John Murtha

Do you know this man?

He's been in Congress for thirty years and quite an influential member at that. Considering he's been around for so long, I feel like I should at least be able to recognize the guy.

The fact is I couldn't pick him out of a lineup.

For others like me, I guarantee that will change. Within the next 24 hours, I predict this man is about to get more air time and ink than any member of Congress. I would bet that he'll get more attention from the MSM than President Bush.

According to the Associated Press:

An influential House Democrat who voted for the Iraq war called Thursday for the immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, another sign of growing unease in Congress about the conflict.

"This is the immediate redeployment of American forces because they have become the target," said Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., one of Congress' most hawkish Democrats. At times during his remarks to reporters, the decorated Vietnam War veteran was choking back tears.

That choking back tears part always lends a little drama to the moment, doesn't it?

"It is time for a change in direction. Our military is suffering, the future of our country is at risk. We cannot continue on the present course. It is evident that continued military action in Iraq is not in the best interests of the United States of America, the Iraqi people or the Persian Gulf region," Murtha said.

Murtha, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations defense subcommittee, has earned bipartisan respect for his grasp of military issues over three decades in Congress.

He said announcing a U.S. withdrawal would provide the Iraqi government with an added incentive to have their own security forces take control of the conflict.

Murtha is a close adviser to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. For months, Pelosi has pushed for the Bush administration to outline an exit strategy, although she has stopped short of calling for an immediate troop pullout.

On his website, Murtha writes:

Our troops have performed extremely well in an intense conflict, and we all owe our gratitude to them and their families for the sacrifices they are making. I assure you I will continue to work as hard as I can to bring our actions in Iraq to a close.

Today, Murtha worked extra hard.

Of course, the MSM is in full drool mode over the Congressman's call for an immediate troop withdrawal.

The libs have been waiting for this moment.

Text of Murtha's speech

(Excerpts)

The war in Iraq is not going as advertised. It is a flawed policy wrapped in illusion. The American public is way ahead of us. The United States and coalition troops have done all they can in Iraq, but it is time for a change in direction. Our military is suffering. The future of our country is at risk. We can not continue on the present course. It is evident that continued military action in Iraq is not in the best interest of the United States of America, the Iraqi people or the Persian Gulf Region.

...Because we in Congress are charged with sending our sons and daughters into battle, it is our responsibility, our OBLIGATION to speak out for them. That’s why I am speaking out.

Our military has done everything that has been asked of them, the U.S. can not accomplish anything further in Iraq militarily. IT IS TIME TO BRING THEM HOME.

Murtha sounds just like Cindy Sheehan, without the profanity and the anti-Semitic stuff.

The "Honorable John P. Murtha" also stopped short of saying, "The biggest terrorist is George W. Bush."

True, Murtha has not been arrested for ignoring police warnings after planting himself on the sidewalk on Pennsylvania Avenue outside the White House, nor has he spent a few weeks in a ditch in Crawford, Texas.

However, Murtha and Sheehan are on the same page. They are similar in that they both are incredibly naive in terms of Iraq policy, as well as irresponsible. They both have problems comprehending the big picture.

Army Maj. Steven Warren provides some good news out of Iraq.

Debra Saunders writes:

Army Maj. Steven Warren, 39, is not happy, because he believes the media are painting an inaccurate picture of what's happening in Iraq. In a call arranged by the Florida-based Central Command of U.S. forces in Iraq, Warren spoke from Diyala province in the Sunni Triangle, where he has been stationed since January.

"I walk into the mess hall every day," he told me. He watches American TV news reports from Iraq, "and I ask myself, 'Where are they?'"

Recently, Warren saw a cable TV story on what the reporter called a fierce firefight in Diyala province. Warren believes the reporter got it all wrong. An IED (improvised explosive device) had gone off near Iraqi troops. Whenever that happens, "the first thing the Iraqis do, they start pulling their triggers" and shooting toward the wood line, he said.

That's not a fierce firefight; it's not even a firefight, Warren tells me, because a firefight requires that two sides shoot at each other.

You hear the bad news stories. Warren wants Americans to read some good news, too.


Did you know there was good news?

I don't think there are any Americans that want our military in harm's way. I hope and pray that our troops can come home and return to their families very soon.

However, there is no question that an immediate withdrawal would jeopardize the new Iraqi democracy. It would guarantee anarchy in Iraq. It could be a humanitarian disaster.

What happened when the U.S. pulled out of Southeast Asia?

On April 17th, 1975 the Khmer Rouge, a communist guerrilla group led by Pol Pot, took power in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. They forced all city dwellers into the countryside and to labor camps. During their rule, it is estimated that 2 million Cambodians died by starvation, torture or execution.

Apparently, during his thirty years in Congress, Murtha wasn't paying attention.

The immediate troop withdrawal that he is calling for is shortsighted. It's inhumane. Don't the libs care about the Iraqi people?

One more thing--

Murtha claims that our troops have accomplished all that they can in Iraq and they should come home NOW.

What about our troops elsewhere?

I wonder if he thinks that our troops currently in Bosnia have finished their mission yet.

To paraphrase Murtha, have our military personnel done everything that has been asked of them in Bosnia?

The U.S. cannot accomplish anything further in Bosnia militarily, right?

Maybe he should give a speech about bringing them home. He'd be choking back tears, of course.