Post Continues to Incorrectly Portray Murtha as "Hawk"

The About-Face of a Hawkish Democrat
Murtha, With Many Military Connections, Moves From Voting for War to Urging Troop Withdrawal

By Shailagh Murray
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, November 25, 2005; Page A02

Of all the Democrats calling for an end to the Iraq war, Rep. John P. Murtha is an anomaly. Unlike Sens. John F. Kerry (Mass.) and Russell Feingold (Wis.), he doesn't want to be president. He's no liberal, like his House colleagues Dennis J. Kucinich (Ohio) and Maxine Waters (Calif.). He's certainly the only one to call Vice President Cheney a friend.

A man of gruff familiarity -- most colleagues find it more natural to call him "Murtha" than "Jack" -- has been representing his Pennsylvania district for 16 terms, rising to become the senior Democrat on the House Appropriations panel's defense subcommittee. For that perch, he became known for his opposition to defense cuts and his willingness to send troops into battle -- and even to draft them, if necessary. He was the first Vietnam veteran elected to Congress, and has fashioned a reputation as the Democrats' soldier-legislator -- a John McCain type without swagger or upward ambition. He generally prefers the shadows of Capitol Hill to the spotlight -- though that changed dramatically in recent days.

Last week, as Congress was preparing to leave town for a two-week Thanksgiving break, Murtha told a gathering of colleagues and, later, reporters that -- although he had voted in favor of the resolution authorizing the Iraq invasion -- he now wants American troops withdrawn immediately. "The U.S. cannot accomplish anything further in Iraq militarily," Murtha said. "It is time to bring them home."

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) predicted that Murtha's statement would become a "watershed event for our caucus, for our Congress and for our country." The burly 73-year-old lawmaker ignited a news blitz, and Republicans scrambled to respond. House GOP leaders hastily drew up a watered-down version of Murtha's withdrawal resolution, and made Republican lawmakers remain in town for a bitter and emotional Friday night session to vote it down.

It's hard to imagine any other Democrat causing such a stir. Republicans privately acknowledge that Murtha is a worrisome opponent because he can hardly be portrayed as a liberal of the Michael Moore stripe.

What sets Murtha apart from most fellow Democrats is his close connection to different layers of the armed services. The congressman regularly visits with wounded troops, but he also talks to battle commanders. "Jack Murtha is one of a kind," said Rep. Curt Weldon (Pa.), one of the few Republicans who rose in Murtha's defense during the Friday night House debate. "He is an example for all us in this body, and none of us should ever think of questioning his motives, his desires or support for our American troops."

Other Republicans depicted Murtha's call for withdrawal as irresponsible and even dangerous. On Nov. 18, White House spokesman Scott McClellan described Murtha as "endorsing the policy positions of Michael Moore and the extreme liberal wing of the Democratic Party" and suggested he was advocating a "surrender to the terrorists."

In the House debate Friday night, several Republicans suggested that Murtha is a coward who was proposing to "cut and run." But then the rhetoric started to cool. On Sunday, while traveling in Asia, President Bush called Murtha "a fine man, a good man who served our country with honor and distinction," who came to his Iraq position "in a careful and thoughtful way."

Democrats suspect that Republicans dialed back their criticisms after taking into account Murtha's hawkish track record. Judging from his history and close relationships at the Pentagon, Murtha probably was echoing a belief that runs deep within the ranks of senior officers. "He's someone who's a strong supporter of the military," said Jack Reed (D-R.I.), a West Point graduate and one of his party's leading Senate spokesmen on the military. "People will recognize that he's got their best interests at heart."

Murtha joined the Marines in 1952, and served in active duty or in the reserves until he retired in 1990. He volunteered for active Vietnam service and received the Bronze Star with Combat "V," two Purple Hearts and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. He was elected to the House in a 1974 special election, after a five-year stint as a Pennsylvania state legislator.

His hawk credentials were burnished early on. "He was one of our strongest supporters when I worked for Reagan," said Lawrence Korb, an assistant secretary of defense from 1981 to 1985, and now a senior fellow at the left-leaning Center for American Progress. Murtha shared President Ronald Reagan's anti-communist views, supporting the military buildup against the then-Soviet Union along with covert aid to the Nicaraguan contras. "I supported Reagan all through the Central American thing," Murtha reminded reporters during his Nov. 17 news conference.

This is the same "hawk" who told Bill Clinton to pull out of Somalia, an act which lead Osama bin Laden to believe that America was a "paper tiger" and that we would not have the stamina to pursue a war against those like himself. This was the "green-light" he needed to attack America. The press repeatedly refers to him as a "37 year veteran." Excuse me, he first entered service in 1953, but he is in his 16th term as Congressman? Uh, let's see 16 X 2 = 32 so he first entered Congress in...1973. That would mean he was on active duty for 20 years. So in actuallity, he did what many of those in the military do, he did his twenty and left active service for a more lucrative opportunity, that of Congressman. Don't get me wrong, doing your "twenty" is truly "honorable service." It's far more than most Americans have done, including me. I honor and salute him for his service to our country. My beef is not with him personally, except for his opinion with which I vehemently disagree. It is with the way he is being presented to us as some unique and unassailable figure whose sage opinion must not be criticized. In actuality, he is just another veteran-more distinguished than some-less than others, no more, no less. The remaining 17 years of his much touted service was as a reservists, and the bulk of his time was spent as a Congressman. Military veteran one-upsmanship is a very dangerous game that the Left seems to love to play, usually to their detriment. The only way they can get away with it at all, is because the press will echo their claims while ignoring the "superior credentials" (if you could call them that)of their Republican counterparts like Congressman Sam Johnson.

Full Story: One Man's Hawk...

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