Time for another fisking, this time of this article From The Financial Times, via MSNBC:Man... this is getting old.Democrats and the war: Murtha
rises on back of
Iraqi Freedom
SoldiersIraq crusadeBy Holly Yeager in Washington
John Murtha's journey from backroom Washington operator to leader of the anti-war movement was neither happy nor expected.
But the 74-year-old – who has become a hero to some Democrats and a favourite target for many Republicans – says he has spoken out against the war in Iraq for several reasons.
"I see kids blown apart," Mr Murtha said last week, describing his weekly visits to military hospitals. "I see the morale changing. I see the attitude changing…I heard [US soldiers] say they had gotten to hate the Iraqis, because they didn't know who the enemy was."They know damn well who the enemy is, Murtha. The same idiots that you keep on giving aid and comfort to--the same idiots that are blowing those kids apart--who are being emboldened and given another reason to face a new day every time you open your piehole!
He recognised, from his long experience as the top Democrat on the defence appropriations committee in the House of Representatives, that the high cost of operations in Iraq were eating away at the military's ability to fight other battles, now and in the future. "The army is struggling every day to meet their bills."Well, Mr. Murtha... that wouldn't have anything to do with wasting taxpayer and defense money on projects that aren't even needed, would it?
Mr Murtha also studied the situation in Iraq, and said progress in key areas such as employment, oil production, and security was lagging too far behind. "We cannot win this militarily. I decided this over a year ago, but I hesitated to say anything. I waited probably too long."No, you waited just long enough to make political hay out of something that would distract attention away from scandals during an election year. Not to mention to bolster your chances of finally attaining your political ambitions after a lackluster-at-best political career.
A former marine and decorated Vietnam veteran, Mr Murtha has close ties to young enlisted men and senior officers and his call for the speedy withdrawal of US troops from Iraq – first made publicly in November – was especially powerful because it was widely thought to reflect the private beliefs of top generals."Widely thought" by whom? John Kerry's secret world leaders?
He argues that they should be redeployed to other countries in the region, available to return to Iraq if the situation warrants.Yeahh... Last time I checked, I believe that Okinawa was in the region...NOT.
Mr Murtha also helped bring to light allegations that US marines murdered 24 Iraqi civilians in Haditha, a result, he said, of the terrible strain troops were under.NO!!!! MURTHA PLAYED JUDGE, JURY AND EXECUTIONER AND PRONOUNCED GUILT UPON MARINES WITHOUT BENEFIT OF DUE PROCESS!
But despite his outspokenness, Democrats remain divided on Iraq. Many are torn between a desire to bring troops home and worries that calls for a prompt withdrawal will subject them to Republican charges that they favour a "cut and run" policy and draw fresh accusations that the party is weak on national security.Truth hurts, doesn't it?
Mr Murtha recently began circulating a memo about the costs of the war – "$8bn a month…$11m an hour" – and the many other ways that money could be spent. One example: doubling the community police grants programme for $1.4bn (€1.1bn, £750m) a year, the same the US spends in Iraq in five days.ibid.
Mr Murtha voted for the use of force in Iraq in 2002. But he says it is now clear that the US cannot impose stability on Iraq. "To me, the alternative is, let them handle it themselves."I direct you to this post.
His conservative, rural Pennsylvania roots, military experience and imposing frame have leant credibility to a movement whose previous leader was Cindy Sheehan, the mother of a soldier killed in Iraq who set up camp outside President George W. Bush's Texas ranch last summer.IMO, Murtha lends about as much credibility to the debate as Sheehan. Does his stance on Lebanon and Somalia ring a bell?
[SNIP]He was the star attraction at a New Hampshire fundraiser for local Democrats at the weekend, and, after he made his pitch, the three candidates vying for the party's nomination for a congressional seat said they all agreed.Errr... not a chance. With your latest seditious antics, Murtha, you've run your "conservative credentials" into the ground, moonbat.His new stature also encouraged him to announce that he would run for Democrat majority leader (and then you wonder about his motivations?--ed), the number two spot in the House leadership, if Democrats take control after the November elections. "I think I can help, because I'm more conservative," Mr Murtha said. "There is an idea that [Democratic] leadership is very liberal and I think I bring some balance."
His critics would find that hard to swallow. When the Center for National Policy, a Washington think-tank, honoured him last week, a handful of protesters stood outside, holding signs that read, "John-Cut and Run-Murtha" and "Honor their Sacrifice: Complete the Mission".Amen!
At a campaign stop in Iowa last week, Dick Cheney, vice-president, sharply criticised Mr Murtha's call for the withdrawal of troops. "That's a bad idea," he said. "Americans and our Iraqi allies need to know that decisions about troop levels will be driven by conditions on the ground and by the judgments of our military commanders, not artificial timelines set by politicians in Washington."The "hurt in their eyes," Mr. Murtha, most likely comes from the knowledge that one of their own Marines is throwing themselves, their comrades, and their mission under the bus for cheap political gain.But Mr Murtha is not likely to quieten down. "This is a tough job for me," he said, trying to balance his concerns about the mission with his respect for the troops who are struggling to doing their jobs. "I think so much of them. And I see the hurt in their eyes."
