Steve Buyer: “Irresponsible action by this House would be to not properly fund the Nation's national military strategy to fight and…”

“Irresponsible action by this House would be to not properly fund the Nation's national military strategy to fight and win two nearly simultaneous major regional conflicts. That is exactly what would be irresponsible. To come onto this floor and then to try to claim that if we are not funding some peacekeeping operation that does not even test the gut-wrenching test of vital national security interest, that we can somehow then go to sleep with our responsibilities in other areas of the world, baffles my mind. I mean, let me share with my colleagues what I mean by the gut-wrenching test. Does the United States have vital interests? None that could be debated. Why? Because we see the President and the American people were unwilling to put troops on the ground. That is the gut-wrenching test. America understands the test for 'vital' is if, in fact, we would sacrifice or send our own son or daughter into combat. But if people in America are unwilling to do that, then there is a strong sense in their gut that it must not be vital to our particular interest.”