... Rep. John Murtha, an influential critic of the Iraq War whose congressional career was shadowed by questions about his ethics, died Monday. He was 77.
The Pennsylvania Democrat had been suffering complications from gallbladder surgery. He died at Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, Va., spokesman Matthew Mazonkey said.
<span>I served with his son, Mike. Whatever else John Murtha was, and whatever else one might not have agreed with, he was a Combat Marine who served his country when the call came. RIP, and Semper Fi.</span>
ReplyDeleteNow that's going to be a hard piece of advice to keep.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. He answered the call in turbulent times when most did not. Didn't always agree with him but he served.
ReplyDeleteI had the same procedure last November. The doc said it routine surgery. It is never routine when someone cuts into you.
Thoughts and prayers to his family.
Semper Fi
Ooh. There are allegations now that his intestine was perforated during surgery. Condolences to his family. This is a shocking turn of events and they must be hurting terribly. Thank you, Mr. Murtha for your service as a Marine. RIP.
ReplyDeleteLove him or hate him, you can't deny that he served his country when it asked. God bless and keep his family in their time of mourning.
ReplyDeleteGod be with you, Mr. Murtha. My condolences to his family.
ReplyDeleteOur nation looks forward to his replacement.
ReplyDeleteI know a lot of people didn't like the guy, but I agree. What a classy post.
ReplyDeleteLike Powers Boothe's character said in Tombstone..."well bye.."
ReplyDeleteI shall neither mourn nor celebrate. He is gone. Someone better will take his place.
ReplyDeleteI will not say anything out of respect for Sal's request. If not for that, well, you can figure it out.
ReplyDeleteI'm not saying anything good or bad, but if you own stock in any defense companies based in that district you might want to reevaluate that. The contracts may not be rolling in anymore.
ReplyDeleteThis afternoon, I spent some time taking a closer look at Rep Murtha's record. I submit that had it not been for his remarks on Haditha or his opposition to the war-he might be remembered as any other Congressman would have.
ReplyDeleteWhat struck me-is how similar his record is to several Republican Congressmen. He served in both the active duty and reserves-and unlike some-his service was not as a "combat lawyer". ( Like a graduate of my alma mater who ran on his "combat record".)
He has much in common the Representatives of the state where I now live-who have made it clear they are all about bringing government money to Shopping Mall USA. So much so that one of them is holding the President's nominees hostage. He brought dollars to Johnstown-for both good and maybe not so good. He was a Catholic who opposed abortion. He helped bring several pay raises through Congress when the adminstration was unwilling to offer them.
To judge him only on the basis of the last 4 years-is perhaps a bit unfair. There is both good and bad in his whole record, and he was reflective of the era he came into politics. I grew up in Pennsylvania and voted absentee in the adjoing district. I submit, that as a Naval Officer, I was better served by Murtha in terms of benefits and support for my services programs than I was by the Represntative from my Pittburgh based district. Who did nothing but vote for tax cuts for rich people.
Skippy-san, my primary grievance against him was his treatment of the Haditha Marines. I appreciate that he was a combat vet, but as a commenter on Blackfive (I think) put it, one cannot leave his legacy at only the good, or only the bad; his legacy must include all of both. I am cool with that perspective.
ReplyDeleteAgreed... he'll be having to square away his service with the Marines with his post-service remarks.. He called out fellow Marines before any of the investigations were complete. He needs rto answwer for that, in the same light that Kennedy needs to answer for Chapaquiddick, and Kerry needs to answwr for his boat service.
ReplyDeleteI hate Murtha, and I hope he rots in Hell....... but there are those with a more personal adjudication, and I hope they can find solace in his demise.
Respects,
He was a marine that served, while my father (same age) was in the Navy. Good for his service. The difference is my Dad didn't have his own pork airport. Nuff said.
ReplyDeleteThen don't judge Nixon just on Watergate.
ReplyDeleteMethinks Rep. Murtha shamed himself over Haditha. Had Jeff Chessani been Mike Murtha, I doubt the good Congressman would have been in as much hurry to rush to judgment in a public statement.
When the Haditha thing came up, I thought he was trying to fashion himself as a neuveau Smedley Butler...
ReplyDeleteBut, the man was simply too venal to ever really rise to that standard.
That said, DB has it right. The man willing stood up at the plate in combat, and whatever else one may say, he needs to be honored for that.
While I may not agree with y of his more recent views, he had the courage to serve in the military and then as a civilian; and I thank him for that.
ReplyDeleteWhether you liked the man or not-wanting him to "rot in hell" is too extreme for me. Nobody-well almost nobody-deserves that. I don't even wish that for the jerks who created the conditions that led to Haditha in the first place, by invading a country that we never should have invaded in the first place.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore-in the end, justice appears to have been done and the Marines were aquitted. Did he shoot his mouth off? Yes. However it was not Rep Murtha who brought the charges-the Marines Corps did that.
The CDR asked that we not speak ill of the dead. It was more than good for me. Much was said about him while he was alive. I humbly submit, now that he is no longer with us to defend himself, that we leave him to his final rest.
ReplyDeleteAs others here have said, I will remain silent on this topic out of deference to our host's wishes.
ReplyDeleteSorry, Skippy, but a famous Congressman (and ex-Marine) loudly & publicly saying the Marines had committed an atrocity was not "just shooting off his mouth." He was a powerful politiican with a tremendous amount of influence over defense spending. Making comments like were severely prejudicial, especially when the investigation hadn't even been completed. Whipping out a tu quoque with respect to pre-war decisions doesn't alter that.
ReplyDeleteI will agree that "rot in hell" is way over the top; just don't see the point, myself. He's gone, and doing a happy dance over his grave won't help anything. Just makes the dancer look crass.
Expect some of the more vitriolic conservative boards to echo the "rot" snark in 3... 2...
Too bad you don't pay more taxes, Skippy. I really think you should have the opportunity.
ReplyDeleteOh wait, you do: every year, the Treasury Department gets millions of dollars from people who desire to pay more in taxes than the Government requires. It's perfectly legal, and the mechanism is already in place.
So, tell me: How much in EXTRA taxes do YOU pay, Skippy? Or, paying more and more in taxes only for "class enemies" and kulaks?
PS- way to indulge in political grandstanding in an obituary post, you class act you.
<span>I paid my fair share in taxes. Unlike those who feel compelled to march in tea parties-I understand that to get services from my government, which I have a right to expect, I have to pay for them. I just wish I got more of the services I am supposed to-like decent public transportation.
ReplyDeleteThe simple truth is you did not read my whole comment-which was namely that I got nothing from the various representatives of the 18th Congressional District of Pennsylvania-except tax cuts that did me absolutely no good. I did not make enough money. I did however get a larger pay raise than the President proposed while I was on active duty-thanks to Rep Murtha and others-and was opposed by Rep. Murphy . And that's the point-the man did plenty of good too.
It is not "grandstanding" to state a fact. The 18th is a hugely gerrymanderd district designed to protect a Republican seat in some very wealthy Pittsburgh suburbs. I grew up in Pittsburgh-I know this area very well. There are probably a lot of tea party fans there-trust me the people of the 18th are not suffering the way folks in the eastern townships are. Or the way Murtha's district was.</span>
What the blazes? I could have sworn I saw a comment left by Skippy which made reference to the "ill-advised invasion of Iraq,", and how Murtha was just "shooting his mouth off." There were at least two replies before I posted yet another, and now the sub-thread seems to have disappeared? I recall that Skippy was not appreciative of those who thought that Murtha should "rot in hell," and I agreed that this was over the top.
ReplyDeleteWhere's the sub-thread? WTF?
I don't know what you're referring to. Everything is as it was.
ReplyDeleteFair 'nuff, 'Phib. Either I'm on too much cold medication, or not enough. :-E
ReplyDeleteMaybe I'm flashing on a thread over at Lex's...