John Murtha: How a lifelong hawk became a dove, too

[RamboLiberal]

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Today, 40 years later, Mr. Murtha, the senior congressman from Pennsylvania, doesn't express similar confidence about President Bush's military decisions. He has become one of Congress' loudest and most prominent critics of the war in Iraq, calling for a rapid redeployment of more than 150,000 U.S. troops.

His conversion on Iraq disgusts some former comrades.

"He's lost his nerve," said John Lockie, 73, who also served as a major with the 1st Marines in Vietnam and now lives near Fresno, Calif. "He's nothing more than a con man with a congressman's suit on."

The Cybercast News Service, an online news organization, last year ran a report questioning whether Mr. Murtha deserved two Purple Hearts for his service in Vietnam, even though Marine records confirm that he was wounded.

But all this obscures a critical point: Mr. Murtha, at his core, still sees himself as a part of the military, someone who uses his vast congressional budgetary powers to shower billions of dollars on defense projects and to protect America's national interests. A plaque given to him by a Marine sergeant in Vietnam sits in his Washington office as a reminder of his duty. It reads: "Victory is knowing your enemy."

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07175/796760-176.stm


Maj. John P. Murtha arrives in Da Nang, Vietnam, in August 1966 to serve as the intelligence officer for the 1st Marine Regiment.

[freesqueeze]

I really admire Murtha

He's no progressive, to be sure, but his experience has led him to the right side on the Iraq Invasion question.

Before Murtha came to the forefront on this issue, we anti-Iraq Invasion folks could be dismissed as crackpots. We shouldn't have needed him. Speaking the truth should have been more than enough but it wasn't.

Thank you, John Murtha, for giving the liars a kick in the pants.

[ShortnFiery]

1. Don't get too "Ga Ga" with Murtha, he voted against shutting down the SOA.

:( To say he's a mixed bag is an understatement. :shrug:

http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2007/roll536.xml

[Demeter]

2. Murtha Came To His Senses About Iraq--He Still Has Plenty of Nerve, Though