Posted on 01/02/2006 5:36:07 PM PST by jmc1969
Rep. John Murtha, a key Democratic voice who favors pulling U.S. troops from Iraq, said in remarks airing on Monday that he would not join the U.S. military today.
A decorated Vietnam combat veteran who retired as a colonel after 37 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, Murtha told ABC News' "Nightline" program that Iraq "absolutely" was a wrong war for President George W. Bush to have launched.
"Would you join (the military) today?," he was asked in an interview taped on Friday.
"No," replied Murtha of Pennsylvania, the top Democrat on the House of Representatives subcommittee that oversees defense spending and one of his party's leading spokesmen on military issues.
"And I think you're saying the average guy out there who's considering recruitment is justified in saying 'I don't want to serve'," the interviewer continued.
"Exactly right," said Murtha, who drew White House ire in November after becoming the first ranking Democrat to push for a pullout of U.S. forces from Iraq as soon as it could be done safely.
"Let me tell you, war is a nasty business. It sears the soul," he said, choking up. "And it made a difference. The shadow of those killings stay with you the rest of your life."
Asked for comment, a Defense Department spokesman, Lt. Col. John Skinner, said: "We have an all-volunteer military. People are free to choose whether they serve or not."
"Our freedom of speech in this country allows all of us the opportunity to voice an opinion. It's one of our great strengths as a nation," he added.
(Excerpt) Read more at alertnet.org ...
"Exactly right," said Murtha...
Holy Leading The Witness, Batman! No liberal bias here, no sirree...
"The interviewer" was Nightline correspondent John Donvan, one of the lower-tier ABC reporters that didn't get the plumb gig of swimming in the shoes of Ted Koppel. That honor went to the rude, snide Bush-hating former WH Press Corps hack Terry "Sweet Lips" Moran (the D.C. anchor), Brit muckraker Martin Bashir, and career minor leaguer Cynthia McFadden, who made a total ass of herself in an attempt to turn the recent New Orleans Police shooting of a knife-wielding man into a national scandal.
The more I watch Moran in action, the more I realize how relatively fair Koppel was. Koppel was not in the habit of cutting off answers to his own questions. Moran does it in every single interview, unless it is a friendly chat with another Bush-basher, when he sets questions on a tee to be whacked away at. He treats everyone else as if they are Scott McClellan. It's McClellan's job to put up with jerks like Moran. If I was Dick Cheney, I would have -- at the least -- scolded him for treating me that way.
Murtha has said that the back of the US military was broken in Iraq. He is lying scum.
Thats from the TZ episode 'To Serve Man' ... which turned out to be an alien cookbook...
well, he is so ashamed of himself for his Minnesota escapade that he should leave the country.
Ventura must post at DU to believe something like that
"What would George Patton say to Mr. Murtha today?"
Nothing, he would just slap him with his glove like the little b-tch that he is.
Precisely my thoughts. My son is a MARINE with the 3rd MAW, Murtha disgraces my career in the NAVY and my sons and all that serve with him past, present and future.
Murtha your a disgrace to the fine fighting men and women of the military!
What really p!ssed me off is that after Murtha's comments, he was all over the MSM -- radio, paper, TV -- with his Traitorous comments. They could not get enough of him!
OTOH, Rep. Johnson (and others, including Rep. Duncan Hunter) made some very cogent and patriotic comments on the floor of the House in the aftermath of Murtha's remarks.
AND NEITHER ONE WORD NOR ONE TV INTERVIEW WAS TO BE SEEN OR HEARD ANYWHERE! IT WS AS IF NO ONE HAD STOOD IN OPPOSITION TO MURTHA. DISGRACEFUL PERFORMANCE BY THE MSM, IMHO!
>/Rant<
Therein lies the problem...er...reason, their comments will never be heard. The Enemedia detests cogent and patriotic anything.
I live in Murtha's district. In our local nespaper the vast majority of Anti-Murtha letters are written by people from his district. The Pro-letters are written by people from California & New York and others who don't live here. The local TV station in Johnstown is 100% behind Murtha and every evening launches it's own anti-war campaign to try to brainwash his constituncy that HE SPEAKS THE TRUTH.
This guy is a real piece of work!
Correction:
A very disgusting embarassment.
As if today's US military would take him! Hah!
Has Murtha been to Walter Reed lately?
Joshua told me the "senior" sInator from mAssachusetts was there around Christmas...didn't stay long though. He really wanted to meet him to "'splain" some things to him. LOL!
I imagine if this guy had been there we would have heard by now! ;*)
If he has such a low opinion of today's military forces, he should not be allowed to make political decisions on their behalf.
He is a clear and present danger to the troops!
Thanks God! Who'd want a traitor in their unit?
Hear that Johnny? I called you a damned TRAITOR.
" How did he get into the military, was he drafted or did he enlist? "
Murtha's bio is vague on the details - apparently he dropped out of college at 20 and enlisted in the Marines.
In 1952.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.