Thanks for the confirmation daddy

Happy to serve:)

Think of my method with you and Shaun as an alternative to smashing my head into a wall or attempting to reason with a stump or large rock. It's medicinal you know.

I trained my first battalion at age 8. It took me 4 months. ;)

now, if you want to enter into a serious discussion, with little or no mention of my ass (Lubemaster seems to be on that one), we'll give it a go.

No one has ever accused Murtha of not being pro-military or not having close ties to them. But that does even come close to meaning Murtha speaks for the military. James Hoffa doesn't even speak for the millions of Teamsters who voted for Bush, despite the Hoffa's having endorsed Kerry.

This is a tough one. If you have a better explanation for why we don't have the guy's head on a pike on the White House, I'd like to hear it.

Easy explanation. When Sudan offered bin Laden on a platter to Clinton, Clinton turned him down, fearing we wouldn't be able to successfully prosecute him in fed. court.

Doe Murtha speak for each and every man and women in uniform? No.

Does he speak for the commanders on the ground in Iraq? I believe that he does. I don't think he would be doing this without their tacit approval. He never has before in 30 years in Congress, I don't think he would start now.

I believe he doesn't.




That was easy.

Rick, that's a good explanation for why we didn't get him after the Cole.

But why don't we have him after killing 3000+ Americans on 9/11?

I've seen you post a few times that you are close to/work with the military. Is that right? What do you hear? Does anyone even talk about OBL?

I don't see how he could believe it, as the argument is totally dishonest. Bin laden is either dead or effectively neutered, and the war on terror is obvious except to the most blind of lemmings in Iraq.

So Len, do you think the Military needs the $50 billion in upgrades or not?

He didn't fear Clinton so he didn't hide. He is VERY VERY afraid of Bush and is deep deep in hiding. One day he'll pop his melon out and get prairie dogged.

So much for rational discussion ... You and Mul and Fint should just talk to each other :(

It does seem to be getting more difficult.

off to NY.

You said you believe he speaks for the commanders and I said he doesn't, so what's the problem? ........wait.......were we backing up assertions today?

It is not a matter of "belief", it is a matter of fact...Bush speaks as the voice of the military brass, which is predominantly shared by the boots...Murtha, Kerry and Pelosi, the democrat party and media do not.

Shaun, I'll tell you what I do hear that you rarely see in the media and it's not about UBL. I go to a lot of events at the Nat. Press Club and listen to people who have been there, done that - Tommy Franks, Gen. Hagee, Rumsfeld, Paul Bremer, etc. Their words usually only get carried on the CSPAN replays late at night. All those guys tell a very different story of what's been accomplished in Iraq, other than hyping the number of US dead. They talk about what's been repaired, how the new gov't. is coming along and they usually throw it into some kind of perspective by citing how long it took in other places like postwar Germany, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, etc.

When I saw Gen. Hagee there a few weeks ago, there were probably 100 wounded Marines in the audience from Walter Reed Hospital. Most were a lot younger than me (I'm 34). I remember hearing the loudest applause from a guy sitting right behind me who had a 180 deg. scar from ear to ear, going over his head, wearing sunglasses and sitting on his folded up walking cane. My guess is he was severely wounded and blinded in Iraq. But I got the sense that the only thing these guy felt bad about was that they were here instead back in the field killing the bad guys.

It would be militarily and politically foolish for Bush to assign too much importance on getting UBL. His capture tomorrow would not prevent the next attack. I think plenty of soldiers now in Afghan. joined after 9/11 and there's probably no one in the world with more of a hard-on for UBL than those guys. Maybe, if the media gets tired of reporting US war dead numbers, they'll get back to nagging Bush about UBL still on the loose.

Before I gave my opinion, I said Murtha has a 30 year history in Congress of NOT hanging his military buddies out to dry. I said he is respected up and down the ranks, he has been nothing but loyal to the military, and has the ear of the militray commanders. I said that both sides of the aisle have praised his integrity and knowledge. I said I don't think he suddenly changed overnight and became all these things the Bush defenders are now calling him.

You said I'm wrong.

Edit: my blackberry reposts against my wishes.