Boehner's "Small Price"

Just yesterday on CNN, Wolf Blitzer asked John Boehner, the leader of the GOP in the House, this question (video on Horse's Mouth):

"The loss in blood, the Americans who are killed every month, how much longer do you think this commitment, this military commitment is going to require?"

And Mr. Boehner responded:

"The investment that we're making today will be a small price if we're able to stop al Qaeda here, if we're able to stabilize the Middle East, it's not only going to be a small price for the near future, but think about the future for our kids and their kids."

What a stunningly cavalier statement about the lives of the young men and women who serve our country.

Whether you support or oppose the Bush escalation, no American should ever for even a moment think the cost of war is small.

A single life is a large price to pay for any endeavor. Sometimes, in our national interest, we choose to pay that awful price, but we must always make sure that the policy is worthy of it.

Visit our wounded warriors at Walter Reed hospital and ask whether the price they paid was small. Talk to the mothers, fathers, husbands and wives of those who have been killed and ask them to measure the price of war. Young lives stopped short, children who won't have a mother or father there as they grow up, when they graduate, when they get married -- that loss is many things, but it is not small.

Where is Representative Boehner's apology? And where is an Iraq policy equal to our soldiers' tremedous sacrifice?

Comments

[mcartri]

If Katie "I'm going to Baghdad's Disney World" Couric had been interviewing Boehner, this would have been her question, "John, do you think you have a better tan that George Hamilton?"

[andvoodootoo]

"...it's not only going to be a small price for the near future, but think about the future for our kids and their kids."
Excuse me, are we talking about the kids of the soldiers who died, you know, those "small prices"? 'Cause chances are, those "small prices" won't get to have any kids of their own 'cause THEY'RE DEAD!!!!!!! And, for the soldiers that do have kids - their children will not recieve wartime death benefits because Bush declared the war OVER not long after the invasion.

[CessnaDriver]

This makes me sick:

"We have to fight them over there so we don't have to fight them over here".

Who gave us permission to have a war with Al Quida in a country that had nothing to do with the 9/11 attacks? Why do the Iraqui people have to suffer and die so we don't have to fight OUR WAR on our soil?

This war has the same level of honor as the act of using a baby as a human sheild.

[mari2JJ]

Truer words were never spoken. I cringe with embarassment when I hear, "fight over there so we do not have to fight here." Totally flies in the face of the Christian point of view these thugs are always talking about. You know, when someone in need asks you to walk a mile with him, go two, do good to those who spitefully use you, more blessed to give than receive, turn the other cheek. Not a single comment makes me angrier than to hear some oaf say we are fighting there (you know bombing and burning civilians as well as military, so we can get off scott free here. No other expression this crew makes shows so unconditionally the depravity and misguided ideals this White House has now.

[Independent voter]

How many of Boner's spawn have sacrificed their lives in this disaster. (hint - zero)

How many of Boner's spawn have joined the military (hint - zero)

Reinstate the damn draft. No deferrments, no excuses, no BushShit. When Boner's kid's start coming home in boxes he may have a different POV.

[peterg76]

The operative part was "if we're able to stop al Qaeda here"

But what if the effect is the complete opposite? Such as the situation in, for example, reality?

[jm8094]

I'll say it again: The lowest form of life on the planet is the war supporter, who:
1. Never served in the military.
2. Won't send their own g/d kids to fight.

These bacteria were hoping the war would be quick and no one would notice these two facts.

Stay on these repugs, Sen. Kerry, and, one day, hopefully, they will be gone from our society, along with there callous, heartless, nasty selfish, etc. ideology.

[weedhighbuckeye]

Oh god, don't confront Bonehead with the insensitivity of what he said, he might break down and cry!

[esquire07]

"A single life is a large price to pay for any endeavor."

Not for America. American troops can be slaughtered forever so long as Bush/Cheney and the criminals in the Oil and Arms industries are making money.

Dead Troops = Halliburton Profits = Money in Dick Cheney's bloody Pockets.

With all due respect Senator, your party funds the War and lets Bush get away with murder... not sure what your point is.

Democratic cowards are worse than Republican criminals.

[hchriste]

The price tag. hum, 3700 American servicemen killed, ? number of American Contractors killed, 25,000 Americans maimed for life, ? number scared mentally for life, 60,000 Iraqies killed, 1,000,000 maimed, 2,000,000 refuges out of country, 1,000,000 refuges in country, cost $1.5 billon a week. Small price to pay for victory (what ever that is) General P. said 60 or more Americans will die a month for a least the next 10 months. But, a Republican candidate for President said his sons were also paying the price for the country by campaigning for him to be elected President instead of inlisting in the military. The price is in the eye of the beholder.

[Sanjong Thapa]

WE ARE NEVER LEAVING IRAQ
WE ARE NEVER LEAVING IRAQ
WE ARE NEVER LEAVING IRAQ
WE ARE NEVER LEAVING IRAQ
WE ARE NEVER LEAVING IRAQ

[stlrfan]

Boehner undoubtedly somewhere rehearsing fake tears for his next appearance. Too bad stupidity isn't an impeachable offense. People of Ohio that have paid the small price should have his phones and office under seige.

[ThoughtCriminal1967]

In my profession, I am exposed to a pretty good cross-section of young military men and women. These young people coming back from time in Iraq, dealing with stop-loss policies, rapidly disappearing benefits, and the general corporatization of our armed services are not the gung-ho true believers they are painted to be.

When I encounter them, there is no censor, no officers, and no restrictions on what they can say. Across the board, NOT ONE IRAQ VET THAT I HAVE MET BELIEVES IN ANYTHING BUT THE FUTILITY OF THE CURRENT MISSION. That tells me that I don't really have to worry about offending them when I say that this war is about profit, started by people who have no concern for the VERY high price that American soldiers have paid so that KBR and the other "patriotic" American corporations could collect ridiculous profits from the misery of others.

In a few months, my nephew will be joining his unit in Baghdad. He was recruited at the end of his sophomore year of high school. He turned 18 in May. He is a tall, strong, courageous young man with his whole life ahead of him. He is also very dedicated to the idea of serving his country in a meaningful way, a concept lost on many his age.

As far as I am concerned, he is too high a price to pay for the continuation of this insanity. I would love for John Boehner to tell me to my face that the prospect of this young man being maimed or killed is a "small price" to pay. I find that statement offensive in every way, to our military, to the families of our fallen, and to the intelligence and compassion of all Americans.

Let's bring our troops home, now, before these morons and maniacs decide that 50,000, or 500,000, dead is an acceptable loss.

[GhostintheMachine]

liar

[deminmo]

ThoughtCriminal, I pray your nephew will be one of the ones to return home alive. I have warned my neices and nephews to pay attention to the political arena, because they may be impacted in the future.

[Ammobob]

America's Wars Total

Military service during war 43,185,893
Battle deaths 653,708
Other deaths in service (theater) 14,560
Other deaths in service (nontheater) 525,930
Nonmortal woundings 1,447,281
Living war veterans 17,835,0004
Living veterans 23,976,000

Global War on Terror (as of Sept. 30, 2006)

Total Servicemembers (Worldwide) 1,384,968
Deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan 165,000
Battle Deaths 2,333
Other Deaths (In Theater) 707
Non-mortal Woundings 21,649
Living Veterans 588,9236

[TheLastPenguin]

Oh good, so 3700 american dead isn't so bad. Thanks.

[truthoutdotduh]

Yup. And I think it is safe to say that none of the 3700 are related to Ammobob . . . just like none of the 3700 are related to Cheney, Bush, Rummy, Wolfie, Feith, Perle or any of those creeps . . .

[StillAmused]

Thanks for the scorecard, B•B Boy.

Putting aside Vietnam, another championship clusterf**k, how many of those previous casualties resulted from a U.S. invasion and occupation of the WRONG COUNTRY, and FOR NO REASON?

[RogerHWerner]

Of course the price for Boehner is small. He isn't paying anything and neither is any of his family. And what of the cost to Iraqis. Nice of him to sacrifice that nation for our security. The man has no military experience and is therefore in no position to judge price and cavalier is too mild a word to use for this person. Insensitive asshole and out of touch with reality come to mind and if I gave it any thought I'm sure I could think of other more caustic names. I'd love to see him stand up in front of a group of families who lost loved ones or the Iraq parliament and repeat that ludicrous statement. Hell, even if no lives lost, American or Iraqi, half a trillion dollars was too high of a price to pay for this boondoggle. Again we see this dickhead linking Iraq with al Qaeda. When are Republicans going to learn that this linkage doesn't play well any more. They keep digging themselves into a deeper hole.

[Frederic]

Vernondelray,

you once WERE a great society. Not any more. You are whining about the fact that you let yourself be governed by war criminals who would be hanged if the Nuremberg laws still applied, and you are unable to do anything about it.