Murtha Says Army Is 'Broken, Worn Out'

[lendaddy]

I can honestly say I had never even heard of Murtha before this, so if he was speaking for the military all this time and I missed it.......perhaps he's a low-talker

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Originally posted by Rick Lee
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.

And with the magic of co-opted wireless signal in a rib joint on the lower West Side, I am back.

Good stuff Rick, thank you. (my ribs just got here, and even though dry rub, this could be messy)

Personally, I'd like to see A LOT more of what's going on good in Iraq. Newsnight used to run these stories and they were real stories of soldiers making a difference in the field. Are you able to talk with press club folks and ask them about editorial direction?

I can't speak much about military strategy RE: OBL, but I think it would not only raise bush' #s over 75% if he were captured, it would just plain be the right thing to do. Too many died for him to simply be "marginalized." Definitely not good enough for me.

[DaveE]

I live in the Congressional District next to Murtha and have seen him on our local news off and on for the last 30 years. I only wish my Rep had the balls he has. You need to watch / listen to Murtha on Meet the Press or Hardball. If he has Alzheimers then Bush is brain-dead.

[Joeaksa]

Originally posted by Rodeo
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.

And your proof is where? I believe that the moon is made out of cheese but cannot prove it, so both statements are about the same par. Without proof they are meaningless.

Lump me in with Len and Mul, I do not believe it either...

JoeA

[Mulhollanddose]

Say it ain't so Joe!?

welcome to the dark side...muwaha ha ha ha

[Joeaksa]

Originally posted by Mulhollanddose
Say it ain't so Joe!?

welcome to the dark side...muwaha ha ha ha

Thats just it, it isnt dark where we are. Thats the nice thing about doing things out in the open!

JoeA

[Rodeo]

If you guys know nothing about the ranking member and former chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, I suggest you do a little reading.

Calling him a "liberal", or alleging that he has Alzheimer's disease, or "honestly" saying you have never heard of him until he disagreed with the president's Iraq policy, doesn’t make much headway with citizens that use their brains to try to figure out whom to believe.

Murtha is not a liberal, he does not have some awful mental disease, and if you have never heard of him perhaps you should sit out this debate. Either that or do a little research before attacking him.

He moved this discussion forward and did a valuable service to the country by so doing. He'll go down as one of the few civilians involved in this debacle that exhibited any courage.

[Rick Lee]

Rodeo, it might surprise you to learn that the vast majority of Americans can't even name their own Congressman, much less one from Johnstown, PA, who was by no means a national figure (until about two wks. ago). The only reason I knew about Murtha is because a fraternity brother is on his staff and I spent a lot of time in Murtha's office, waiting for my buddy to get done with work so we could go out when I first moved down here. Rest assured, even a lot of Hill staffers can't cite for you every SUBCOMMITTEE chair. I used to work on the Hill and only ever heard Murtha's name from friends who worked for him or lived in his district and lobbied him to get money for whatever project in that part of PA.

How much did you really know about Murtha before he got big news by criticizing Bush and the media lionized him? There are plenty of other Congressmen who have strong military crendentials, yet still have to wear their Congressional lapel pins around the Hill so the Cap. Police know who they are.

[Rodeo]

I'm not suggesting that you need to be a congressional expert to have an opinion. Just that it's probably not a bad idea to know something about a man before you pile on with vicious attacks that have no bearing to reality.

What I'm seeing is that people are sick of that, the covers have been pulled back, and it's not going to work any more. That's why the WH called off the dogs on Murtha.

Murtha's a good man, whether you like his stance on Iraq or not. I've been defending him here and, I'll continue to do that. The attacks on his character and mental health and "liberalness" are baseless, ill-infomed and hateful.

[Nathans_Dad]

Hey!! Take a look right above Rodeo's post timestamped 1:47 PM. In the white space above that post it clearly says "Fuchs are awesome" in light gray print. SUBLIMINAL MESSAGES!!! AAHHHH!!!

[Mulhollanddose]

I never heard of Murtha either, that is until he became a useful tool to the seditious democrats and their multi-media propaganda organ.

Murtha is a deceiver, just like his dnc pimp.

[Rodeo]

Isn't it bad enough to have to read this drivel one time? Why do you insist on posting everything twice?

[cool_chick]

Originally posted by Rodeo
Isn't it bad enough to have to read this drivel one time? Why do you insist on posting everything twice?

Maybe it's a cry for attention?

[Mulhollanddose]

Rodeo: don't get your panties all wadded up. My BlackBerry and I aren't agreeing on single posts.

[Mulhollanddose]

Originally posted by Nathans_Dad
Hey!! Take a look right above Rodeo's post timestamped 1:47 PM. In the white space above that post it clearly says "Fuchs are awesome" in light gray print. SUBLIMINAL MESSAGES!!! AAHHHH!!!

You know, I don't even own a porsche but I really can't shake this urge to buy Wayne's book in 2006.

[Rodeo]

Bush hates blackberrys

[fintstone]

If Murtha was a bit more honest...this is what he would be reporting:

Washington Times
December 1, 2005
Pg. 19

'Energy Of Democracy'

Troops and Iraqis resolute

By Jack Kingston

"Scoop" Jackson must be spinning in his grave. The late Democratic senator would be shocked by his party today. The Democratic Party, armed with fresh polling numbers and firmly in the grip of Michael Moore and Cindy Sheehan, has sought to establish a new position for itself on Iraq and the war on terrorism, which encourages our enemies and threatens the morale of our troops.

Their unhinging began when a newspaper reported that Democratic leader Howard Dean was so "anxious to make political capital of the tragedy of the 2,000th American death in Iraq that he couldn't even wait for the official announcement of the soldier's death before publicly criticizing President Bush and the war." Over the past few weeks, Democrats have tried to revise history and paint the president as a "liar" for drawing the exact same prewar intelligence conclusions they did.

The realization that the radical left has completely hijacked the Democratic Party boiled over when Democratic Rep. Jack Murtha, a well-known defense hawk who serves on the same congressional defense spending panel as I do, called for our troops in the field to admit defeat and cut and run. In fact, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has already wrapped her arms around the cut-and-run proposal.

This is the latest example of a party which has been overcome by antiwar extremists, providing daily fodder to international media outlets like Al Jazeera, which emboldens our enemies and sends a defeatist message to our troops.

The Democrats, nationally, have embraced a new strategy for the war on terrorism: Lose, leave and wait. Democrats want to admit defeat, dishonoring the sacrifices of our soldiers. They want us to leave by cutting and running, signaling to the world that the United States no longer stands for freedom, democracy and the defense of human rights in the face of terrorism. And instead, Democrats prefer the French model — to wait for the terrorists to bring murder and destruction to the homefront.

This week, I traveled to Iraq as part of a bipartisan delegation to gauge the morale of our troops, talk with the officers and soldiers about the war, and witness the progress in Iraq and that of the Iraqi people. The bottom line: The war in Iraq is a much different war than the one we read about in the media. Progress is being made.

I represent the first district of Georgia, which has five major military installations, including Fort Stewart, the home of the Army's 3rd Infantry Division. The 3rd ID is currently responsible for maintaining order and defeating the insurgency in Baghdad and is led by Army Maj. Gen. William Webster, a friend of mine.

In Baghdad, I met with Maj. Gen. Webster, where he informed me that over 50 percent of the security in the capital city of Iraq is being done by Iraqi forces. Further, while in Mosul, the commanding officer pointed out that over 25 percent of the security is being conducted by Iraqis.

We later learned that coalition forces are training 9,000 Iraqi citizens to be Iraqi soldiers and more than 10,000 citizens are already signed up to be the next batch of Iraqi soldiers as soon as spots are available.

These numbers are indicative of true progress.

The generals and troops made one point clear: We cannot set arbitrary withdrawal timelines. The Democrats' call for withdrawal sends the wrong message to terrorists — that America is a paper tiger with a glass jaw. We owe it to the Iraqi people to be resolute and to continue our tremendous progress there.

Yesterday, the president issued the National Strategy for Victory in Iraq, which articulates America's plan for success in Iraq to "clear, hold and build." Our troops are working to clear areas from terrorist control, to hold those areas securely and to build lasting, democratic Iraqi institutions. I agree with this strategy for victory.

Iraq is moving toward the establishment of a democratic government. On Oct. 15, the Iraqi people approved their first democratic Constitution with over 60 percent voter participation. And later this month the Iraqis will elect the first democratic parliament in that troubled region. More than 228 political parties have emerged and put forth candidates to fill the 275-seat Council of Representatives.

I witnessed Iraqi candidates campaigning in the streets. I saw their campaign posters. I felt the energy of democracy taking hold.

We have also made significant progress in helping Iraq improve essential services — such as stable electricity, cleaner water, operational hospitals, better schools, improved sanitation and a working transportation infrastructure.

In the next year, we may reduce the number of troops stationed in and around Iraq. And in the next six months, instead of leaving, I think our troops will be able to take a step back as the Iraqi forces continue to step forward. But our troops will be the first to tell you that their mission ends only with victory and not a day sooner.

In closing, Maj. Gen. Webster reminds us that, "Our troops are trying to get this accomplished. They believe they're doing the right thing. The soldiers believe they're helping." So do I, and so does America.

Rep. Jack Kingston, Georgia Republican, is a member of the Defense Appropriations Committee and vice chairman of the House Republican Conference.

[Mulhollanddose]

You act like you know what the military thinks, fint.

[fintstone]

Yes, it is too bad that Murtha "speaks for all of us." I was in the Officer's Club the other day for lunch and the TV was on the news. Bush came on....and a spontaneous cheer went up. Murtha came on briefly...and everyone groaned and booed. The Gen Pace came on and he really got the big hooah cheer.

[RoninLB]

for entertainment

Watch Hillary trying to position herself over her war stance. She can't win without the far left base and if she sways to far she looses the center. Also maybe Joe Liberman put her in his sights.?