Overwhelmingly.<\/p>\n
Bravo<\/a>, and here’s hoping they shut up about it through the pending holiday week. I don’t want to have to give thanks for further discussion of the need for our military to abandon another mission.<\/p>\n In a maneuver to strike at Iraq war critics, the Republican-led House of Representatives engineered a vote on Friday on a resolution to pull U.S. troops immediately from Iraq, which was defeated nearly unanimously.<\/p>\n Republicans, who introduced the surprise resolution hours before lawmakers were to start a Thanksgiving holiday recess, said the vote was intended to show support for U.S. forces.<\/p>\n Democrats denounced it as a political stunt and an attack on Rep. John Murtha of Pennsylvania, a leading Democratic military hawk who stunned his colleagues on Thursday by calling for troops to be withdrawn from Iraq as quickly as possible.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The problem is not the “as quickly as possible” portion. Rep. Murtha crossed the line<\/a> in a variety of areas. First, he said the following:<\/p>\n Our troops have become the primary target of the insurgency.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n It’s quite obvious from terrorist bombing efforts over the last several months that the American forces, while a desired target, have been too efficient in the conduct of their business. The fact that the suicide bombs and car bombs have, for quite a while now, predominantly targeted Iraqi civilians should have quashed this statement.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Murtha was far from being above playing politics himself:<\/p>\n Underscoring the rising emotions of the war debate, Murtha uncharacteristically responded to Vice-President Dick Cheney’s comments this week that Democrats were spouting “one of the most dishonest and reprehensible charges” about the Bush administration’s use of intelligence before the war.<\/p>\n “I like guys who’ve never been there that criticize us who’ve been there,” said Murtha, a former Marine. “I like that. I like guys who got five deferments and never been there and send people to war, and then don’t like to hear suggestions about what needs to be done.”<\/p>\n Referring to Bush, Murtha added, “I resent the fact, on Veterans Day, he criticized Democrats for criticizing them.” <\/p><\/blockquote>\n Look, I’ll put it quite simply. Murtha’s ploy was most assuredly political, just like his slam on Cheney. Did he ever denounce his colleague John Kerry, the junior senator from Massachusetts and recently-defeated presidential candidate, for seeking a deferment? The betterment of our efforts against radical Islamist terror was not a consideration in Murtha’s manuever. To then turn around and whine when politics are thrown back at you is childish. You started the game, play it. To whine about a factual response to criticism, especially one based upon the words of those attacking, is simply pathetic.<\/p>\n Here’s a few editorial responses the Murtha’s cut-and-run stance. I recommend them both.<\/p>\n