Posted on 04/08/2006 5:01:15 AM PDT by Libloather
Murtha tells City Club the war is lost
Pa. congressman outlines failures
Saturday, April 08, 2006
Donna J. Miller
Plain Dealer Reporter
U.S. Rep. John Murtha's booming Marine colonel's voice filled the tight spaces between Greater Clevelanders packed into the City Club Friday to hear him protest President Bush's war on Iraq.
He repeated the message he began trumpeting in November: that American military efforts in Iraq are failing and will continue to fail, while costing taxpayers $450 billion by the year's end.
The 37-year decorated Marine and 32-year congressman from Pennsylvania said:
Iraqis with 80 percent of them wanting the U.S. out need time to solve their own civil war. "It took 100 years to get stability in our country, with its own civil war."
"We needed to win the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people." Instead, more than 40 percent of them say it is all right to kill Americans.
"We needed to be able to pick up the trash, restore power and get the people working again." Instead, oil production remains below prewar levels; electricity is available for just 10 hours a day in the sweltering desert climate; 30 percent of the population is without drinkable water; 60 percent are unemployed.
Troops are undermanned, underequipped and dying at rates higher than during World War II and the Vietnam War. "I visit the [veterans hospitals] every week. The troops don't know what their mission is any more." And 8,500 of them have returned with shattered bod ies or brains and the permanent "shadow on your soul" that fighting a war creates.
Murtha took questions from several luncheon attendees who worried that Bush may be planning to invade Iran. The ranking and longtime member of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee nearly shouted, "we will not" be entering Iran.
He also said that the subcommittee would not approve funding the construction of permanent military bases in Iraq. The audience broke into applause.
Murtha criticized Bush for using fear of terrorism to maintain public support for the war, when real dangers exist here.
U.S. ports are not secure, but they could be in one month, if the money that has been spent on the civil war in Iraq was spent on ports, he said.
Asked to predict the next threat to America that might require military force, Murtha said he's concerned about China and its increasing need for oil.
"And if they think that we can't respond because we are overextended in Iraq. . ." He shook his head.
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:
djmiller@plaind.com, 216-999-4852
And the good voters will vote him right in again.
"I visit the [veterans hospitals] every week"
Bull. At least not to see the vets. maybe to protest with CodePink, but not to see vets.
Most voters will vote him in because Murtha is a top pork winner, bringing in huge number of government contracts into his district.
Isn't he dead yet?
He see's China as a threat... but can't see Iran sitting next to Iraq.
All one needs to read to understand that the writer is a propagandist who, like Mutha and the other mutha rats, is more interested in slamming our POTUS than with the welfare of the country.
Yes, however Dubya' knows he would be overextending his Presidential powers if he were to take you out Congressman.
How many people died in Cleveland last year? How much Federal money did we send Ohio? There's probably 40% of the people in Cleveland who also think it's alright to kill American soldiers.
Let's hope that the voters respond.
WTF?!?! This moron made it to a full bird colonel? God help us! What ever happened to the officer review process?
"It took 100 years to get stability in our country, with its own civil war."
Wow, he's got the same tremendous insight into history that he has into foreign policy. 100 years my arse.
What?! Another war for oil?
Say it ain't so, John! Say it ain't so!
TURN THE KEY
CLICK THE SELF DESTRUCT BUTTON FOR MURTHA
= 
What a load of crap.
Murtha is guilty of treason and is an enemy of the constitution.
Bush should have him arrested and put on trial, if he has to he should use an executive order, he should do the same to a lot of other democrats and media types. It should all go down now.
ping
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