The U.S. Constitution clearly describes the President of the United States as the Commander in Chief.  Thereby conferring on that office, and that office alone, the authority to order troops in and out of war. Nancy Pelosi and her fellow liberals in the House of Representatives have apparently forgotten this inconvenient truth. Recently, Congress passed a $124.1 billion spending bill that was supposed to provide our troops with the funds, resources and equipment necessary to complete their mission in Iraq.  Instead, the House Majority set in motion a "slow-bleed" strategy that will ultimately choke off funding and tie the hands of the Commander in Chief by micromanaging the conduct of the war.  The House Majority was able to pass this legislation by shamelessly loading the bill with pork projects in order to secure the votes of members of their own party.

The Majority's "slow-bleed" approach is wrong for many reasons.  The plan micromanages the war and undermines General Petraeus and the troops on the ground by setting a detailed timetable with specific benchmarks for the continuation of conflict.  Not only does this new scheme micromanage the war, it represents and unconstitutional infringement upon the authority of the President as Commander in Chief.

If this legislation becomes law we are putting the security of our own nation in jeopardy.  The consequences of failure in Iraq are disastrous and the majority party is willfully ignoring this reality.  By telling the terrorists exactly when we intend to withdraw from Iraq, we also tell them exactly when they should plan to bring the war to us in our country.

Congress should never attempt to hamstring a Commander in Chief's military authority by choking off resources and equipment from the troops on the ground.  And support for our men and women in uniform should never be used as bargaining chips to acquire funds for their individual pet projects.  Finally, the security of our nation should never be placed on the line to prove political points.

Winston Churchill once said, "Never believe any war will be smooth and easy, or that anyone who embarks on the strange voyage can measure the tides and hurricanes he will encounter."  There is no doubt that this war has been more difficult than anticipated and for this reason Members of Congress should not undermine General Petraeus and our troops on the ground.  As one who has the great honor and responsibility of representing thousands of Oklahoma soldiers in the U.S. Congress, I will continue to fight to ensure that our troops and generals are not undermined and that they receive the resources and equipment they need to successfully complete their mission.

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