I don't want to say anything bad about either Murtha or Hoyer. What I want to point out here is the contrast in views between these two with regards to the Iraq war. Murtha's plan for phased redeployment is well known. Here's a quote from Hoyer:
"After the first of four recent speeches by President Bush on Iraq, I stated that a precipitous withdrawal of American forces from that country could lead to disaster, spawning a civil war, fostering a haven for terrorists, and damaging our nation’s security and credibility. I still believe that we can – and we must – achieve success in Iraq. Of course, we have succeeded in the initially stated objective of removing the Hussein regime, and providing a context in which a democratically-elected government could be put in place. Its ability to sustain itself is our last objective."
http://www.hoyer.house.gov/newsroom/index.asp?ID=575&DocumentType=Op-EdI think Hoyer has the right to disagree about Iraq and form his own views. Those views don't make me think Hoyer is any less a Democrat. But I do think we need to keep our eyes open about whats going on behind the scenes in our government.
From the very beginning, I've felt that there is something a little strange about the desperate desire to invade Iraq regardless of consequences. This absolute determination to invade Iraq seems quite obvious. I forget the gentleman's name who some suggest was suicided in Britain, but he intimated that dark forces were at play in the run up to the Iraq war.
I see these very same forces at play in the smear of Murtha. When I did a little reading about Murtha's ethics, I found that Hoyer had his own ethical issues in the closet. Why target Murtha but not Hoyer? The answer: Murtha opposed the Iraq war, and it was unacceptable to the dark forces in our government that the Majority Leader of the House not conform to the Iraq war plan.
I've thought a lot about this Iraq thing, and to be quite honest I'm not sure what we should do there except I know beyond doubt that we can't continue doing the same thing that isn't working. I think there's some danger to our country if we just leave. There's also a lot of danger for our country if we stay and lose. In short, I think we're in a no-win quagmire.
Beyond this, I do believe that these "pro Iraq war" dark forces are behind the Murtha smear. What I don't know is what motivates these dark forces, or who they are. Are they loyal to the US? Do they have our best interests at heart? When they oppose Murtha, are they acting in American best interests, or some other interests that are not yet known that may ultimately hurt the future of our country?
In a free and democratic country, I don't like the idea of hidden factions controlling government policy. I want to know who's backing what and why. I want accountability when things go wrong. I want to know beyond doubt that those shaping government policy actually have the interests of our country and our people in mind when they shape those policies.
In the end, whether Murtha or Hoyer won the leadership battle, it looked bad for Democrats. This looks like a Republican win, folks, and that doesn't bode well for our future despite our majority.
We won the election, but it's just the same old same old in Washington. Nothing has changed. Policy hasn't changed. Political manuevering for unknown agendas hasn't changed.
That's what scares me.