More on Murtha

[leejo]

http://www.americanthinker.com/artic...rticle_id=5006

Turns out he wasn't so hawkish after all, and his opposition to the Iraq War has been long-standing.

My wife is reading the excellent Charlie Wilson's War (craziest damn book you'll ever read) and reminded me that Murtha was involved in Abscam (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abscam). According to that book, which came out long before this issue, Murtha was next in line to get hauled before the ethics committee until Tip O'Neil got Charlie Wilson on the committee and Wilson made the situation disappear.

I'm just saying that's interesting.

A blog today noted that both Murtha and Pelosi are due to come before the ethics committee for directing some large contracts to relatives' companies. The blogster floated the idea that Murtha intentionally made this announcement in order to blunt the ethics committee - "they're persecuting me for my position on Iraq, not for my schenanigans".

LATIMES: "When Congress passed the $417-billion Pentagon spending bill last ear, Rep. John P. Murtha, the top Democrat on the House defense appropriations subcommittee, boasted about the money he secured to create jobs in his Pennsylvania district.

But the bill Murtha helped write also benefited at least 10 companies represented by a lobbying firm where his brother, Robert "Kit" Murtha, is a senior partner, according to disclosure records, interviews and an analysis of the bill by The Times."

and

Republican lawmakers say that ties between Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) and his brother's lobbying firm, KSA Consulting, may warrant investigation by the House ethics committee...

According to a June 13 article in The Los Angeles Times, the fiscal 2005 defense appropriations bill included more than $20 million in funding for at least 10 companies for whom KSA lobbied. Carmen Scialabba, a longtime Murtha aide, works at KSA as well. KSA directly lobbied Murtha's office on behalf of seven companies, and a Murtha aide told a defense contractor that it should retain KSA to represent it, according to the LA Times.

In early 2004, Murtha reportedly leaned on U.S. Navy officials to sign a contract to transfer the Hunters Point Shipyard to the city of San Francisco, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. A company called Lennar Inc. had right to the land, and Laurence Pelosi, nephew to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), was an executive with the firm at that time.

Interesting.

[leejo]

My wife reminded me of this passage from "Charlie Wilson's War" (published 2003):

(p.83) Watching Representative Murtha on the ABSCAM tapes is not an experience designed to make a citizen feel better about Congress. A member of the Ethics Committee at the time, he did refuse the bribe, but he did not exactly close the door on a future negotiation: "You know, you made an offer. It might be that I might change my mind someday."

Yep. Quite a patriot.

[SmokingTarpan]

He should have added: "When you pry it from my cold, dead hands!"

It would have made no sense, but damn, would it have rocked.

In any case, Iraqis are now asking for a withdrawl timetable to be presented by the US. Wonder if that will happen, though.

[leejo]

Which Iraqis are asking and why is another good question.

[SmokingTarpan]

Good question. It's kind of confusing, seems like religious community leaders.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/...ap/index.html/

[Steeler]

Yeah, nobody important...

Originally Posted by The Guardian

Iraqi Leaders Call for Pullout Timetable

Tuesday November 22, 2005 3:16 AM

AP Photo XAN107

By SALAH NASRAWI

Associated Press Writer

CAIRO, Egypt (AP) - Leaders of Iraq's sharply divided Shiites, Kurds and Sunnis called Monday for a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S.-led forces in the country and said Iraq's opposition had a ``legitimate right'' of resistance.

The final communique, hammered out at the end of three days of negotiations at a preparatory reconciliation conference under the auspices of the Arab League, condemned terrorism, but was a clear acknowledgment of the Sunni position that insurgents should not be labeled as terrorists if their operations do not target innocent civilians or institutions designed to provide for the welfare of Iraqi citizens.

The participants in Cairo agreed on ``calling for the withdrawal of foreign troops according to a timetable, through putting in place an immediate national program to rebuild the armed forces ... control the borders and the security situation'' and end terror attacks.

The conference was attended by Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and Iraqi Shiite and Kurdish lawmakers, as well as leading Sunni politicians.

[SmokingTarpan]

Hard to tell if they're "important" enough to the US. The community leaders may be calling for it, but what about the actual elected officials? Doesn't say anywhere the that Iraqi President wants the troops out, just that he attended. Not a whole lot of endorsement there, so I doubt the US will care much. Hell, we probably wouldn't care if it was the President, either.

Either way, nice to see some people without bombs saying that it's time for us to get going.

[leejo]

From the article:

Sunni position that insurgents should not be labeled as terrorists if their operations do not target innocent civilians or institutions designed to provide for the welfare of Iraqi citizens.

I agree with this. Don't see very many of that type though.

As far as the timetable goes, I think when they stand up we should stand down. No sooner or later.

[SmokingTarpan]

Indeed. I've long been an advocate of the idea that the military, by definition, cannot be the victim of a terrorist attack.

[leejo]

Well, in the sense that it's the same groups who blow themselves up in the middle of an army dining hall or marine barracks or US Embassy as the ones who saw off heads and blow up children, yes they can. If a terrorist attacks the military I sorta chalk it up to a tough fight and when they attack civilians I remember why there's a fight to begin with.