Traitor John al-Murtha and the Democrats Plan for Defeat

“They won’t be able to continue. They won’t be able to do the deployment. They won’t have the equipment, they don’t have the training and they won’t be able to do the work. There’s no question in my mind.”

– John Murtha
Washington Times
In the wake of September 11, McGovernism — that is, the reflexive opposition to the use of force by the United States against foreign enemies that has dogged the Democratic Party since Richard Nixon’s time — became more of a liability than ever.
But in last year’s congressional elections, the Democrats came up with a shrewd, cynical new P.R. strategy that has until now served them well: saying lots of nice things about American soldiers fighting in Iraq while simultaneously advancing resolutions that denigrate their mission. But the decision to effectively cut off funds by micromanaging their use — rather than by doing so directly — may also be unconstitutional.
When the House votes today on the resolution denouncing Mr. Bush’s plans for additional troops to combat al Qaeda and other terrorist groups in Iraq, members should be under no illusions about what House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the rest of the Democratic Party leadership are trying to do: to make it impossible for American troops to properly do their job in Iraq.
In an interview yesterday with MoveCongress.org, a Web site for a coalition of anti-war groups, Mr. Murtha, who chairs the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, explained that by placing conditions on $93.4 billion in new combat funds, he would make be able to effectively stop the troops in their tracks.

“They won’t be able to continue. They won’t be able to do the deployment. They won’t have the equipment, they don’t have the training and they won’t be able to do the work. There’s no question in my mind,” Mr. Murtha said.

“We will set benchmarks for readiness,” a top Democratic leadership aide told the nonpartisan Politico.com Web site, which summarized the Democrats’ strategy this way: “If enacted, these provisions would have the effect of limiting the number of troops available for the Bush surge plan, while blunting the GOP charge that Democrats are cutting funding for the troops in Iraq.”

Aside from doing severe damage to the war effort in Iraq, the Democrats’ political strategy to cripple the war effort by attaching thousands of legislative strings to war funding may also be unconstitutional. Noted attorney and constitutional scholar David Rivkin makes a strong case that Congress cannot act like a “puppet master” appropriating and authorizing funds while attaching conditions that would effectively transform the president into a marionette.
If Congress wants to cut off funding, it must do so honestly and directly, rather than dishonestly through micromanagement. In addition to paving the way for a geopolitical catastrophe for this country, the Democratic leadership may be setting the stage for a constitutional confrontation with the White House.

HERE is Murthda and the Democrats plan Murtha describes his strategy for not only limiting the deployment of troops to Iraq but undermining other aspects of the president’s foreign and national security policy. If you have the stomach to watch this entire thing … do!

MoveCongress is part of the Win Without War coalition. This of course comes as no suprise but here are some other members of the win without war coalition:
20/20 Vision
American Friends Service Committee (AFSC)
American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
Business Leaders for Sensible Priorities
Center for International Policy (CIP)
Conference of Major Superiors of Men
Council for a Livable World
Families USA
Feminist Majority
Fourth Freedom Forum
Global Exchange
Greenpeace
Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR)
MoveOn
NAACP
National Council of Churches
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
National Organization for Women (NOW)
NETWORK A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby
Pax Christi USA
Peace Action
Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR)
Psychologists for Social Responsibility
Rainbow/Push Coalition
Shalom Center
Sierra Club
Sojourners
Soulforce
The Tikkun Community
TrueMajority
Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations
Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
United Church of Christ
United Methodist Church General Board of Church and Society
Us Foundation
USAction
Veterans for Peace
Women’s Action for New Directions (WAND)
Working Assets
Artists United to Win Without War
Musicians United to Win Without War

Wild Thing’s comment…….
What a loathsome scourge has been unleashed upon our country!!! OH and get this, one of the Haditha Marines who Murtha called a cold-blooded killer is actually from Murtha’s district?
Darryl Sharratt (father of LCpl. Justin Sharratt) has asked repeatedly sent requests to meet with Murtha or anyone in his office. Darryl has never even had the courtesy of a returned phone call.
It comes down to this in pure vile fact!!
The Bush administration “won’t be able to continue.
They won’t be able to do the deployment.
They won’t have the equipment.
They don’t have the training and they won’t be able to do the work,”
Murtha said in the post on the Democrat-friendly Web site MoveCongress.org.
“This vote will limit the options of the president and should stop this surge.”

From the information I have read, this strategy is already well underway. In acting on the Omnibus spending bill, the Congress has cut the Army budget for BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure) in half. Since BRAC is mandated by law, the Army will have to move money from other accounts in order to meet the BRAC statuatory requirements. One way they have done this is to inactivate the 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division rather than to move this brigade from Germany to Fort Bliss (this brigade is just now returning from a tour in Iraq). This will make the brigade unavailable for a return deployment to Iraq when their turn next comes.
Democrats are also moving to remove funding for an Army Stryker Brigade’s equipment from the Supplemental Funding bill. This means that this brigade cannot convert as scheduled and therefore will not be available for deployment to Iraq.
Their scheme is designed to fool the American people by saying that they are “supporting the troops” and “funding the troops”. Neither statement is true. They are supporting the enemy, of that there is no doubt.
The President said of Congresses’ plans: ‘I hope they don’t do anything to stop the troops from doing what I told them to do’. I’m hoping with all my heart that those words mean what they would coming fom a Man(as opposed to a politician).
Push these clowns to the edge, Mr. President, you might be surprised at the resolve of those of us and others behind you.