Republican Leader: Some Things More Important Than Next Election

(CNSNews.com) - House Republican leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) admits that Iraq is "a difficult situation," but he also says it's a situation that should transcend politics. "I certainly understand there's an election coming up next year. But as I have said more than once, there are some things that are more important than the next election. And preserving the security for my kids and theirs is a lot more important to me than whether I get elected in the next election," Boehner told CNN's Wolf Blitzer on Wednesday.

Boehner is currently in Iraq, getting a first-hand look at conditions on the ground.

He told CNN "there's no question" that the troop surge has brought greater security over the last three or four months. "That's eventually going to lead to Iraqis taking greater control of their own destiny and allowing our troops to come home," he said. Boehner also said there's been some political progress "on the local level," but more needs to be done toward national reconciliation.

Boehner, referring to the troop surge, recommended that the United States stick to a "game plan that is finally working. This is not the time to withdraw, allow failure to occur, and to allow our enemies to regroup and to expand," he said. "We need to finish the job that we started, and there's nothing short of success that's going to work for me."