Stuntin' with the oh-so-predictable Republicans
Last night the Republicans pulled what I'll have to say is a clever move on first blush: they forced a vote on an immediate pull-out from Iraq. The move was partially a response to Dem. Rep. John Murtha's pronouncement that the US needs to get out of Iraq.
In truth, the Republican vote was a straw-man stunt. There are people who think we should pull out immediately (Kleinheider comes to mind), but the vast majority of Americans aren't asking for anything like that. Most of us want to know HOW the US plans to pull our troops out of Iraq. I'm still wanting to know what a 'win' looks like.
Murtha, who happens to be a conservative decorated Vietnam veteran and ex-Marine (not that THAT has ever stopped the right-wing from sliming) did NOT say that the US needed to withdraw immediately:
Based on the reaction to Murtha's statement, you'd have thought he was up on the cannons with Jane Fonda. The man has served his country well. He deserves respect and not the venom I've been seeing on the floor of congress and in blog-nation.
I knew the sliming of Murtha would begin, but I've really gotta wonder about the timing of an ethics investigation on the man. Like S-TownMike says, we don't know about Murtha's innocence or guilt on this, but the timing of this announcement smells to high heaven.
In truth, the Republican vote was a straw-man stunt. There are people who think we should pull out immediately (Kleinheider comes to mind), but the vast majority of Americans aren't asking for anything like that. Most of us want to know HOW the US plans to pull our troops out of Iraq. I'm still wanting to know what a 'win' looks like.
Murtha, who happens to be a conservative decorated Vietnam veteran and ex-Marine (not that THAT has ever stopped the right-wing from sliming) did NOT say that the US needed to withdraw immediately:
“Our military is suffering. The future of our country is at risk. We cannot continue on our present course,” Murtha said. He said the GOP resolution was not the thoughtful approach he had suggested to bring the troops safely home in six months.
Based on the reaction to Murtha's statement, you'd have thought he was up on the cannons with Jane Fonda. The man has served his country well. He deserves respect and not the venom I've been seeing on the floor of congress and in blog-nation.
I knew the sliming of Murtha would begin, but I've really gotta wonder about the timing of an ethics investigation on the man. Like S-TownMike says, we don't know about Murtha's innocence or guilt on this, but the timing of this announcement smells to high heaven.
