Murtha was Misunderstood: He Still Wants Troop Withdrawal

by D. Cupples |  I figured something was amiss when headlines indicated that Rep. John Murtha (D-PA)   had taken a 180-degree turn and proclaimed that the surge strategy in Iraq is working. Mind you, I'd be happy to see solid evidence that the surge is working, but the Bush Administration's mere claims about the Iraq war don't qualify as solid evidence.

Today, CNN reported that Murtha has clarified his statement:

"Following a headline-grabbing uproar, Rep. John Murtha, D-Pennsylvania, moved swiftly Friday to clarify earlier remarks that seemed to suggest the Iraq surge policy was working.

"The surge, he said in a statement, 'has created a window of opportunity for the Iraqi government,'’ but so far the Iraqi government has 'failed to capitalize on the political and diplomatic steps that the surge was designed to provide.'

"'The fact remains that the war in Iraq cannot be won militarily, and that we must begin an orderly redeployment of U.S. forces from Iraq as soon as practicable,' said the chair of the House Appropriations Committee’s Defense Subcommittee." (CNN)

What Murtha said isn't completely out of sync with what Defense Secretary Robert Gates said last week: that the U.S. military, alone, cannot protect U.S. interests throughout the world (BN-Politics). Our military resources are stretched thin, due partly to the Bush Administration's having committed so much money and manpower to Iraq.

Just to be clear, I don't take pleasure from pointing out the Administration's credibility problems.  I would much rather have a president whose words I felt confident were true and accurate (at least 80% of the time -- I'm not greedy).

That said, it is the Bush Administration's own fault that so many Americans are so distrusting. 

Administration officials persuaded us that the U.S. had to invade Iraq, strongly implying that Saddam Hussein was linked to the 9/11 attacks.  President Bush later said that there were no links between Iraq and 9/11 (Cox News and BBC).  Unfortunately, he waited until months after we attacked Iraq to debunk that myth.  And we can't forget Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction, which have skillfully managed to evade detection during our 4+ years of occupying Iraq.

As we now know, recently declassified pre-war intelligence reports that were given to the Bush Administration warned that a war in Iraq would be a long-term endeavor. (Report pdf)  Despite the reports, President Bush promised the TV cameras that the Iraq war would be short (USA Today).

Two months after we invaded, he even sent the message "Mission Accomplished." (USA Today and BN-Politics) Here we are, 4+ years later, still struggling to accomplish missions.

It's not without cause that most Americans simply don't believe that they're getting the truth from the Bush Administration -- and it's not just about the war. Consider the Administration's --

- Failure to handle Hurricane Katrina's aftermath

- Apparent politicization of the Justice Department

- Refusal to comply with congressional subpoenas

- Legally questionable domestic surveillance programs

- Favoring of drug makers & insurers over the taxpayers re: Medicare....

In short, the Bush Administration has repeatedly given us reasons to doubt its honesty and commitment to acting in our nation's best interest.

I'm not at all happy about this:  I'd much rather know that our national security and prosperity were in the hands of people we could trust. 

See other bloggers' reactions at Memeorandum: Taylor Marsh, Salon, Suitably Flip, The Swamp, The American Street, Free Frank Warner, Chuck Adkins, Flopping Aces, The Politico, BLACKFIVE, UrbanGrounds, Hot Air and QandO

Other BN-Politics Posts:

* White House Whines About Oversight: Are the Complaints Valid?

 * Defense Secretary Says Military Can't Protect U.S. Worldwide Interests

* Journalist Helped Rice Manipulate the Public

* Leahy Rejects Bush's Executive Privilege Claim

* Oversight Hearing: Rice was Evasive, Republicans Don't Want Probe

 

* State Dept. Inspector Blocked Investigations?

* Justice Official Turned Blind Eye to Contractor Fraud?

* Interior Officials Allowed Oil Companies to Underpay Royalties

 

Comments

[dougf]

What a rat's nest of half-truths, distortions, unfounded suspicions and agenda-driven conclusions this piece is. Writing for the collective again I see. Even the BBC says that the Surge is working. Astounding was I believe the phrase they used just last week. And then there was this report from early November.

BBC report from Jim Muir ----http://tiny.cc/BBC715

But we all know that the BBC is just a willing tool of the Bush Regime, do we not ?

You can write as many of these 'analyses' as you wish. Bush is going to Win his War in Iraq in 2008, and there is nothing that your heroes in the Democratic Party can do to prevent it. They can preen and prance and pander to the 'progressives' all they want, and Bush will still get exactly what he wants to finish his efforts there. They be nothing but his 'bitches'. Finally a role they can fill with at least a modicum of 'honor'.

Mr. Murtha is a senile porkmeister, and reported 'progress' because even he could not deny the on-the ground security situation in Iraq. After a reminder of the Party Line from her denseness he dutifully 'clarified' his remarks to reflect the current defeatist line. Namely that there is 'no political progress' and therefore the sky is still falling. We must RETREAT. RUN for your lives! Goalposts --- Meet Movers.

Didn't work when the War was going badly and it surely won't work now. The polls which the Dems live by are turning on them. Slowly but surely their perfidious 'strategy' is wrapping itself around their necks like that proverbial albatross. Your 'friends' have boxed themselves into a true cul-de-sac on this issue and as fast as they now run in circles, they still won't be able to escape. Doomed they are.

After all those years of shouting about QUAGMIRE, it must be satisfying on at least some level to have actually found one. Hope they enjoy the view.

As should you.

[D. Cupples]

We do agree on something: we both HOPE that the Iraq war will be won in 2008.

You seem to take it personally that I question a politician's credibility: Why? Are you related to President Bush?

If so, I didn't mean it personally. I just don't like his job performance. I'm not upset that you (apparently) do like his job performance. Where's the cause for unpleasantness here?

As for whether the surge is working, I HOPE IT IS -- but most of us Earth dwellers don't actually know for a fact, one way or another. All we can do is rely on what we hear from politicians, bureaucrats, the media and people we know in Iraq.

Frankly, I hear conflicting assessments, so I've chosen to simply accept that I don't know if the surge is working.