Dem's on the Run

If you’ve never seen the House and Senate debate on C-SPAN you are missing a real treat. Yesterday, Representative John Murtha (D-PA), a well-respected Vietnam veteran, said American forces should "immediately redeploy" from Iraq in order to help Iraqis take control of their country.

"The presence of U.S. troops in Iraq is impeding this progress. Our troops have become the primary target of the insurgency. They are united against U.S. forces, and we have become a catalyst for violence. The war in Iraq is not going as advertised. It is a flawed policy wrapped in illusion" said the congressman.

It is worth noting that Murtha had “flaked out” on the liberation of Iraq even before Congress approved it. In 2002, before the congressional authorization, Murtha was "questioning a war-powers resolution that even most Democratic leaders seem reluctant to oppose." Murtha ended up voting for the war.

Then in 2004 he called for more troops: "We cannot prevail in this war as it is going today. We either have to mobilize or we have to get out," Murtha said. In October 2004 he was one of only two members of Congress to vote for a bill that would have reinstated the draft--a bill opposed even by its sponsor, grandstanding Charlie Rangel.

Today House Republicans called the Democrat’s bluff by forcing a vote on a proposal to end the U.S. deployment of troops in Iraq. "We'll let the members debate it and then let them vote on it," said Rep. Roy Blunt, R-Mo. The House move comes just days after the GOP-controlled Senate defeated a Democratic push for Bush to lay out a timetable for withdrawal.

Speaking before the House vote at the weekly briefing to Pentagon reporters, U.S. field commander Col. James Brown countered the Democratic position: "We have to finish the job that we began here. It's important for the security of this nation," said the commander of the 56th Brigade Combat Team, when asked about Murtha's comments.

Rep. Sam Johnson, R-Texas, a 29-year Air Force veteran who was a prisoner of war in Vietnam for nearly seven years, called Murtha's position unconscionable and irresponsible. "We've got to support our troops to the hilt and see this mission through," he said.

“We want to make sure that we support our troops that are fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. We will not retreat,” Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., said as the Republican leadership pushed the issue to a vote over the protest of Democrats.

After a lengthy and heated debate, the House tonight overwhelmingly rejected calls for an immediate troop withdrawal from Iraq by a vote of 403-3. Even Murtha voted against the measure. Only three Democrats, Jose Serrano of New York, Robert Wexler of Florida and Cynthia McKinney of Georgia, voted for withdrawal.

At one point in the emotional debate, Rep. Jean Schmidt, R-Ohio, told of a phone call she received from a Marine colonel.

“He asked me to send Congress a message — stay the course. He also asked me to send Congressman Murtha a message — that cowards cut and run, Marines never do,” Schmidt said.

Democrats booed and shouted her down — causing the House to come to a standstill.

“I won’t stand for the swift-boating of Jack Murtha,” said Sen. John Kerry, who still seems to be running.