Rep. John Murtha, Iraq war critic, dies at 77

Feb 8 02:55 PM US/Eastern
By PETER JACKSON
Associated Press Writer

ED Note: Rep. Murtha was a close political ally of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. He was her choice for Majority Leader, but he was edged out in a caucus-wide vote by Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD). He became a darling of the on-line left as a fierce critic of the Iraq War. For many conservatives, he was a personification of the Congressional earmark system and its potential for abuse. His final months in office were marked by serious questions surrounding his steering of millions of dollars in Pentagon appropriations.

Is it possible to speak ill of the dead when we know this person has been a cerebral flat liner for years? Soon he will be having drinks and dinner in hell with dead Ted. It’s an irony, the toy soldier and representative of all things military to the Democratic Party, apparently lied about his two purple hearts. In other times he would have been tried for treason for his remarks about the war being, “It is a flawed policy wrapped in illusion” He called for immediate withdrawal of the troops. God works in mysterious ways, it may not be just through the ballot box that we will get rid of the trash in Washington. Random thoughts while watching disgraceful people die, J.C.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – U.S. Rep. John Murtha, an influential critic of the Iraq War whose congressional career was shadowed by questions about his ethics, died Monday. He was 77.The Pennsylvania Democrat had been suffering complications from gallbladder surgery. He died at Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, Va., spokesman Matthew Mazonkey said.

In 1974 Murtha, then an officer in the Marine Reserves, became the first Vietnam War combat veteran elected to Congress. One of Congress’ most hawkish Democrats, he wielded considerable clout for two decades as the ranking Democrat on the House subcommittee that oversees Pentagon spending.

Murtha voted in 2002 to authorize President George W. Bush to use military force in Iraq, but Murtha’s growing frustration over the administration’s handling of the war prompted him in November 2005 to call for an immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops.

“The war in Iraq is not going as advertised. It is a flawed policy wrapped in illusion,” he said.

Murtha’s opposition to the Iraq war rattled Washington, where the tall, gruff-mannered congressman enjoyed bipartisan respect for his work on military issues. On Capitol Hill, Murtha was seen as speaking for those in uniform when it came to military matters. Complete Story: