Is Jack Murtha a Coward and a Traitor?

The American Thinker ^ | 11/20/05 | J. Peter Mulhern

[Kitten Festival]

The prize for the most dramatic oratory in the United States Congress in the new millennium goes to fledgling Representative Jean Schmidt. In the midst of debate over whether the House of Representatives should vote on a resolution endorsing immediate U.S. withdrawal from Iraq she conveyed a message she had received from an active duty Marine colonel, to Representative Jack Murtha. Murtha, a decorated Marine veteran, inspired the debate earlier this week by calling for withdrawal from Iraq.

Representative Smith’s message quoting the colonel was simple: “Cowards cut and run, Marines never do.” [snip] When people engage in debate within the boundaries of legitimate disagreement they should be respectful. But we need to maintain those boundaries.

Jack Murtha’s call for immediate disengagement took him far outside the boundaries of legitimate disagreement. He has never been able to articulate any plausible basis for his position on Iraq. There is a simple reason for that. There isn’t one.

Reasonable people cannot differ about whether or not the United States should press forward with our war against the terror masters. For the time being Iraq is inevitably the principal front in that war. A congressman who tries to duck his share of the responsibility for prosecuting that war is displaying moral cowardice. Any American who recommends retreat is injuring his own country and calling his own patriotism into question.

[JCEccles]

What do you call it when the most powerful and visible Democrat in Congress with a military background announces to the world that our soldiers and Marines have failed in Iraq, cannot win, and must be withdrawn immediately?

- When he further says, "they" (meaning our soldiers and Marines) "have become the enemy" and that terrorism actually started with their deployment to Iraq in 2003?

- When the evidence is actually quite to the contrary, that our soldiers and Marines have performed magnificently in achieving their objectives, that the insurgency is on the ropes, and Democracy is taking root in the Middle East in consequence of the brave and faithful efforts of our soldiers and Marines?

- When the natural tendency of such words is to undermine the morale of our soldiers and Marines and to enocurage the flagging spirits of the terrorists who kill our soldiers and Marines?

If not perfidy or treason, what do you call it? What politically correct euphemism do you prefer?

[jude24]

200k troops of Iraq are trained to some level of competence, when they have the ability to make a go of handling themselves, we go. Or if we are asked to leave earlier by an Iraqi President to leave, we go sooner.

A reasonable exit strategy. Beats the heck out of the "we're done when we're done" line Bush gives.

The problem is that our very presence is fueling the insurgency. Every day, more insurgants (not all of whom are immigrants) are created out of anger at our continued presence there. There comes a point in time when the Iraqi government has a better shot without us there. That's not "cutting and running." That's a recognition that we can't do everything.

Murtha's argument - which I have tried to argue for him just now - has merit as I see it. He deserves to be listened to, and not just shouted down by some chicken-hawk. No one has the right to call him a coward, even if he thinks the time has come for us to leave Iraq.

[mlc9852]

You know the Iraqi military is not prepared to take over yet and to pull out now would destabilize further a part of the world that can least afford it. It's fine to be opposed to the war, but it is our responsibility to see that the Iraqis are prepared to take over completely when the coalition forces leave. Glad this isn't WWII.

[JCEccles]

Murtha is a traitor. Honorable Ameicans do not support let alone praise his perfidy.

[river rat]

"He's an old fool."

And therein lies this Republic's greatest handicap..

There are far TOO MANY fools, idiots, liars, perverts, traitors, racists, crooks, leftists, cowards and surrender monkeys in the U.S. Congress...

The Democrat party has excelled in drawing the worst of society to their bosom --- but the Republicans are challenging their lead...

I've seen FAR better men and woman in Corporate Board Rooms....and hunkered down behind he wire..

Sad...

Semper Fi

[Richard Axtell]

Murtha seems lucid and convinced of his position, but his position is that of a juvenile; as if he never saw evil, knew nothing about the nihilistic and determined motivations and ideology of the terrorists, and believed outright falsehoods regarding the progress of the war and its origins. He doesn't seem "stupid", but the content of his "resolution" is both delusional and patently idiotic. He seems like an actor in a role, speaking lines someone had written for him. Could it be, that the Leftists in the Democrat party (Pelosi) have enough leverage on him to script his oratory, and they chose him because of his "Vet cred"? What is going on here?

[jude24]

Murtha is a traitor.

Traitors weren't in the Marine Corps for 30 years. Traitors didn't volunteer to go to Vietnam.

Unfortunately, to the simple-minded BushBot, anyone who doesn't toe the line and parrot the Dubya Rationalization of the Week (TM) is a "traitor."

Grow up and learn to debate beyond insults. Some people think our troops are in the way of Iraq's progress. Others think that our troops are stuck in a quagmire. Neither are traitors for wanting to end that situation.

[river rat]

Well put....
And you didn't use any profanity...
I'll have to try that.

Semper Fi

[Sam Hill]

What a load.

"The problem is that our very presence is fueling the insurgency."

And what fueled the insurgency when we left immediately at the end of the first Gulf War?

When the invasion of Iraq began, the media's favorite talking point was would we pull abandon the Iraqis like we did before? How horrible that would be.

Now they want to make George do it. (It's just like their endless pressure on W's father to raise taxes after his pledge. And it will have far more tragic results. But the media hates our country.)

"Every day, more insurgants (not all of whom are immigrants) are created out of anger at our continued presence there."

Read some of the polls in Iraq. The vast majority of the people want us there. They know if we leave they will once again be at the mercy of the Bathists and other people who were thrown out of power, but who are armed to the teeth. You simply don't know history or the current situation -- or the demographics in Iraq.

"There comes a point in time when the Iraqi government has a better shot without us there. That's not "cutting and running." That's a recognition that we can't do everything."

No kidding. Of course that is what Bush has been saying all along. BTW, have you posted similar remarks about getting out of Bosnia or even South Korea?

"Murtha's argument - which I have tried to argue for him just now - has merit as I see it. He deserves to be listened to, and not just shouted down by some chicken-hawk. No one has the right to call him a coward, even if he thinks the time has come for us to leave Iraq."

Yeah, it's such a valid argument that even he wouldn't vote for it. Sort of like Charlie Rangel voting against his own bill to reinstate the draft. In fact, exactly like it.

Murtha is a cheap political hack who was using this stunt for self-promotion. Read his book. He's a stupid self-promoting grifter.

He wants us to lose in Iraq so that he can say he was right. Just like he was right about Vietnam. (In both cases he claims we don't have enough intel to fight the war.)

If we had more people like Murtha (and you) sixty years ago we'd all be speaking German.

[jude24]

- When the natural tendency of such words is to undermine the morale of our soldiers and Marines and to enocurage the flagging spirits of the terrorists who kill our soldiers and Marines?

Our soldiers are not infants. They recognize that wanting to bring them home is not an opposition to the troops.

[A CA Guy]

You should go read the Jordan story about the female bomber. She said we are killing all the terrorists that existed. They are losing and they don't like it. They are also becoming fewer in number which is why her husband and her decided to go boom themselves.

What you have going on in Iraq is Syria and especially IRAN is sending in people to terrorize since they either want control of Iraq or to do anything to prevent them from being next.

They are scared and they are using the most stupid fanatical religious people among them to carry out what will be a losing strategy.

In case you haven't figured it out yet, Iran has been pushing for some form of war in that region since Jimmy Carter's old hostage taking buddy became President.

Just remember, the Muslims of that area respect POWER!

We show power and they won't mess with us, we pull a Murtha and they will be fighting this battle far more on our shores within our borders.

[righttackle44]

"No. He's an old fool."

He's more than an old fool. He is a
dastardly turncoat.

(I have not served. My tagline honors my son and my cousin.)

[HawaiianGecko]

	Attack his policy and idea.  It is shot full of illogical thinking and factual inaccuracies. Attacking the man is the very thing most of us in FR have accused the left of doing to this administration and telling ourselves and anyone that would listen that the American public does not want to hear this. When you say: - When he further says, "they" (meaning our soldiers and Marines) "have become the enemy" and that terrorism actually started with their deployment to Iraq in 2003? You are correct. He is so clearly wrong, and provably incorrect. 9/11 was in 2001 When you say: - When the evidence is actually quite to the contrary, that our soldiers and Marines have performed magnificently in achieving their objectives, that the insurgency is on the ropes, and Democracy is taking root in the Middle East in consequence of the brave and faithful efforts of our soldiers and Marines? Again, you are absolutely correct in your thinking. When you say: - When the natural tendency of such words is to undermine the morale of our soldiers and Marines and to enocurage the flagging spirits of the terrorists who kill our soldiers and Marines? You are right!  But, you are preaching to the choir here at Free Republic.  You can take your statements above and convince the majority of Americans that you are correct... Right up to the point that you start smearing the man.  At that point you lose the majority of Americans. In short, you'll win all the battles in this argument but will lose the war.

 

 

[skr]

His previous service to our country is disgraced by his present service to his party. The DNC membership card must be imbued with mind-sapping properties that even a Marine cannot withstand.

Treason and courage are not mutually exclusive.

[RAldrich]

"Even warriors are not exempt from senile folly and/or political pressure."

I agree. Petain and Hindenburg were war heroes too.

[HitmanLV]

Talk like this diminishes our side. He is not necessarily a coward nor a traitor. He is mistaken, and making a poor judgment. Elevating the rhetoric beyond that is so...democratic. :-)

[jwalsh07]

No, he is neither, he is simply wrong.

[mountainfolk]

First term congress woman Jean Schmidt was shouted down by RATS who have called the President of the US everything derogatory they can think of. Although she was reading a letter from a Marine they chose to attack her for words about cowardice because they assumed it was directed at their latest anti war poster guy, Jack Murtha. I'm thinking that Jean Schmidt is proof that we need to continue to get new blood into congress. People who have not been so compromised that they are not afraid to speak out as she did.

[timpad]

Murtha is a traitor. Honorable Ameicans do not support let alone praise his perfidy.

"Congressman Murtha is a fine man, a good man who served our country with honor and distinction as a Marine in Vietnam and as a U.S. congressman," Bush said.

Please add one more to your ever-growing list of Dishonorable Americans. Then, for the love of God and Country, check yourself.

[river rat]

"Traitors weren't in the Marine Corps for 30 years. Traitors didn't volunteer to go to Vietnam.

Unfortunately, to the simple-minded BushBot, anyone who doesn't toe the line and parrot the Dubya Rationalization of the Week (TM) is a "traitor."

Performance over one period of time, or in a specific activity - does not inoculate them from all evil...

Some "Heroes" become serial killers..
Some "Heroes" become traitors...
Some "Heroes" were never really heroes --- but got their "card punched" to pursue a career in politics....

John Kerry comes to mind....
Benedict Arnold....Jimmy Carter...Scott Ritter.....
Hell, even a REAL warrior like Hackworth -- finally started getting most things wrong in his old age.

It always amuses me, to see how selective and ill informed most leftists are when they select whom they would regard as a "military hero"....

John Kerry provided another of his famous flip/flops, by declaring Murtha a true hero and patriot. Murtha was one of the Marines that Kerry once slandered by accusing us of ravaging Vietnam in the manner of Genghis Khan - raping, beheading, cutting off ears, killing every living thing in sight......

I see from your profile page, that another idiot is pursuing a career in the "law".....

Semper Fi