Now take off your political hat and put on your combat helmet. You're taking fire downrange, and some iditioc Congressman is publicly proclaiming your mission a failure and then declaring your fellow Marines/servicemembers have committed cold-blooded murder. You await the response of your disgusted political representatives, the media, etc. It never comes.
Talk about damaging morale.
This really isn't about politics to me. But politically punishing Murtha with the loss of his seat is the best message I can think of to send to our folks on the battlefield and deployed throughout the globe. Not to mention our enemies at home and abroad.
If asked about Murtha, what the GOP reps should do is mumble about him and then go on to praise the military themselves. Murtha's the crazy old guy who drinks from the paper bag and mutters to himself. Treat him that way.