Murtha-on Nightline now,partly over...said what was reported he'd say.

[Algorem]

[MADem]

1. Which was???? n/t

[otohara]

2. More Info Please

[librechik]

3. video's up at abcnews.go.com/Nightline/

pretty good stuff, edited only slightly, methinks

[Algorem]

4. He said he would not join today and average guy who is considering re-

cruitment today is justified in saying "I don't want to serve"

started out saying he had no idea would get so much attention

his staff all disagreed beforehand with him making statement,told him he was going too far,was making a mistake

White House immediately smeared him-"That's how they respond to everything,they made mistake doing it to me"

>BEFORE war he says many people from first Bush administration called him saying don't let this president go to war.

Reporter asked him if Bush's enthusiasm for going to war would have been different if Bush,or Cheney.or Rumsfeld,or Wolfowitz,or Feith had ever seen combat-

(emotionally)"Let me tell you,war's a nasty business.And it'd made a difference.Seriously,sir,the shadow of those killings stays with you the rest of your life."

has had no conversations with Bush,doesn't expect any,doesn't take it personally...

[aquart]

5. What shocked me...

Were the questions: Did he think that if Bush had real war experience, if Cheney had war experience, if Rumsfeld had war experience, if Wolfowitz and Feith had war experience...would they have been more hesitant to have this war...

And Murtha began to cry. And he said yes, because the experience scars your soul and the faces of the killed are with you for the rest of your life.

I couldn't believe the question was framed around the total lack of combat experience in everyone pushing this war.

[Algorem]

6. they showed him on Nightline from 2004 making same argument as he did

before Thanksgiving

Bush ignored letter he sent to him 1 year ago,Murtha got reply 7 months later from assistant Secretary saying "everything's fine..."

on fellow Dems like Lieberman and Hillary Clinton keeping their distance from his statement-

'it's a complicated thing,they don't know how long it's going to last,and the timing,like me,they waited too long to say anything,and it will be interesting to see after this recess how many say something different'

as anwer to those saying if we leave it will be defeat he said he says we won victory by beating Sadaam and his army,despite the way we got in there

and if insurgency claims victory when we leave we'd just have to put up with it

far fewer h.s. students in his district are applying to military

he rates troops highly but the Army is broken,overstretched,undertrained

worries about recruitment levels and military strength

reporter's end statement-'Murtha has taken stand that may not change what happens in Iraq but has certainly changed the nature of how it will be debated here'