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Why are we against John Murtha?
The following was penned by Iowa Presidential Watch PAC Chairman Roger
Wm. Hughes in reply to a question about why Vets for the Truth
(a committee under Iowa Presidential Watch
PAC) has taken on Rep. John Murtha.
 I normally do not answer critics, because it is not beneficial.
However, you seem to be genuine. So, against my better judgment I will
reply as to why this effort is going forward against Rep. John Murtha
(D-PA).
Congressman John Murtha, like Senators John Kerry and Tom Harkin, is a
fraud. He has made himself out to be a friend of the military. Nothing
could be further from the truth.
I will not get into whether Murtha is a 'stolen honor' soldier. It is
enough to say that Murtha’s own words and others' seem to question his
veracity. It is also telling that Murtha will not sponsor the Stolen
Valor Bill, which would protect the honor of those who have truly
earned their medals from the phonies who didn’t earn theirs.
One thing is clear: when Murtha says that he is defender of the
military, he is a liar.
While chairman of the Defense Committee (1991-1994), Murtha oversaw
the reduction of military spending. It is also a sad state of affairs
that the lobbying firm run by John Murtha’s brother hauled in $20.8
million from the 2004 Defense bill alone because of Murtha's
connection (LA Times article, June 13, 2005). I call that
criminal.
Murtha has built gymnasiums and "accomplished" other boondoggles in
his district. He then has the audacity to say that our troops are not
getting body armor -- after he has stolen the very money that would
have bought the body armor.
The premature deployment to the war in Iraq and the inappropriate
manipulation by Rep. Murtha of the Stryker transport vehicle caused
the needless deaths of our service personnel serving in Iraq:
[from Pogo.org, March 31, 2005:]
The Stryker, a $4 million-a-copy, eight-wheeled, 19-ton armored
Army vehicle, was deployed in Mosul, Iraq beginning in late 2003,
despite warnings by the Pentagon’s top independent tester, Thomas
Christie , Director of Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E), that
it was not thoroughly tested against RPGs.
“The Army should not put inadequately tested equipment in the field,
as it creates a false impression that the troops are properly equipped
to fight in combat. The Army should speed up the process of deploying
the proven M113’s armored personnel carriers that are sitting out of
harm’s way while the Stryker is being showcased in Iraq,” said Senior
Defense Investigator Eric Miller.
This nation and Murtha personally owe the families of those who died
an apology (and more) for this failure to follow established
protocols. (Washington Post, March 31, 2005; Defense News,
Oct. 7-13, 2002;
Murtha’s looting of the defense budget is not the worst crime Murtha
has committed against the military. The worst by far is his advice on
how to keep America safe. All we have to do is compare Murtha’s 1993
advice on Somalia to his 2005 advice on Iraq:
"Representative Murtha, has urged Clinton to withdraw U.S. forces
from Somalia" (Murtha, AP article, Sept. 22, 1993)
"I'm very hopeful that my proposal is something they'll take
seriously, that he'll (Bush) get a few of us to the White House and
talk to us about this." (Murtha, Nov. 21, 2005)
"They're subdued compared to normal morale of elite forces..."
(Murtha, Sept., 1993)
"The Army is broken, worn out... living hand to mouth..."
(Murtha, Dec. 1, 2005)
"Murtha said he did not ‘see any
achievable goal or national security interest in this operation."
(Murtha, Oct., 6, 1993)
"... continued military action in Iraq is not in the best interest
of the United States of America..."(Murtha's website, Nov. 17,
2005)
You may ask why this is relevant.
It is relevant because of its impact on al Qaeda terrorist leader
Osama bin Laden. Here's what bin Laden deduced from the “Cut ‘n' Run”
foreign policy Murtha advanced during Somalia and Bosnia, and now
Iraq:
"We will continue, God willing, to fight you and your allies
everywhere, in Iraq and Afghanistan and in Somalia and Sudan until we
waste all your money and kill your men and you will return to your
country in defeat as we defeated you before in Somalia."
- Osama bin Laden, June 2006 audio release
 However, none of the above is as disgusting and abysmal as Murtha’s
acceptance of war protest group Code Pink’s awards – their “Pink Badge
of Courage” and pink flowers for his demand that America immediately
cut and run from Iraq.
Code Pink is a national organization of anti-war protesters. They have
demonstrated weekly in front of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in
Washington, D.C., with their signs, chants and props. Walter Reed is
the current home of hundreds of wounded soldiers from the war in Iraq.
The members of Code Pink hold signs that read, “Maimed for a Lie” and
“Enlist here to die for Halliburton.” They have placed mock caskets
along the sidewalk leading up to the hospital.
Because Code Pink members protest directly in front of the main
entrance, family members and loved ones of the wounded soldiers are
subjected to these prop caskets, hate signs and Code Pink members’
taunts. Most of the demonstrations have been held on Friday evenings
-- a popular time for the family members of wounded soldiers to visit
the hospital.
Code Pink is not your average, everyday collection of “peace
activists.” This is, after all, the group that raised over $600,000
last year to aid terrorists in Fallujah. As Code Pink co-founder Medea
Benjamin said at the time, “I don’t know of any other case in history
in which the parents of fallen soldiers
(like Cindy Sheehan)
collected medicines for the families of the ‘other side’.”
For Rep. Murtha to give approval to this organization through the
acceptance of their high award and praise,
is obscene.
You would think this is enough to turn most Americans' stomachs, but
with Rep. Murtha there is still more. There is a scene wholly
reminiscent of the lies perpetrated by Sen. John Kerry before a 1971
Senate hearing where he falsely claimed to have proof his fellow
soldiers committed atrocities in Vietnam,
“…in fashion reminiscent of Genghis Kahn.”
Like Kerry, Murtha indicted, tried and convicted fellow soldiers --
before they even were arrested. During a May 17, 2006, press
conference Congressman John Murtha claimed Pentagon sources had
briefed him about an incident involving a Marine unit in Haditha,
Iraq. Of those Marines he said, "...they killed innocent civilians in
cold blood.”
Murtha's 'cold blooded' judgment was
spoken prior to investigation, charges or trial – unleashing an uproar
both in and out of the military.
Fueling the uproar are two more recent developments: a defamation
lawsuit filed against Rep. Murtha by attorneys for one of the Marines
(Sgt. Wuterich); and a statement from Murtha's Pentagon source – Gen.
Michael Hagee – denying Murtha's claims:
...a spokesman for the Marine Corps said Hagee briefed Murtha on
May 24 about Haditha. Murtha had made comments on the case as early as
May 17.
Why, you ask, did Murtha go so far out of line in his accusations
against these Marines? Why did he lie? He lied because it was
politically advantageous to do so. He used the Haditha incident to
advance his own political career and his policy of cut ‘n' run.
Why is Murtha without conscience about hanging these Marines out to
dry? That is a question that he will have to answer.
Murtha's frauds are despicable. But the worst fraud of all is the one
committed by San Francisco Nancy Pelosi. As Minority Leader, she
parades Rep. Murtha throughout America as the facade of her Party’s
most revered hawk: Pres. Harry Truman.
Many of us never knew Harry Truman, but John Murtha is no Harry
Truman.
How do you hocus-pocus this ABSCAM
money-hustler into a serious “hawkish” foreign policy expert? The fact
is, John Murtha is nothing but a John Kerry “peace-nik.” He is an,
“I’ll bring the pork - you bring the cash and the votes ‘Old Time
Democrat Pol’.”
You ask why we are against Rep. John Murtha.
Give me one reason to be for this despicable human being. There was a
day when this country would have done some serious things to an
individual like Murtha.
"Congressmen who willfully take actions during wartime that damage
morale and undermine the military are saboteurs and should be
arrested, exiled, or hanged. That's what President Abraham Lincoln
said during the War Between the States." -- J.
Michael Waller, a conservative scholar
Hopefully this answers your question as to why so many are so greatly
upset with the fraud, John Murtha.
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