Why are we against John Murtha?
The following was penned by Iowa Presidential Watch PAC Chairman Roger Wm. Hughes in reply to a question about why Vets for the Truth (a committee under Iowa Presidential Watch PAC) has taken on Rep. John Murtha.
I normally do not answer critics, because it is not beneficial. However, you seem to be genuine. So, against my better judgment I will reply as to why this effort is going forward against Rep. John Murtha (D-PA). Congressman John Murtha, like Senators John Kerry and Tom Harkin, is a fraud. He has made himself out to be a friend of the military. Nothing could be further from the truth. I will not get into whether Murtha is a 'stolen honor' soldier. It is enough to say that Murtha’s own words and others' seem to question his veracity. It is also telling that Murtha will not sponsor the Stolen Honor Bill, which would protect the honor of those who have truly earned their medals from the phonies who didn’t earn theirs. One thing is clear: when Murtha says that he is defender of the military, he is a liar. While chairman of the Defense Committee (1991-1994), Murtha oversaw the reduction of military spending. It is also a sad state of affairs that the lobbying firm run by John Murtha’s brother hauled in $20.8 million from the 2004 Defense bill alone because of Murtha's connection (LA Times article, June 13, 2005). I call that criminal. Murtha has built gymnasiums and "accomplished" other boondoggles in his district. He then has the audacity to say that our troops are not getting body armor -- after he has stolen the very money that would have bought the body armor. The premature deployment to the war in Iraq and the inappropriate manipulation by Rep. Murtha of the Stryker transport vehicle caused the needless deaths of our service personnel serving in Iraq: [from Pogo.org, March 31, 2005:] The Stryker, a $4 million-a-copy, eight-wheeled, 19-ton armored Army vehicle, was deployed in Mosul, Iraq beginning in late 2003, despite warnings by the Pentagon’s top independent tester, Thomas Christie , Director of Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E), that it was not thoroughly tested against RPGs. “The Army should not put inadequately tested equipment in the field, as it creates a false impression that the troops are properly equipped to fight in combat. The Army should speed up the process of deploying the proven M113’s armored personnel carriers that are sitting out of harm’s way while the Stryker is being showcased in Iraq,” said Senior Defense Investigator Eric Miller. This nation and Murtha personally owe the families of those who died an apology (and more) for this failure to follow established protocols. (Washington Post, March 31, 2005; Defense News, Oct. 7-13, 2002; Murtha’s looting of the defense budget is not the worst crime Murtha has committed against the military. The worst by far is his advice on how to keep America safe. All we have to do is compare Murtha’s 1993 advice on Somalia to his 2005 advice on Iraq: "Representative Murtha, has urged Clinton to withdraw U.S. forces from Somalia" (Murtha, AP article, Sept. 22, 1993) "I'm very hopeful that my proposal is something they'll take seriously, that he'll (Bush) get a few of us to the White House and talk to us about this." (Murtha, Nov. 21, 2005) "They're subdued compared to normal morale of elite forces..." (Murtha, Sept., 1993) "The Army is broken, worn out... living hand to mouth..." (Murtha, Dec. 1, 2005) "Murtha said he did not ‘see any achievable goal or national security interest in this operation." (Murtha, Oct., 6, 1993) "... continued military action in Iraq is not in the best interest of the United States of America..."(Murtha's website, Nov. 17, 2005) You may ask why this is relevant. It is relevant because of its impact on al Qaeda terrorist leader Osama bin Laden. Here's what bin Laden deduced from the “Cut ‘n' Run” foreign policy Murtha advanced during Somalia and Bosnia, and now Iraq: "We will continue, God willing, to fight you and your allies everywhere, in Iraq and Afghanistan and in Somalia and Sudan until we waste all your money and kill your men and you will return to your country in defeat as we defeated you before in Somalia." - Osama bin Laden, June 2006 audio release However, none of the above is as disgusting and abysmal as Murtha’s acceptance of war protest group Code Pink’s awards – their “Pink Badge of Courage” and pink flowers for his demand that America immediately cut and run from Iraq. Code Pink is a national organization of anti-war protesters. They have demonstrated weekly in front of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., with their signs, chants and props. Walter Reed is the current home of hundreds of wounded soldiers from the war in Iraq. The members of Code Pink hold signs that read, “Maimed for a Lie” and “Enlist here to die for Halliburton.” They have placed mock caskets along the sidewalk leading up to the hospital. Because Code Pink members protest directly in front of the main entrance, family members and loved ones of the wounded soldiers are subjected to these prop caskets, hate signs and Code Pink members’ taunts. Most of the demonstrations have been held on Friday evenings -- a popular time for the family members of wounded soldiers to visit the hospital. Code Pink is not your average, everyday collection of “peace activists.” This is, after all, the group that raised over $600,000 last year to aid terrorists in Fallujah. As Code Pink co-founder Medea Benjamin said at the time, “I don’t know of any other case in history in which the parents of fallen soldiers (like Cindy Sheehan) collected medicines for the families of the ‘other side’.” For Rep. Murtha to give approval to this organization through the acceptance of their high award and praise, is obscene. You would think this is enough to turn most Americans' stomachs, but with Rep. Murtha there is still more. There is a scene wholly reminiscent of the lies perpetrated by Sen. John Kerry before a 1971 Senate hearing where he falsely claimed to have proof his fellow soldiers committed atrocities in Vietnam, “…in fashion reminiscent of Genghis Kahn.” Like Kerry, Murtha indicted, tried and convicted fellow soldiers -- before they even were arrested. During a May 17, 2006, press conference Congressman John Murtha claimed Pentagon sources had briefed him about an incident involving a Marine unit in Haditha, Iraq. Of those Marines he said, "...they killed innocent civilians in cold blood.” Murtha's 'cold blooded' judgment was spoken prior to investigation, charges or trial – unleashing an uproar both in and out of the military. Fueling the uproar are two more recent developments: a defamation lawsuit filed against Rep. Murtha by attorneys for one of the Marines (Sgt. Wuterich); and a statement from Murtha's Pentagon source – Gen. Michael Hagee – denying Murtha's claims: ...a spokesman for the Marine Corps said Hagee briefed Murtha on May 24 about Haditha. Murtha had made comments on the case as early as May 17. Why, you ask, did Murtha go so far out of line in his accusations against these Marines? Why did he lie? He lied because it was politically advantageous to do so. He used the Haditha incident to advance his own political career and his policy of cut ‘n' run. Why is Murtha without conscience about hanging these Marines out to dry? That is a question that he will have to answer. Murtha's frauds are despicable. But the worst fraud of all is the one committed by San Francisco Nancy Pelosi. As Minority Leader, she parades Rep. Murtha throughout America as the facade of her Party’s most revered hawk: Pres. Harry Truman. Many of us never knew Harry Truman, but John Murtha is no Harry Truman. How do you hocus-pocus this ABSCAM money-hustler into a serious “hawkish” foreign policy expert? The fact is, John Murtha is nothing but a John Kerry “peace-nik.” He is an, “I’ll bring the pork - you bring the cash and the votes ‘Old Time Democrat Pol’.” You ask why we are against Rep. John Murtha. Give me one reason to be for this despicable human being. There was a day when this country would have done some serious things to an individual like Murtha. Abraham Lincoln said it best: "Congressmen who willfully take actions during wartime that damage morale and undermine the military are saboteurs and should be arrested, exiled, or hanged." Hopefully this answers your question as to why so many are so greatly upset with the fraud, John Murtha.
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