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
He should be ... No, I won't say it.
No victory is possible in Muthra's world.
"Most voters will vote him in because Murtha is a top pork winner, bringing in huge number of government contracts into his district."
At least that's the myth that's been propagated for years and years and... ;)Yes, he's brought some "pork", but not enough to stem the population decline, much less increase the median "income", which, according to the most recent published figures (last year;) was barely over $21,000/yr. in what's left of Johnstown. :(
I've been observing the "local sentiment" (what's left of it ;) since he started making these "statements" and it seems to be pretty evenly divided.;)
Why he's been voted in, time after time, is that no "serious" candidate has ever run against him. Hopefully, that's about to change, but the lady from Washington Co. is gonna have to do some *serious* campaigning and gain name recognition in this area.
We won the war in May 2003. Saddam and his military were defeated. There have been three free elections since including the approval of a constitution. The so-called insurgency represents no real military threat to the elected government. The insurgents hold no territory, are incapable of carrying out significant unit operations, have no viable political agenda, don't have the support of the vast majority of the Iraqi population, and are relegated to conducting nuisance attacks by IEDs and suicide bombers.
That goal is probably not possible. Democracy requires a self-governing spirit among those governed. It requires a high degree of recognition that representative government is possible. Iraq is far from democracy and could benefit from another two hundred years of colonialism.
Probably not? The Iraqi people have turned out 8.5 million strong braving death threats and grievous injury to vote. The turnout was greater than in the US during most presidential elections. The officials running for office and people working for the government have been the targets of assassination along with their families. Still, there is no shortage of applicants. The same holds true for the military and police. By their courageous actions, they demonstrate a thirst and readiness for democracy.
Benefit from another two hundred years of colonialsim? By whom? What arrogance.
The history of Middle Eastern countries tell us that they are nearly ungovernable and have never had any type of rule other than a theocratic strongman.
History doesn't mandate the future. Something similar could have been said about the Japanese, the Germans, and the Koreans. FYI: Saddam was not a "theocratic strongman." Neither were Nasser and Sadat of Egypt, King Hussein of Jordan or his son, Hafez al-Assad or his son, former leaders of Lebanon, Alegeria, Libya, etc. The Middle East has a history of strongmen, but they were not theocratic in the mold of Khomeini.
Murtha is right for the wrong reasons. His motive is to restore the Democrat/Socialists to political power. My motive is that now that we have done all we can for the Iraqi people, it's time to move on.
Murtha is wrong for the wrong reasons. Our mission in Iraq is not done. We can't walk away until it is finished. The Iraqis want us to stay and we should. Anthing less would make a mockery out of the sacfrice that thousands of brave Americans have made to liberate Iraq and give them an opporutnity to live in freedom and democracy. We also have important strategic reasons to establish a democracy in the region.
Why is it time to move on? Who set the timetable? We have been there only three years. It would like walking away from Japan and Europe in 1948. Moreover, some of the same people we are fighting now in Iraq took down the WTC on 9/11 and carried out attacks against our embassies in East Africa and the USS Cole. Bin Laden declared war against the US in 1996. Do you really believe that walking away from a fight against AQ in Iraq will help us in our global fight against terrorism?
We should secure the oil fields and operate them under a U.S. protectorate and get out. Iraq is not a quagmire, it is a sinkhole.
Now you have gone off the deep end. You lose all credibility with such a statement. It demonstrates a lack of seriousness and shallowness of analysis.
Looks like the pork went into his gut.
I have been to Johnstown. There isn't much there, but what is there seems dependant on government contracts. I stayed at a hotel there and in the lobby was a big picture of Murtha. He does bring in a lot of pork considering the size of the town.
McClellen rides again.
You are correct, Johnstown is in a deep valley and is decaying. I think even the incline to the top of the hill has shut down, but what the hey nancy pelosi and timmy russert have a congresscritter hand puppet to spout off fatalistic rhetoric about Iraq and he's glad to do it(ala pat buchanan)
Long before November.
[Troops are undermanned, underequipped and dying at rates higher than during World War II and the Vietnam War.]
That is a down right Lie. He and his Dem cronies make a big deal out of him being a Marine Colonel and a decorated one at that. He is a man without integrity and has broken the very oath he took when he became an officer in the Corps. And the worst thing is he used this to promote his political career over the years and is still doing it.
...and in other news, the Chamber of Commerce president is predicting good times ahead for businesses.
murtha : Pay attention
You have been hanging around to long with cut and run hanoi kerry
The Brothers and Sisters on The Wall know what you have done.
And before you complain about me, I was there also.
DISMISSED!
Marine NOT afraid to not be "PC" Ping!
Young Marine Blasts Rep. Murtha at Town Hall Meeting
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1558047/posts
"Yes sir my name is Mark Seavey and I just want to thank you for coming up here. Until about a month ago I was Sergeant Mark Seavey infantry squad leader, I returned from Afghanistan. My question to you, (applause)
"Like yourself I dropped out of college two years ago to volunteer to go to Afghanistan, and I went and I came back. If I didn't have a herniated disk now I would volunteer to go to Iraq in a second with my troops, three of which have already volunteered to go to Iraq. I keep hearing you say how you talk to the troops and the troops are demoralized, and I really resent that characterization. (applause) The morale of the troops that I talk to is phenomenal, which is why my troops are volunteering to go back, despite the hardships they had to endure in Afghanistan."
Murtha's War Hero Status Called Into Question
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1557630/posts
Rumsfeld slams war statements by Murtha
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1580950/posts
GOP Congressman and Former POW Rips John Murtha
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1576009/posts
Murtha's War Hero Status Called Into Question
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1557630/posts
Tip of the hat to Freeper Fintan!
It's a good thing that this knob will never be CiC.....our country would be lost, for certain.
Anymore stories about the Sgt who caught him in a lie?
This would turn it into quagmire. This is quite possibly the dumbest idea and the worst advice possible. I think the Talk Radio heads and self appointed arm chair experts better leave this to the real experts. Fairly obvious the Arm chair crowd have NO idea what they are talking about when they say the above sort of crap. This is so mind boggling bad advice from a Counter Insurgency viewpoint there simply isn't enough time to explain why this is a stupid idea.
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