The Murtha Effect: Why Republicans Are Worried --Huffington

[Demeter]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/the-murtha-effect-why-re_b_15262.html


What makes this so significant is not the Tribune-Review's reach (circulation 102,000) but its provenance. It's part of a seven-paper chain that is published -- and controlled -- by Richard Mellon Scaife, the arch-conservative icon who has donated so much money to conservative causes and institutions that the Washington Post dubbed him the "Funding Father of the Right."

Since Murtha's emergence as a critic of the war, Scaife's flagship paper has been critical of his stance, mirroring the White House talking point that withdrawal will only "embolden America's terrorist enemies."

Then came Murtha's appearance on "60 Minutes," in which he powerfully made the case that Iraq is not now a war against terror (if it ever was one) but has become a civil war -- a civil war that our presence is only exacerbating.

Two days later, the Tribune-Review abruptly changed course. "We didn't agree with Jack Murtha in November when he called for an immediate withdrawal of United States forces from Iraq. The timing wasn't right. But times have changed... This is not retreat. This is not cut-and-run. This is a recognition of the reality in Iraq -- one that has evolved into an Iraqi problem that only the Iraqis now can solve."

Murtha's ability to coalesce concerns conservatives are already having and move the needle on Iraq is one of the reasons the White House is so worried and trying to define opposition to the war as "isolationism." If Murtha can peel off a die-hard conservative like Scaife, how many hundreds of thousands -- millions? -- of Republicans are on the verge of abandoning the president on his signature initiative?

[Demeter]

1. It Was Very Hard To Reduce This Item

Read the whole thing: it's short but very sweet. Another exerpt:

"Richard Mellon Scaife is no longer buying it. How long before others of his ilk follow suit and it becomes increasingly difficult to portray a demand for troop withdrawal as a left-wing, peacenik, unpatriotic position?

The big question remains: Will the Democrats finally recognize the significance of the Murtha Effect and put his message front and center?"

[BR_Parkway]

2. Repugs need to make headway on us out of Iraq in time for 2006

elections. This is how they start - by becoming 'convinced' of the changes so it doesn't look like they are abandoning Shrub

[Demeter]

3. No Matter How They Play It, the GOP Is Cooked

There's too many fires, and too many burnt citizens.

[400Years]

4. I'm sure the DLC will find a way to ensure a GOP victory

[Demeter]

6. That Is My Greatest Fear, Too

Whatever possessed those idiots to think that stopping the filibuster and voting against Alito was smart?

[yurbud]

5. on this issue, I hope the GOP is screwed either way, stay and they are

stubbornly holding to a failed policy. Go, and they are admitting it was a failure and they were lying all along.