Rep. Johnson Says Criticism of Obama Undermines Allied Efforts on Terrorism
(CNSNews.com) - Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) says the country’s strategy to combat terrorism is impacted by criticism of President Obama. Johnson says he “assumes” the criticism impacts “our relationship with our allies and all of the other components that we have to work with to successfully prosecute this mission.”
During Tuesday's House Armed Services Committee hearing [1] on U.S. strategy in Syria, Johnson asked Defense Secretary Ashton Carter and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair General Joseph Dunford, “Politicians know that relentless personal attacks on the president himself provoke a visceral reaction by the American people against the president, that’s a part of our campaign process. But what effect does the unprecedented level of attack on our Commander-In-Chief have on our relationships with our allies?”
“For instance, what impact does it have on our ability to galvanize our regional and nation supporters to participate in the strategy that we are leading?” Johnson continued. “What impact does it have on the enemies of America who we are leading the strategy against?”
Both Carter and Gen. Dunford refused to answer the question.
“You can ask the question but I’m not going to respond to it,” Carter said.
“I understand where you’re coming from with your question but I’d prefer not to answer because of its connection to the electoral cycle,” Carter later added.
“I assume that it probably does have some impact on our relationship with our allies and all of the other components that we have to work with to successfully prosecute this mission,” Johnson said.
Source URL:
http://cnsnews.com/news/article/eric-scheiner/rep-johnson-assumes-obama-critics-impact-allied-efforts-terrorism
