I am surprised to hear you say that. Not to say there aren't any Marines that side with Murtha, you are just the first one I have met who does. And it is your right to do so.
The point I make is that Murtha is not being attacked because it is politically expedient to do so. He is being attacked on the basis of his expressed beliefs and opinions that are on the public record.
I didn't say I was on his side. I am simply pointing out that attempts to discredit him based on his military service will fail miserably, and frankly are quite shameful. The trend of immediately trying to discredit a veteran, by questioning the legitimacy of their service records the minute they say something you don't agree with, is a tactic that I consider to be in direct conflict with conservative values. Of course, the Republican party isn't exactly a bastion of said values anyway. Personally, I think Murtha's recent conduct is an embarassment ot the Marine Corps, but that in no way justifies these pathetic attempts to discredit his prior service. It just proves that so called patriots who claim to "support the troops" really mean "support the troops who support us." It's a little frustrating to watch. As I've said before, if Murtha decides to sign a form 180 and release all his records, I believe many Freepers will wind up looking silly, and Murtha's credibility will have been bolstered as a result.
In short, ad hominem attacks are completely unnecessary and quite risky. Yet, many continue the relentless pursuit of proof that Murtha is another John Kerry. It has become almost automatic. If some folks don't learn to rise above this sort of thing, many folks like myself will start looking elsewhere.