Boehner outrages Democrats by telling truth about Rumsfeld

CNN:

House Majority Leader John Boehner's call for critics to lay off Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld because the generals are responsible for the conduct of the war in Iraq has sparked outrage among Democrats.

In an interview Wednesday on CNN, Boehner said, "Let's not blame what's happening in Iraq on Rumsfeld."

CNN's Wolf Blitzer replied, "But he's in charge of the military."

"The fact is, the generals on the ground are in charge, and he works closely with them and the president," Boehner, an Ohio Republican, said.

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Democratic leaders acted quickly to describe Boehner's comments as derisive.

Both Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean and Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada said Boehner was blaming U.S. generals for failings in Iraq. Both immediately demanded a mea culpa from the powerful Republican.

"After the Bush administration's numerous failures in Iraq, to blame our brave troops is just wrong," Dean said in a statement. "Once again, Republican leadership is pointing fingers rather than taking responsibility for their failures."

Reid said Boehner "ought to be ashamed."

"He's blaming our troops for failures in Iraq. If he wants to cast blame, he can start by looking in the mirror, because he and his congressional Republican colleagues have rubber-stamped the Bush administration's failed policy for nearly four years," Reid said in a statement.

In response, Boehner spokesman Kevin Madden said the Democrats' criticism was "an obvious and weak attempt" to deflect criticism from Kerry.

"Democrats are quickly squandering any and all credibility by even attempting to equate Mr. Boehner's comments with criticism of anyone in the military," Madden said in a statement. "Mr. Boehner commends our military and our generals for doing a heroic job each and every day in their fight against terrorists in Iraq and around the globe."

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The facts support Boehner. This report destroys the myths that Democrat criticisms of Rumsfeld have been based on. The Democrats have been playing a cynical and dishonest game in their criticism of both Rumsfeld and the President for our strategy in Iraq. It has always been the general's responsibility to shape the military strategy, but the Democrats have neither the expertise or the gravitas to challenge them on their turf so they have been hitting them indirectly by hitting Bush and Rumsfeld. Now they are trying to stand this dishonesty on its head by attacking Boehner.