Friday, September 08, 2006

Will Murtha Lead?

Or will he just continue whining about the Bush administration? That's essentially the question Diana Irey is asking in this press release:
"Jack Murtha says he's all for fighting the war on terror, he just doesn't think the President is doing it the right way. Well, in the coming days, Jack Murtha will have an opportunity to prove himself, he can offer his leadership, and cast his vote, in favor of giving the President the tools he needs to better prosecute that war.
"Yesterday and today, the President has taken two giant strides forward in the prosecution of the war on terror: yesterday he announced the transfer of 14 suspected terrorists from overseas CIA prisons to the U.S. Naval facility at Guantanamo Bay, and asked Congress for legislation specifically authorizing military tribunals so they can be tried properly and brought to justice; today, he asked Congress for new legislation that would specifically authorize the National Security Agency to surveil suspected terrorists abroad who are calling contacts inside the United States.
"In both cases, the President is doing the right thing to enhance American security in the face of the Islamofascist terrorist threat we face, and putting the ball squarely in the court of Congress. The only question now is, will Congress step up to the plate? Jack Murtha has already made his views known: on December 21, 2005, in an interview on CNN, he had this to say about NSA wiretapping:
"They're violating the Constitution and the laws. All they had to do is come to Congress."
"So now the President is taking Jack Murtha at his word, going to the Congress, and it's up to Jack Murtha to prove that he can live up to his promises."
It's put up or shut up time for Murtha and the Democrats. Are they just carping about President Bush's prosecution of the war for political gain? Or are they serious about fighting the terrorists with a multi-leveled, complex strategy? The next 18 legislative days will give us a clear answer.

If Murtha, Pelosi and other Democrats don't provide leadership in moving this vital legislation forward, then I hope that that would be uppermost in the minds of voters, whether they're in PA-12 or wherever they are in the U.S. We can't afford to not use everything in our arsenal in fighting global jihadists.

If Murtha votes against military tribunals and against warrantless intercepts of terrorist communications, then one thing will be obvious: Murtha MUST Go.

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Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog