If the stakes weren't so high, the efforts of Democrats to use combat veterans to push a defeatist foreign policy might be amusing. In 2004, the vehicle was John Kerry. Somehow, the Dems convinced themselves that his service in Vietnam would insulate him and the party from effective criticism on defense and security issues. Apparently they forgot that, upon returning from Vietnam, Kerry had viciously slandered the military. The Dems also overlooked several decades worth of Kerry's unstinting opposition to the exercise of American power. Indeed, except for his cynical vote in favor of giving the president authority to take on Saddam Hussein, Kerry's last act in favor of the projection of American power might well have been when he shot that Vietcong guy in the back in, what, 1969.
After the Kerry debacle, the Dems turned to Rep. John Murtha, whose credentials as a combat veteran and involvement in military affairs as a congressman were expected to make him an unassailable spokesman for Democratic positions. And, given the growing unpopularity of the Iraq war, the ethically-challenged Murtha had a fairly good run.
That run now may be over. As the Washington Post reports, Murtha's plan to "slow bleed" the U.S. out of Iraq has stumbled badly, and caused his party more than a little embarrassment. But as much as many Democrats try to distance themselves from Murtha, his oh-so-clever plan has "Democrat" written all over it. Instead of simply stating the Democratic position through a resolution, or straightforwardly imposing the Democratic position by cutting off funds, Murtha hoped to author a U.S. defeat by bleeding the war of troops and funds through the imposition of conditions on the conduct of the war -- conditions he assumed cannot be met. For many Democrats, Murtha's sin resides less in the cynical plan itself than in what the Post calls its launch, which included Murtha's candid (and, he thought, off-the-record) statement about what he really was up to.
There's not much point in having a combat veteran in charge of pushing for America's defeat if he's going to ending exposing himself as a sneakier than average pol. Especially, when those pesky America voters remain so perversely unenthusiastic about defeat.
Reader Comments ( Page 2 of 6)
16. Great rifle sharp-shooting non-paralysis by anaylsis assessments of Rep. Murtha not so clever after all tactics. I guess common sense really doesn't have to be uncommon when it comes to the intelligence of many Americans.
Richard Thomas at 2:27PM on Feb 26th 2007
17. I don't doubt that Mr. Mirengoff is a well educated man. And I am certain that he is a loyal, patriotic citizen.
But when he begins his comments with ugly invective, rather than clear and cogent argument, he will always lose his audience -- except for those people that think in the same terms.
While it is true that Kerry has a tendency to say stupid things (compare the shelves of books that have lampooned Pres. Bush for misstatements and gaffes) --- Kerry went to war voluntarily and earned the right to speak against the US involvement in VietNam. Again, what was the reason for that engagement? Wouldn't we have had the same result whether we spent billions less and lost only 10,000 rather than more than 50,000 young Americans? Did any of these brave soldiers die in vain?
Does anyone acknowlege that Iraq is going well?
Does anyone really believe that a US presence, or a temporary clamp down in Bahgdad, is going to alter the generational hatred between the Sheia and the Sunni? Isn't the great majority of the violence sectarian ? So what is the US interest in refereeing this bloodbath?
Do Americans care that Iraqis are blowing themselves up? Why should they? Why can't the overwhelming Shiite majority manage their own country?
Can't we all concede that it is at least possible that our country has made a mistake -- and that given another chance we might have handled the Iraq situation differently? People make mistakes and so do countries. So when should the war effort be judged? Many, many citizens, elected politicians, military personnel and others have decided that the time has come. Isn't that their perogative ? Are they being disloyal and unamerican ? Of course not.
And for those who are unwilling to reach the same conclusion, when will judgment day arrive? After the surge, next year, after the presidential elections, on March 19, 2013 ( the 10th anniversary of the war)
I would invite Mr. Mirengoff to weigh the successes of this war against its cost --- and to describe when the US involvement should end, if ever.
jc2
John at 3:53PM on Feb 26th 2007
18. Murtha has been one of the few bright stars in all the nonsense that distorts the Iraq War. We went into the war under the influence of wrong assumptions. We should have withdrawn when we learned that WMD's were not there. Loyalty to our heroic young men and women in uniform is not the issue. They are there to "win" when nobody knows what that means. Their loyalty is to one another...understandable. Where is our loyalty? It has certainly not been to them. If we were loyal to our military people, we would have taken them out of harms way years ago. The politicians and oil moguls drone on and on, distorting the truth like the Mad Hatter and the March Hare. It would be funny if the cost was not so horrific: the cream of the youth of our country!
Jack Shannon at 10:58PM on Feb 26th 2007
19. Murtha has been one of the few bright stars in all the nonsense that distorts the Iraq War. We went into the war under the influence of wrong assumptions. We should have withdrawn when we learned that WMD's were not there. Loyalty to our heroic young men and women in uniform is not the issue. They are there to "win" when nobody knows what that means. Their loyalty is to one another...understandable. Where is our loyalty? It has certainly not been to them. If we were loyal to our military people, we would have taken them out of harms way years ago. The politicians and oil moguls drone on and on, distorting the truth like the Mad Hatter and the March Hare. It would be funny if the cost was not so horrific: the cream of the youth of our country!
Jack Shannon at 10:58PM on Feb 26th 2007
20. The only place Murtha is stumbling is in the right-wing talk circuit. The majority of the US supports withdrawal. I notice you don't go into the specifics of Murtha's plan, which is, "troops won't be sent until they're ready". How is this betraying the troops? The ones betraying the troops and America are the ones saying "ex-Marine".
Steven at 2:30PM on Feb 26th 2007
21. I think I saw Murtha on a TV newscast, and he was wearing the uniform of a soldier. I wonder where he got it??
amerigo at 4:05PM on Feb 26th 2007
22. Stop blaming people who want to end this war and point to those who started it without a plan to end it. Ignorance is fine for a writer but ignorance, arrogance and power are bad combinations for decision makers. The truth is that a bad policy, a mistake, is "being" fixed with young peopleslives. When we leave Iraq, regardless of the reason or when, we will not have Iraq as a friend. Our power has been drained and that plays well into the hands of those who hate us. Pes
Phil Ellis at 4:18PM on Feb 26th 2007
23. John Murtha is still a Marine and continues to lay it on the line for his country. His opinions and beliefs on this ill begotten illegal vile War is right on. You swift boat types out there are a disgrace to the corps and to yourselves. His coutage to be the first to speak out was like being the first Marine to Hit the Beach. I salute him. Jim W
James W at 3:46PM on Feb 26th 2007
24. The cowardly swift boat types out there would never be very good in the Fox Hole. Only on Fox News (noise) John Murtha has had the courage when none would to speak out againt this fiasco. Those miserable Iraqui cowards derserve not one GI casuality or Marine maimed. Their history is 4000 years of cowardice...look it up swift boat types. What a friggin mess this Moron President and Cheney has gotten us into...by the way neither stromed a beach...cowards both.
James W at 3:51PM on Feb 26th 2007
25. Well. I see this post has made someone's Immediate Action Alert list for the BDS crowd. They even provide a designated "anti-Murtha" commenter who breathlessly informs us rabid conservatives that Kerry actually is a JewJewJew!!!
Watching liberalism morph into this has been sad but sometimes entertaining.
mikem at 4:22PM on Feb 26th 2007
26. How can anyone with an ounce of patriotism not see Murtha's "slow bleed" scheme as a betrayal of America's fighting forces?
How can anyone with an ounce of decency not see how venal it would be to send the services out to fight and then slowly deprive them of the resource sand reinforcements they need to survive, not to mention succeed?
Whether one agrees that the war was justified (they did vote for it, after all) or not, the "slow bleed" proposal of Murtha, acting like a spoiled child when he can't get his Democrat cronies to actually cut funding (politically risky,)are reprehensible. BDS and its corollary "America deserves to be defeated" complex seem to be the only explanation for Murtha's traitorous proposal.
Lincoln would have thrown him in the brig. But then, Lincoln also freed the slaves. Leading one to believe that, had the Democrats had their way during the "disastrous" civil war, they would have undercut the Union Army and said it wasn't worth all those lives to end slavery.
William at 9:03PM on Feb 26th 2007
27. "a defeatist foreign policy"
CORRECTION: A DEFEATED FOREIGN POLICY
Steve J. at 6:05PM on Feb 26th 2007
28. "Apparently they forgot that, upon returning from Vietnam, Kerry had viciously slandered the military."
Funny, Tommy Franks told Sean Hannity that Kerry was correct about Vietnam.
Steve J. at 6:05PM on Feb 26th 2007
29. "Kerry's last act in favor of the projection of American power might well have been when he shot that Vietcong guy in the back in, what, 1969."
Still repeating that smear, Paul?
Steve J. at 6:06PM on Feb 26th 2007
30. "Murtha hoped to author a U.S. defeat by bleeding the war of troops and funds through the imposition of conditions on the conduct of the war"
Conditions like following Army and Marine guidelines for deploymemt.
Steve J. at 6:14PM on Feb 26th 2007