Murtha's Iraq Plan Is Wrong And Right

Insisting On Proper Training Is No Way To Stop The War, But It Should Be Done

(CBS)  Weekly commentary by CBS Evening News chief Washington correspondent and Face the Nation host Bob Schieffer.

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Pennsylvania's Democratic Congressman John Murtha has a clever plan to block the President from sending more troops to Iraq.

He's proposing a law that bars the President from sending troops in Iraq back to the war zone until they have spent one year being retrained at their home base. It forbids troops from being kept in Iraq longer than the one year tour they were promised and prohibits any troops from going to the war zone until they are fully trained and have the proper equipment.

That is no way to stop a war.

If Congress wants to stop the troops from going to Iraq it should just cut off the money to send them there.

But here's the other part: Everything that Murtha proposes should be done – should have been done – a long time ago. Not for Murtha's reasons but because it is right and the troops deserve it.

Too many times the government has broken its word to the troops – held them in the army beyond their enlistments; kept them in the combat zone longer than they were told they would be there; cut short their time between combat assignments; and, worst of all, sent some into combat without proper training or equipment.

We owe it to our troops to keep the promises we have made to them and, at the very least, to insure they are never sent into battle without the proper training and equipment.

That should have been a given, regardless of whether we believe this war is right or wrong.

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E-mail Face the Nation.

[scott4261]

God bless John Murtha.

[bluestardad]

tHANK YOU JOHN!

[norcalruss]

Great plan senator. All of this should have been done for the troops, that Bush uses as pawns, years ago. It may be a smart political move too. Might be kind of hard for the GOP to vote AGAINST a bill that provides the troops more training, protection, and fewer lengthened tours without proper time off between tours. I would be willing to bet that most veterans of the Bush War would support legislation that protects them.

[i-tack]

If we want this plan to be great, we should insist upon it for every soldier, sailor, marine and airmen.

And not only in time of war (the unpredictable, mess that war is and always has been), but a contract with our military personnel to assure them that no matter what, they will be sure of these promises.

[toolmangler-2009]

Murtha sounds like one of those people that advocate stopping the war by refusing to send any more ammunition or bombs to the troops. By golly! if they can't shoot then no more innocent "freedom fighters" will die. I am quite sure bluestardad or some others would be glad to go to Iraq and stop all vehicles for a security check especially near shopping malls and Mosques. Who needs guns just to check a car or truck?

[bluestardad]

Navy Sailors as Infantrymen
There are right now Navy Seamen being used in the role of Combat Infantrymen in Iraq because the Marines and Army are stretched so thin. These Seamen get a rush thru Small Unit training program and are given a rifle and are integrated into combat arms maneuver units.

[dallison7]

YOU GO BIG JOHN!! YOUR COUNTRY IS COUNTING ON YOU!! YOU ARE THE VOICE OF REASON IN THE MIDST OF ALL THE WHITEHOUSE SPIN.

[bluestardad]

GUYS YOU GOTTA READ THIS!

http://www.aipac.org/forms/join_aipacClubs.htm


The Elite Minyan group - you mean for a minimum of only $100,000 dollars
a year I too can shape world policy? Tell me more!

I especially like the bit about enjoying "the exclusivity you deserve."

This thing borders on parody, but alas, unfortunately it is all too real.

[bluestardad]

Email your senators and representatives tell them your views! http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_in
formation/senators_cfm.cfm or http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/

[mbcsmith]

Murtha is the ABSCAM poster boy! He was willing to sell his vote to a man he knew was Arab. Sound dangerous?

[notblue]

What happened to my fathers Democratic party? They are all rolling over in there graves. The new Demacratic party puts politics ahead of everthing else, the safety of the U.S., the safety of the troops in the LONG RUN.

[mitywhity]

Who cares what this "traitor-for-the-right-price" has to say? So what? He was in 'Nam - so were a lot of other people besides himself and that Kerry-dude. He's a traitor at heart, a bribe-desiring political disaster, a poll-sniffing jellyfish - a perfect democrat.

[mitywhity]

Nah, we'll not a bite with the ABSCAM stuff. It frustrates these libs to even consider their gods and goddesses to be eveil.

[bm6005]

Winstrv

Congress.org

[bm6005]

Murtha, like most Democrats, send us to fight and die until it's not politically expedient. Once it becomes negative, they throw up the white flag. The Democrats have politicized this war on the backs of those they sent to die.
Posted by Winstrv

Oh ***!! Who started this frickin' war? The Liars that's who!!