GOP Rep's stunning hypocrisy on "supporting" troops in the field

Digby did some digging and came up with this rather startling philosophical turnaround by Texas Congressman Sam Johnson.

Here's Johnson last week, during the debate -- I use the word loosely -- over the House's resolution opposing Bush's escalation plan:

"You know, the time will come when they can put the money behind these non-binding resolutions….. and you better believe that we'll be watching them …and calling them on those funding cuts loud and clear.

"America needs to know: cutting funds for our troops in harm's way is not a remedy - it's a ruse. […]

"We POWs were still in Vietnam when Washington cut the funding for Vietnam. I know what it does to morale and mission success. Words can not fully describe the horrendous damage of the anti-American efforts against the war back home to the guys on the ground.

"Our captors would blare nasty recordings over the loud speaker of Americans protesting back home…tales of Americans spitting on Vietnam veterans when they came home… and worse.

"We must never, ever let that happen again.

"The pain inflicted by your country's indifference is tenfold that inflicted by your ruthless captors. […]

"The grim reality is that this House measure is the first step to cutting funding of the troops…Just ask John Murtha about his 'slow-bleed' plan that hamstrings our troops in harm's way.

"Now it's time to stand up for my friends who did not make it home - and those who fought and died in Iraq - so I can keep my promise that when we got home we would quit griping about the war and do something positive about it…and we must not allow this Congress to leave these troops like the Congress left us.

"Today, let my body serve as a brutal reminder that we must not repeat the mistakes of the past… instead learn from them.

"We must not cut funding for our troops. We must stick by them. We must support them all the way…To our troops we must remain…always faithful."

Wow. A real barn-burner, hunh? This guy has some serious principles, principles that were hard-won as a prisoner of war in Vietnam.

Or maybe not.