I've blogged a lot about western Pennsylvania Rep. Jack Murtha over the years, usually critically. As you may have heard, Murtha died today at age 77. There is much good that can be said about his long career in the military and then in Washington. As a Marine, he served his country with great honor, seeing combat in that most unpopular conflict in Vietnam. He then became the first Vietnam vet to serve in the U.S. Congress, and throughout his career he always kept his finger in the pulse of America's military men and women; indeed, it was those contacts that convinced him to take a highly principled stand against the war in Iraq when it was neither popular nor politically expedient. Given the devastation of manufacturing in the Johnstown-Altoona region, it's not surprising that he pushed so hard for federal dollars and jobs for his district -- but the fact that he cut political associates and friends in on those deals was most unfortunate. The passing of Murtha is a sad thing, but the fact that he squandered his political capital in the end, when America needed it the most, is truly tragic.
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Killed by a medical mistake. Happens all the time. But if we pass tort reform, the doctors who make these mistakes will be protected.— SteveMG- Comment removed.
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- All the Congressional districts in PA have roughly the same population. If he got re-elected with 58% of the vote in his district, he'll be missed by more people than you think.— SteveMG
"...it was those contacts that convinced him to take a highly principled stand against the war in Iraq when it was neither popular nor political expedient." This was AFTER he voted to authorize force on Iraq, right Bunch? And what does "political expedient" mean exactly? Get a clue and a work ethic, Lispy Lisperson.
"Most unfortunate" is a nice ivy-league euphemism for "corrupt".— Mr. Smith- Comment removed.
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- Too bad he never got a chance to apologize to those Marines...— StoolsinNC
- Thanks for posting, ET. Between you and John Gault, you're doing a fantastic job of keeping us up to date on the inner workings of the minds of "conservatives." Oh, and you too, sloboat. Stay classy, bro'.— Talking point sleuth
Will Bunch, a senior writer at the Philadelphia Daily News, blogs about his obsessions, including national and local politics and world affairs, the media, pop music, the Philadelphia Phillies, soccer and other sports, not necessarily in that order.
E-mail Will by clicking here.
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