This is the first sign of the impending disasters on committee assignments and it could not be worse news. But do I think that even if the worst occurs with Murtha that the President will allow anyone to "cut and "run?" It isn't going to happen. The best Congress can do is try to cut off funding. I cannot even begin to imagine the uprisings that would happen if they try to pull another Vietnam that way. The military would go nuts and so would anyone who lived through it, including many in Congress who got violated by Congress once before. Webb won't go for it. Lieberman certainly won't. And the left better calm down and take a deep breath and come back to reality. They won a few seats in Congress, but Constitutionally President Bush holds all the cards and he isn't going anywhere without a big W in the win column. Losing is not an option -- for us, for the Iraqis, for the Afghanis, or for the world. This is not a video game that you can start over and try again. If we leave on this one and leave it to the terrorists and Extremists, we can hang it up as Americans with any standing in the world. The shame and fallout would be with us for generations. Don't believe me? Ask a Vietnam Vet.
(Photoshop: Kathy Y.) (H/T: Malkin)
Pelosi Puts Weight Behind Murtha in Leader Bid
Sunday, Nov. 12; 7:08 pm
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), in line to become Speaker in January, is throwing her support to Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) in the race for Majority Leader, a move that will be an early test of her influence and will weigh heavily on Murtha's contest with Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) for the post.
Pelosi, in a letter distributed Sunday to newly elected House Democrats, wrote that Murtha's outspoken opposition to the war in Iraq helped change the electoral campaign for the House this fall. Murtha began calling for a U.S. pullout from Iraq a year ago, and his open opposition to the war made him a focus of intense criticism from Republicans and the White House.
Pelosi, though, credited Murtha, one of her closest allies in the House, with changing the national debate on the issue and helping provide Democratic challengers and incumbents with a winning argument for the mid-term elections.
"With respect to Iraq in particular, I salute your courageous leadership that changed the national debate and helped make Iraq the central issue of this historic election," Pelosi wrote in a personal letter to Murtha. "Your leadership gave so many Americans, including respected military leaders, the encouragement to voice their own disapproval at a failed policy that weakens our military and makes stability in that region even more difficult to achieve. The enthusiastic response of Americans all across this nation gave an enormous lift to our Democratic efforts, and your unsurpassed personal solicitations produced millions of dollars which were new to the effort. Those resources made a huge difference and particularly for the candidates on whose behalf you campaigned."
Pelosi added: "Your strong voice for national security, the war on terror and Iraq provides genuine leadership for our party, and I count on you to continue to lead on these vital issues. For this and for all you have done for Democrats in the past and especially this last year, I am pleased to support your candidacy for Majority Leader for the 110th Congress."
Hoyer released his own letter on Friday signed by 21 of the 41 incoming Democrats, and his backers claimed that at least another five new Members would support his candidacy for Majority Leader, giving Hoyer claim to a huge block of votes.
"Nancy told me some time ago that she would personally support Jack," Hoyer said in a staement. "I respect her decision as the two are very close.
"I am grateful for the support I have from my colleagues, and have the majority of the caucus supporting me. I look forward to working with Speaker Pelosi as Majority Leader."
But Pelosi's action is sure to shake up the race between Hoyer and Murtha, and is also a signal to the Bush administration and GOP Congressional leaders that she will take an aggressive line on Iraq.
Pelosi, with critical support from Murtha, defeated Hoyer in a race for Minority Whip in 2001, and sources close to the California Democrat said she wants to reward Murtha for his loyalty by backing him in the Majority Leader race.
RELATED:
House Majority Leader John Murtha?!
They can't be serious, can they? Oh, yes they are.
...Allah: "What better way to assuage fears about Democrats being too dovish and anti-military than to back America’s foremost spokesman for cut and run..."
Flashback: Murtha's Okinawa strategery
Flashback: A veteran tells off Murtha/Moran; Another vet tells off Murtha/Moran
Pelosi backs Murtha to be next Majority Leader
With the next Speaker's support, odds are that 25-years after the Democrat-controlled House Ethics Committee cleared Murtha of all charges in the ABSCAM scandal, Okinawa Jack finally will get the leadership position to which he had been working before getting caught.
Murtha ran her effort to become Minority Leader, and his election by the caucus sends a very clear message to Republicans: "THIS IS OUR HOUSE, SUCKERS!"
So there you have it. We already know that even though the Times lied recently about the number of hearings on Iraq: (via Protein Wisdom)
Under Republican control, Congress has exercised virtually no oversight of the administration’s misconduct of the war, and the new Democratic leadership is eager to hold extensive hearings. The public deserves a full accounting (backed by subpoenas, if necessary) of how prewar intelligence was cooked, why American troops were sent to war without adequate armor, and where billions of dollars in reconstruction aid disappeared to.
A cursory look the schedules for a few Congressional committees and sub-committees shows that in the past 18 months to 2 years there were only these three days of hearings. And this one. And this one. And this one. And this one. And this one. And this one. And this one. And this one. And this one. And thisthis one. And this one. And this one. And this one. And this one. And this one. And this one. And this one. And this one. And this one. And this one. And this one in October 2005, which was described as the 30th full Sen. Foreign Relations Cmte hearing on Iraq held since January 2003. And there were the “Phase I” and “Phase II” reports on prewar intell by the Sen. Intell Cmte. And Congress created the Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, which sent American occupation officials to jail on bribery and conspiracy charges, exposed disastrously poor construction work by well-connected companies like Halliburton and Parsons, and discovered that the military did not properly track hundreds of thousands of weapons it shipped to Iraqi security forces—according to the New York Times.
That the Democrats are planning on many more to come. Add this to their obvious future efforts to run like cowards from Iraq and we are bearing witness to a paper tiger incarnate. We’ve run from Vietnam when the Democrats gained power, we ran from Somalia while a Democrat was in power, we were too afraid to seriously retailate against Al-Qaeda during the 90’s while a Democrat was in power, and now we will witness the Democrats ongoing attempts to emasculate the United States in full high definition.
Question is, will Bush stop them?
I have faith that he will never agree to bring the troops home before they complete the mission. Some are worried that he will adopt the Baker “Vietnam Redux” plan:
ECHOS FROM IRAQ (FREEDOM ISN'T FREE) [Mario Loyola]
Two great interviews, one with an Iraqi member of parliament, and the other with PM Al-Maliki.
Maliki notes--correctly--under the Security Council resolution--we have an obligation to remain until the Iraqi forces are capable of taking over.
LET THE BITTER, UGLY, INTERNECINE BATTLE BEGIN [Byron York]
Among Republicans? No way! Democratic Rep. Steny Hoyer released this statement tonight responding to Speaker-to-be Nancy Pelosi's announcement that she would support Rep. John Murtha for House Majority Leader:
Nancy told me some time ago that she would personally support Jack. I respect her decision as the two are very close.
I am grateful for the support I have from my colleagues, and have the majority of the caucus supporting me. I look forward to working with Speaker Pelosi as Majority Leader.WILL STENY
HOYER OUT THE UTTERLY CORRUPT PELOSI-MURTHA CONNECTION?
HAVE WE HEARD THE FIRST SHOT OVER THE BOW? HAS THE PELOSI-GATE SCANDAL BEGUN!?...
JUST HOW CLOSE ARE PELOSI AND MURTHA??? THIS CLOSE :
By [email protected] (Pundit Review Radio)
To make it even better they are having a fight for the #2 gig in the House and Nancy P has already tossed a decent man, Steny Hoyer who should get the job, under another bus. This mass transit is killing them. See Nancy wants to make sure that nobody misunderstands the Dem position on cutting and running, so she needs Jack Murtha as #2 since he masterminded the cunning redeployment plan to Okinawa. If I thought Congress was really supposed to do important things this would be truly sad, but I don't and consequently will sit back giggling and watch the rest of the clown car empty.
And check out this website:
Jack Murtha-- On selling a soul.
As ChicagoRay stated in this post, and as we have been alluding to time and time again on this blog, Jack Murtha never does anything without there being a self-serving purpose.
Historically speaking, liberals have always had a seething distrust and hatred for anything having to do with the military, especially the U.S. military; except to the extent that they could utilize them for propaganda purposes; whether it be in the form of broadcasting casualties with a megaphone, or using misguided, like-minded military veterans as politcal cover under which they can continue to spout their anti-American diatribes.
They found such a patsy in the name of John Murtha... a heretofore nondescript congressman from rural Pennsylvania who, before a year ago, would never have been seen with any self-respecting liberal. With his history of pro-life votes, along with his other relatively conservative votes in the House (save for this past year), Jack Murtha was a pariah among the kook fringe power base of the democrat party.
But all that changed on November 18, 2005, when Jack Murtha, tired of being a relative nobody on the national politcal scene, finally decided to make a big splash by throwing his former Marine brethren and the rest of the military under the bus as a means to his end. And let's not forget the sweetheart deal that was arranged by Murtha to line the pockets of Pelosi's nephew, Laurence, to cement the compact:
Pelosi Thinks Governance Is Like Playing High School
Pelosi is really screwing up early and often. She inserted herself into the selection of the House Democrat leadership, and then to cover herself claimed Congressional leadership (who speaks for the party, expresses the party’s national views and garners support) is on par with High School politics.
But the dour Republicans and worried Democrats have switched places, however momentarily, now that she has unexpectedly injected herself into the bitter race to be her underling, the House Majority Leader. “This is the first time I’ve ever seen a leader insert themselves like this,” said a veteran of many Democratic leadership races. Pelosi’s camp says it’s like a high-school election and won’t be a defining moment for her leadership.
Of course they would say that, they are mostly high schoolers who support her. Mature adults know better.
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