Obnoxious Pork

House Democratic leaders are trying to paste over their members’ differences on how to micromanage the war in Iraq. Using pork projects to purchase members’ votes for this irresponsible legislation is obnoxious.

America’s hardworking taxpayers are smarter than to let this unnecessary and unrelated spending in an emergency supplemental for the war go unnoticed.  My hometown paper, the Orlando Sentinel, has an editorial yesterday highlighting the House Democrats “strategically stupid, and constitutionally suspect” plan.

Like the Orlando Sentinel, I too have been skeptical in the past of the management of the war.  I believe that it is up the Iraqi people — and not us — to determine their fate and how they govern themselves.  However, once a decision has been made and a mission assigned, lawmakers should support the troops and their one Commander in Chief. We should deny the enemy encouragement and provide resolve to our servicemen and women.

We do not need 535 commanders in chief micromanaging a war by opening America’s purse strings to buy votes from members. It is the height of hypocrisy that emergency legislation dealing with funding for America’s brave men and women overseas is passed by wasting money on member earmarks. This irresponsible legislation undermines our Commander and Chief and his generals, ultimately jeopardizing the safety of our troops.  I’m appalled that Democrats are trading support for our troops in return for specialized pork earmarks for their districts.