House on Fire

[dweller]

I’m still trying to get my mind around what happened on the House Floor today. The very short version is this: Members of Congress debated Iraq policy in the Peoples’ House for the first time since Bush took us into war. That doesn’t begin to describe the bizarre and frenzied circumstances under which this too-short and long overdue debate unfolded.

Consider the proximate cause of this impromptu debate: the poignant and courageous statements of Rep. John P. Murtha (D - 12 Pennsylvania). When Congressman Murtha spoke the same words as PDA and other anti-war leaders, the Republican spin machine kicked into overdrive. It’s rare to see such a colossal political miscalculation. The GOP attacks on Murtha quickly spun out of control, because of who he is. From his website: “U.S. Rep. John P. Murtha has dedicated his life to serving his country both in the military and in the halls of Congress. He had a long and distinguished 37-year career in the U.S. Marine Corps, retiring from the Marine Corps Reserve as a colonel in 1990….”

Murtha explained that he’s “disturbed” by the facts he’s learned about Iraq, and it is his well-considered military expert opinion that US military presence in Iraq is doing more harm than good, and must end as quickly as practicable. Attacks against our troops have “grown dramatically” and since Abu Gharib, “US casualties have doubled.” According to Murtha, “Iraq cannot be won militarily.” Unlike “Bush I listened,” Murtha said this administration isn’t interested in what the military has to say. “US troops are the common enemy” of every faction in Iraq. He quoted facts: “45% of all Iraqis believe attacks on US forces are justified.” He concluded it’s “time to turn Iraq over to the Iraqis,” because that would let the Sunnis join the other Iraqis in the effort to rebuild their nation.

Murtha sponsored H.J.RES.73 calling for immediate redeployment of US troops into positions over the horizon and the establishment of rapid response forces, all consistent with their safety. Then all hell broke loose. Republican attacks on this war hawk escalated from snide remarks and distortions to a rush job on a fake resolution trumped up by Republican House Arms Services Committee Chairman Duncan Hunter (CA - 52).

According to Hunter’s website the Arms Services Committee “is responsible for providing the common defense and related matters such as: military facilities, naval fuel reserves, Department of Defense, intelligence-related activities, pay, promotion, retirement, and other benefits and privileges of members of the armed forces. As Chairman, Congressman Hunter is responsible for overseeing all aspects of national security policy, including the annual $340 billion defense budget.” Apparently he’s also responsible for the single most humiliating event to hit the House in recent memory.

http://blog.pdamerica.org/?p=423

dp