Congressional Republicans Poised To Vote Against Funding The Wars They Created

This week it is highly likely that all 178 GOP members of Congress will vote against the further funding of our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, despite the fact that these are both wars supported and created by the previous Republican administration. Under the guise of opposing a $5 billion dollar support for the IMF(International Monetary Fund), all Congressional Republicans might vote as a block to defund both wars, despite so many claims over the past few years by GOP members of Congress how vital these efforts were to America's security.

Further, some GOP foot soldiers such as former Vice President Dick Cheney recently went on the attack against the Obama Administration claiming that America's security was at risk unless the administration continued to support so-called harsh or enhanced interrogation techniques. And failed 2008 GOP candidate Mitt Romney even chimed in by attacking the Obama foreign policy. Yet The GOP Congressional members may all walk lockstep and oppose the $95 billion dollar bill to voted on this week to further fund both the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

Unfortunately, with the support of a few hardcore antiwar Democrats such as Dennis Kucinich and others, there is a hope among the antiwar community that a majority in Congress may vote to defund both wars. However, this isn't a proper course to follow.

The Obama Administration has presented a moderate and pragmatic war strategy to reduce the american efforts in Iraq and to leave more responsibility up to to the Iraqi military to defend their own nation, while leaving a supporting role for american troops to continue to train or backup Iraqi forces. Further, with recent Taliban efforts to capture the capital of Pakistan, resulting in increased warfare there, Afghanistan becomes a vital front to defeating the Taliban and Al Qaeda as well.

The Obama war policy in Iraq and Afghanistan seems both reasonable and pragmatic, and seems to have the best interests of defending America and defeating terrorism at interest. It reduces the American role in Iraq, while greatly refocusing efforts to defeat the Taliban and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan. While the hardcore of a few antiwar Democrats may be a lost cause here, the fact that all 178 Congressional Republicans could actually vote against defunding the war is outrageous, especially since all of the noise that their party continues to make on every national security issue. This is just irresponsible politics of the worst variety that does not have the best interests of the national security of the United States at interest here. The security of the United States deserves to be above politics.