Posted on 07/10/2006 11:00:43 AM PDT by xpertskir
IREY TO MURTHA: HAVE YOU NO DECENCY, SIR?
Congressman’s latest instance of reckless disregard for truth slurs American civilians trying to help establish democracy in Iraq
(MONONGAHELA, July 10) – Washington County Commissioner and Pennsylvania 12th district Republican Congressional nominee Diana Irey – responding to a statement by U.S. Rep. Jack Murtha, in which Murtha suggested that Irey is running for Congress because she and her husband are “benefiting from this war” – today released the following statement:
“Today I have a simple question to ask Jack Murtha: Have you no decency, sir?
“Jack Murtha’s comments in yesterday morning’s Tribune-Democrat – wherein he said, essentially, that my husband and I are ‘war profiteers,’ and impugned the motives of American civilian contractors involved in trying to help Iraq defend its new democracy – are shameful.
“For those who may not have seen Jack Murtha’s comments, here is what he is reported to have said in yesterday’s newspaper:
“Murtha said he is concerned about Irey’s motivation for running against him, considering her husband, Robert, is CEO of a Canonsburg-based firm that secured a $300 million contract with the Iraqi government two years ago.
“‘I worry about that,’ he said. ‘If they’re benefiting from this war, and if this is the reason she’s in this, it really bothers me. I don’t like that.’”
“Note that he said ‘It really bothers me. I don’t like that.’ This is not the appropriate response after raising a question; this is a response to a conclusive act. That is, he did not say, ‘It WOULD really bother me,’ nor did he say ‘I WOULD not like that.’ This was an accusation, pure and simple, no matter how poorly he failed in trying to dress it up as a question. He’s about as subtle as the candidate who, wanting to attack his opponent without being accused of dirty campaigning, says ‘Oh, please don’t ask me about my opponent’s well-known penchant for driving drunk after spending an evening gambling with prostitutes at the illegal casino down the street – I wouldn’t want to be accused of negative campaigning.’
“To imply, suggest, hint, whisper, or even wink and nod that I am running for Congress because my husband is a partner in a firm that had a contract with the Iraqi Government and that, therefore, we stand to ‘benefit’ from the war, is despicable.
“For the record: My husband, Robert Irey, is a partner in a firm that once had a subcontract with the Iraqi Government, jointly administered by the U.S. Department of Defense, to help the new democratic Government of Iraq take over the burden of defending itself by refurbishing equipment and material destroyed or damaged by the war. Had that contract been fulfilled, it would have allowed the Iraqi Government to take over more of the burden of defending itself sooner – which would have had the result of making possible a withdrawal of U.S. troops sooner than they would otherwise have been able to come home.
“But that contract was terminated more than a year and a half ago, when one of Bob’s partners and one of their employees were murdered in Iraq- a fact reported at the time by both the Los Angeles Times and The Associated Press, and , therefore, presumably known to Jack Murtha”
“To continue, for the record: other than one $10,000 down payment, their firm never collected a dime from that contract. In fact, the Iraqi Government still owes that firm $1.6 million for work completed but for which they have yet to receive payment.
“Further, neither my husband nor I have any financial stake in any ongoing enterprise related to the war – as one can tell just by looking at the Financial Disclosure Form I filed when I became a candidate. That form is on record in the Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives, just a few hundred yards from Jack Murtha’s office in the Rayburn Building.
“Surely Mr. Murtha, with his vaunted connections to and influence over the Defense Department, knew all this before he recklessly suggested that I am running for Congress because I am ‘benefiting from this war.’
“Having seen the way Jack Murtha deals with his political opponents, ‘despicable,’ sadly, is what we’ve come to expect.
“But even Jack Murtha should be held to the standard of truth and honesty – and in this case, not only was he wrong to ‘raise the question,’ he KNEW he was wrong to ‘raise the question.’
“I have already made clear why I am running for Congress: I am running because Jack Murtha is out of touch, and no longer represents the residents of the 12th District. It is time for a change, and I am fighting to lead that change – to secure our borders, to safeguard our retirements, to promote economic growth throughout the 12th District, just as I have done in Washington County.
“There are 120 days left in this campaign. The good news is, that’s plenty of time to make sure the voters of the 12th District know just who Jack Murtha really is.”
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P.S. Im sticking my tounge out at you Coop, I beat you to it. LOL
Not proper to talk about people without pinging them....
bump
Murtha is despicable and a couple of other things not suitable for this forum.
"“Today I have a simple question to ask Jack Murtha: Have you no decency, sir? "
Uhh - no.
Obviously, he's getting nervous. :) And well he should be.;)
Note to Bob Gleason: "Good guys" don't resort to these sorts of tactics, *especially* when they're a shoo-in. :P
That's a great response. Back at ya Jack.
Murtha is an absolute disgrace. He's a shameless, pathetic traitor. Period.
You are right, but I did freepmail him.
If the publisher of the Tribune-Democrat has any decency at all, he will print Ms. Irey's rebuttal to the despicable accusations that Murtha made and they printed.
That's okay. Xpert FReepmailed me instead of pinging me. :-)
Irey press release
Exactly Mrs. R. I would be interested to see what Mr. Gleason has to say about Ms. Irey's rebuttal to Murtha's statements.
Please FReepmail me if you'd like on or off the Irey/Murtha ping list.
They really need to go after Murtharoid for his conduct on the Armed Services Committee. He stripped many a precious defense dollar away for pet projects in his district, while crucial items such as body armor were underfunded. I can forgive a liberal non-veteran politician for such errors but as an Ex-Marine he knew better.
Rules!
(and btw, i plan to dance a jig when Mr. Magoo gets sent packing on election night)
Especially if a few of us help to convince them!
I'd still like to know if the Irey campaign just dropped the ball and didn't respond to legitimate requests for a response, or if it was an insincere, last-minute request by the paper.
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