Congressman Johnson Pleads for the Troops

The last Republican to speak against the Democrats’ anti-surge, pro-defeat resolution yesterday was Sam Johnson of Texas. Johnson was a pilot who flew something like 90 combat missions in Korea and Vietnam. He was shot down over North Vietnam and spent seven years as a POW, most of that time in solitary confinement. He returned to the U.S. in 1973 and was elected to Congress in 1991.
Johnson’s plea to support the troops and fund the war effort was eloquent–too eloquent for most Democrats to want to hear it. He got a standing ovation from those in the House chamber, but note how few Democrats were willing to hear him speak. Note, too, that Johnson understands what the anti-surge resolution was really about: he denounces Jack Murtha’s “slow bleed” strategy, which is designed to starve Gen. Petraeus and his men of the support they need to succeed, and then seek political benefit from their failure. If you can watch this with dry eyes, you’re a tougher man than me:

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