridan English
Representative Ronald Ernest Paul
Representative Frederick Stephen Upton
Representative Thomas M. Davis
Representative Mark Kirk
Representative Howard Coble
Representative John J. Duncan Jr.
Representative James Ramstad
Representative Steven C. LaTourette
Representative Thomas Petri
Representative Bob Inglis
Representative Timothy V. Johnson
Now to be fair, I would identify a group called the White Flag Democrats, but it will be easier to enumerate those who are not surrender monkeys. And once the vote is in, I will do just that if there are any.
I will also add to the list (or remove from the list as appropriate) of White Flag Republicans as new information becomes available.
Today, they will identify themselves.
UPDATE: The votes are cast. Seventeen Republicans voted for the non-binding resolution. I have corrected the list above to remove two (strikeouts) and add three (bolded).
It turns out two Democrats voted with 180 Republicans in a futile attempt to defeat the resolution that bets against the soldiers in the field. And as promised, I will name the brave:
Representative Jim Marshall of the great state of Georgia
Representative Gene Taylor of Mississippi
Which just goes to show, not all Democrats are delusional.
