WASHINGTON, D.C.-Representative John Murtha, the Pennsylvania Democrat calling for an end to U.S. troops being deployed in Iraq has long been critical of the war. His comments yesterday, though, took that dissent to a new level:
“It is time for a change in direction. Our military is suffering; the future of our country is at risk. We cannot continue on the present course. It is evident that continued military action in Iraq is not in the best interests of the United States of America, the Iraqi people or the Persian Gulf region.”
Murtha came close to calling Iraq a lost cause last year, before the election. At a press conference with House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, he said of the war, “The direction has got be changed or it is
unwinnable.”
Republicans immediately said Murtha had
been co-opted by Pelosi. She staged the event as
part of her “movement,” charged California
Republican congressman Jerry Lewis, “because it could
have an impact on election time.” The Democrats, said
Texas Republican Michael Burgess, are “basically giving
aid and comfort to the enemy.”
At that press conference, Pelosi said she wanted to fire
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, but Murtha–a Vietnam veteran–wanted to keep him. And Murtha did not
argue for actual withdrawal then, but rather that more
troops and supplies be sent. For him, the final goal was looking more and more unreachable. “It would be devastating
to pull out now, but it may be impossible to mobilize
now that the public has turned against it,” he said.
So who is this Murtha guy, anyway?
With the help of The Almanac of American Politics 2006, here are a few biographical details:
Murtha has staked out a few key positions in the House: