My mother always told me, “If you can’t say something *nice* about a person, don’t say anything at all.” Of course my mother was a Democrat and a bit of a libber. I have nothing *nice* to say regarding John Murtha, so, let the facts speak for themselves.

Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., dies at 77

WASHINGTON - Rep. John Murtha, a retired Marine Corps officer who became the first Vietnam War combat veteran elected to Congress and later an outspoken and influential critic of the Iraq War, 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.

Murtha was an officer in the Marine Reserves when he was elected in 1974. Ethical questions often shadowed his congressional service, but he was best known for being among Congress’ most hawkish Democrats. He wielded considerable clout for two decades as the ranking Democrat on the House subcommittee that oversees Pentagon spending.

Full Story Here:
Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., dies at 77

John Murtha

A former Marine Corps officer, Murtha was the first Vietnam War veteran elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. A member of the Pennsylvania House from 1969 to 1974, in 1974 he narrowly won the special election held to choose the successor to the incumbent, who died in office. In the first decade of the 21st century, Murtha has been best known for his calls for a withdrawal of American forces in Iraq. SOURCE

Abscam - John Murtha’s involvement

Congressman John Murtha (D-PA) was one of the Congressmen videotaped in an encounter with undercover FBI operatives. Although never indicted or prosecuted, he was named an “unindicted co-conspirator” in the scandal. As such, he testified against Frank Thompson (D-NJ) and John Murphy (D-NY), the two Congressmen mentioned as participants in the deal at the same meeting. A short clip from the videotape shows Murtha stating “I’m not interested, I’m sorry. At this point…” in direct response to an offer of $50,000 in cash.

In November 1980, the Justice Department announced that Murtha would not face prosecution for his part in the scandal. The U.S. Attorney’s Office reasoned that Murtha’s intent was to obtain investment in his district. Full length viewing of the tape shows Murtha citing prospective investment opportunities that could return “500 or 1000″ miners to work. In July 1981, the House Ethics Committee also chose not to file charges against Congressman Murtha, following a mostly party line vote. The resignation later that day of Republican E. Barrett Prettyman, Jr., the panel’s special counsel, has been interpreted as an act of protest.

Mr. Murtha remained prominent in Congress, and was re-elected by his constituency 13 times over the course of 26 years before his death on Feb. 8, 2010. SOURCE

Media conservatives attack Murtha over Haditha comments

Various conservative media figures have attacked Rep. John P. Murtha (D-PA) for his recent appearances on ABC’s Good Morning America and This Week, in which Murtha addressed the alleged murder of Iraqi civilians by U.S. Marines at the Iraqi town of Haditha in 2005. Murtha, one of several lawmakers to have been briefed on the military investigations into the matter, said the Marines shot the Iraqis “in cold blood,” and, citing sources within the military, claimed that there was an attempted cover-up of the incident. Murtha also said: “It’s an isolated incident. But that’s why it’s so important to get it out in the open and get the punishment at the appropriate places.” However, Fox News hosts Bill O’Reilly and Neil Cavuto, among others, attacked Murtha for “bomb-throwing” and “bashing” the military, when in fact Murtha, who had been briefed on the matter, has limited his criticisms to those allegedly involved in the incident and the reported cover-up.

The alleged Haditha massacre was first publicly revealed in an article in the March 27 edition of Time. According to that article: “In January, after TIME presented military officials in Baghdad with the Iraqis’ accounts of the Marines’ actions, the U.S. opened its own investigation, interviewing 28 people, including the Marines, the families of the victims and local doctors.” The Los Angeles Times reported on May 29 that Murtha, Sen. John Warner (R-VA), and other members of Congress “have been briefed on the U.S. military’s investigation into the deaths of 24 unarmed Iraqi civilians.” Murtha appeared on the May 28 broadcast of This Week and the May 30 broadcast of Good Morning America to address the Haditha investigation. The weblog Think Progress has a partial transcript and video of Murtha’s Good Morning America appearance. SOURCE

Heroic Haditha Marine Acquitted

The long, painful ordeal of Marine 1st Lt. Andrew Grayson came to a sudden end Wednesday when a jury of seven fellow Marine officers found him not guilty of trumped-up charges that should never have been leveled against him in the first place.

As Newsmax reported on Sept. 11, 2007, Grayson earned the enmity of prosecutors when he turned down their offer that would spare him from prison if he would agree to testify against fellow 3rd battalion, 1st Marines.

“I was asked by the prosecution to fall on my sword for the greater good of the Marine Corps,” Grayson, 26, recalled. “The prosecution wanted me to distort the truth to fit their end goal.”

Grayson, a battalion intelligence officer, was among four former officers who were charged with dereliction of duty for allegedly failing to investigate the Nov. 19, 2005, engagement that left 15 Iraqi civilians and eight insurgents dead during a bitter, hard-fought battle in Haditha after an enemy ambush killed a member of the unit. SOURCE

Federal judge orders Murtha to testify in Haditha defamation case

A federal judge has ordered Rep. Jack Murtha (D-Pa.) to testify in a defamation case related to the deaths of Iraqi civilians in the town of Haditha in 2005, according to the Associated Press.

Murtha, a former Marine. accused Marines of “cold-blooded murder and war crimes” during the Haditha incident. Frank Wuterich, a Marine sergeant involved in the incident, has sued Murtha for libel and invasion of privacy over his comments.

According to AP, U.S. District Judge Rosemary M. Collyer wants Murtha to explain why he made this statement and any documents he has related to the incident.

From the AP: ‘You’re writing a very wide road for members of Congress to go to their home districts and say anything they choose about private persons and be able to do so without any liability. Are you sure you want to do that?” Collyer said, adding later, ”How far can a congressman go and still be protected?” SOURCE

And now he’s dead.

I do have one thing to say: BURN IN HELL you son of a bitch!

Sorry Mom…