Murtha spoke; why folks listened

WASHINGTON — Of all the Democrats calling for an end to the Iraq war, Rep. John Murtha is an anomaly.

Unlike Sens. John Kerry of Massachusetts and Russell Feingold of Wisconsin, he doesn't want to be president. He's no liberal, like House colleagues Dennis Kucinich of Ohio and Maxine Waters of California. He's certainly the only one to call Vice President Dick Cheney a friend.

The man of gruff familiarity — most colleagues find it more natural to call him "Murtha" than "Jack" — has been representing his Pennsylvania district for 16 terms, rising to become the senior Democrat on the House Appropriations panel's defense subcommittee. For that perch, he became known for his opposition to defense cuts and his willingness to send troops into battle and even draft them, if necessary.

He was the first Vietnam veteran elected to Congress and has fashioned a reputation as the Democrats' soldier-legislator, a John McCain type without swagger or upward ambition. He generally prefers the shadows of Capitol Hill to the spotlight, though that changed dramatically recently.

On Nov. 17, as Congress was preparing to leave town for a two-week Thanksgiving break, Murtha, 73, told a gathering of colleagues and, later, reporters that — although he had voted in favor of the resolution authorizing the Iraq invasion — he now wants U.S. troops, now numbering about 160,000, withdrawn. "The U.S. cannot accomplish anything further in Iraq militarily," Murtha said. "It is time to bring them home."

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., predicted Murtha's statement would become a "watershed event for our caucus, for our Congress and for our country."

He ignited a news blitz, and Republicans scrambled to respond. House GOP leaders hastily drew up a watered-down version of Murtha's withdrawal resolution, and made Republican lawmakers remain in town for a bitter and emotional session late Nov. 18 to vote it down.

Military credentials

It's hard to imagine any other Democrat causing such a stir. Republicans privately acknowledge that Murtha is a worrisome opponent because he can't be portrayed as a liberal of the Michael Moore stripe.

What sets Murtha apart from most fellow Democrats is his close connection to different layers of the armed services. The congressman regularly visits wounded troops, and he also talks to battle commanders. "Jack Murtha is one of a kind," said Rep. Curt Weldon, R-Pa., one of the few Republicans who rose in Murtha's defense during the House debate. "He is an example for all [of] us in this body, and none of us should ever think of questioning his motives, his desires or support for our American troops."

Other Republicans depicted Murtha's call for withdrawal as irresponsible, even dangerous. On Nov. 18, White House spokesman Scott McClellan described Murtha as "endorsing the policy positions of Michael Moore and the extreme liberal wing of the Democratic Party" and suggested he was advocating a "surrender to the terrorists."

In the House debate that night, one Republican, Rep. Jean Schmidt from Ohio, even suggested Murtha is a coward who was proposing to "cut and run." But then the rhetoric started to cool.

On Sunday, while traveling in Asia, President Bush called Murtha "a fine man, a good man who served our country with honor and distinction," who came to his Iraq position "in a careful and thoughtful way."

Democrats suspect Republicans dialed back their criticisms after taking into account Murtha's hawkish track record. Judging from his history and close relationships at the Pentagon, Murtha probably was echoing a belief that runs deep within the ranks of senior officers.

"He's someone who's a strong supporter of the military," said Jack Reed, D-R.I., a West Point graduate and one of his party's leading Senate spokesmen on the military. "People will recognize that he's got their best interests at heart."

Conservative and liberal

Murtha joined the Marines in 1952 and served in active duty or in the reserves until he retired in 1990. He volunteered for active Vietnam service and received the Bronze Star with Combat "V," two Purple Hearts and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. He was elected to the House in a 1974 special election, after a five-year stint as a Pennsylvania state legislator.

His hawk credentials were burnished early. "He was one of our strongest supporters when I worked for Reagan," said Lawrence Korb, an assistant secretary of defense from 1981 to 1985, and now a senior fellow at the left-leaning Center for American Progress.

He was a strong supporter of the Persian Gulf War in 1991, and today regards it as a model for international cooperation, diplomatically and financially. He noted in an Oct. 2 C-SPAN interview that Bush's father, President George H.W. Bush, kept Congress well-informed throughout the conflict. "President Bush One really did it exactly right," Murtha said.

Despite disagreements over defense spending, Murtha also forged a close relationship with President Clinton. At the 1999 signing of a defense-authorization bill, Clinton credited Murtha for pay and retirement provisions that Clinton called the biggest increase in military compensation in a generation.

USA Today reported Monday that Clinton said he would reconsider his opposition to a withdrawal timetable because of Murtha's proposal.

Murtha leans conservative on social matters such as abortion and gun control, but his central Pennsylvania district is a union stronghold, and he tends to vote liberal on economic and workers-rights issues. He had an ethical scrape in 1979, when he was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the Abscam bribery scandal and testified against two House colleagues.

After a 1990 primary scare, he spent more time tending to parochial interests. Of the 58 news releases posted on his Web site since August, three are about Iraq, one is about Hurricane Katrina and the remainder address local concerns.

"I can handle it"

For the past few months, Murtha had dropped hints that he would soon make a major announcement about the war.

Although he supported the initial invasion, he soon came to believe that troop levels weren't adequate and that soldiers weren't properly equipped. He was one of the few Democrats to publicly advocate the reinstatement of the draft.

In a CNN interview in May 2004, Murtha said that although "it would be an international disaster I think if we pulled out ... the alternative is, we're going to struggle along, get more and more young people killed."

Last week, as Murtha prepared for his speech, he spoke to Pelosi, to whom he is close. According to aides privy to the conversation, she warned Murtha that "this is going to be a huge deal" and that people would "come after him." His reply: "I can handle it. I'm ready for anything."