Meet the "Most Respected" Murtha, Who Slimed U.S. Troops in Haditha
When it comes to Iraq, reporter David Herszenhorn has a strange idea of whose judgment to trust, at least judging by Monday's update on the Democratic-controlled Congress's flustered anti-war maneuverings, "Failing to Win War Votes, Democrats Say They Won't Back Down."
After sketching out Democratic frustration, Herszenhorn concluded with a brief side-glance of areference to the clear decline of casualties in Iraq:
"Senator John Ensign, Republican of Nevada, echoed his party's contention that Congress should not interfere with the making of progress in Iraq. 'The American people, I think, would rather have General Petraeus running the war than members of Congress,' he said, referring to Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top commander in Iraq. 'He has proven his strategy is working.'
"But Mr. Murtha, one of the most respected voices on military affairs, said Democrats would not relent in their effort to pull out the troops.
"'For two years I have publicly fought for the redeployment of our troops from Iraq,' he said. 'Congressional Democrats will not stop championing the will of the American people until our troops come home.'"
Herszenhorn didn't mention the "most respected" Murtha's smearing of the U.S. troops that went on trial for the Haditha "massacre,"claiming they "killed innocent civilians in cold blood." The Haditha case had fallen apart by October 2007, but Murtha has refused to apologize for his characterization.
Herszenhorn's piece last Thursday also barely acknowledged the decline of violence (he termed it what the GOP "called a decline in violence").
