Oops, John Murtha Supported The Troops
By Chuck Hyde, Editor of StandBesideHer.com
This has been an embarrassing week for Rep John Murtha (D, PA). He let slip that he believes the surge in Iraq is working. This not only gives George Bush credit but also shows support for the US troops. This has caused quite a stir among the Democrats on capitol hill and they are trying feverishly to go behind Mr. Murtha and clean up the mess. The same day a Democratic staffer was quoted on Politico.com as saying (US House Speaker) Nancy Pelosi (D, CA) was “going to be furious about this”.
To Mr. Murtha’s credit, he did release a statement later in the day clarifying his remarks. Attempting to make clear that he did not really support the Iraq war or George Bush but unfortunately, the damage to his reputation may have already been done.
The nature of Washington politics is that often your most recent statement defines you. There are times when a simple slip of the tongue can label a politician with something they don’t want. Mr. Murtha runs a real risk of his loony friends on the far left forgetting that less than two years ago he was out front leading the charge against the Marine corps over the over-blown incident at Haditha, Iraq. In the Haditha incident, Iraqi citizens were shot to death by US marines after a fellow marine was killed in a roadside attack. In true liberal fashion Mr. Murtha immediately and ferociously attacked the marines involved, not bothering to wait for evidence. From the beginning the case against the Marines was weak and largely based on testimony of Iraqi citizens. Without directly casting aspersions on all Iraqi citizens, the upheaval in the country and the hatred by some Iraqi’s against the US, the testimony of the citizens have to be viewed as suspect at best. This did not stop Mr. Murtha from calling the Marines murderers, releasing a statement that the Marines "killed innocent civilians in cold blood,".
To date, all murder charges against the Marines have been dropped due to lack of evidence and conflicting statements. Quotes from Lt. Col. Paul Ware, Inspecting Officer for several of the Marines summed up the evidence by saying about the evidence presented by the prosecution: "[t]he government version is unsupported by independent evidence... To believe the government version of facts is to disregard clear and convincing evidence to the contrary." To my knowledge, the remaining officer facing charges is Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani on an administrative charge because he "failed to thoroughly and accurately report and investigate a combat action that clearly needed scrutiny."
As with most of the loonies on the left, Mr. Murtha is not going to let something as trivial as the truth slow him down from attacking the troops. In the face of the dropped charges, Mr. Murtha continues to believe that the Martines committed this act and has furthermore accussed the Pentagon of covering up the incident. The “coverup” has historically been the left’s cover for attacking the military. If all evidence contradicts their accusations against the men and women of the US military, they can just call it a “coverup” and that lets them continue the attack without the burden of producing any proof whatsoever of their charges. It is this continued attack on the Marines and refusal to apologize for his false accusations that has prompted Staff Sgt. Frank D. Wuterich to file a defamation lawsuit against Mr. Murtha.
This may all be a trip down nostalgia lane for Mr. Murtha though if he can’t make the loony left forget his slip up and, in a weak moment, showing support for the men and women of the US military serving in harms way. A reputation, once tarnished, is hard to repair. That’s what’s on my mind.
About The Author: Chuck Hyde is editor of StandBesideHer.com. He is also a husband and father of two teenage boys and a younger daughter. His family lives in the northern Midwestern rural United States, where they enjoy camping, fishing, and other outdoor activities together. Chuck is a Registered Nurse in an inner city emergency room and has had a lifelong addiction to politics.
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