Murtha Meets Russert, Predicts U.S. Forces Will Be Out of Iraq Next Year
Appearing with Tim Russert on NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday morning, Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), who has caused a firestorm in recent days with a call for a speedy withdrawal in Iraq, predicted that, despite the mixed reaction to the proposal, U.S. forces would essentially be out of that country by the end of 2006.
Asked pointedly by Russert if they would be gone by Election Day 2006, Murtha replied, "Tim, you have hit the nail on the head there." He said his proposal had "only been out there for a couple days" and could gain wide support since it is, he said, not a partisan plan. "Iraqi's will let us do the fighting as long as we're there," he said.
He also said "people should be fired" for mishandling the war but, pressed by Russert, would not specifically say that Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld should be one of them, although he remains highly critical of him. He called Vice President Cheney "a friend" but "he is wrong." Murtha also refused to say that the administration had deliberately "mislead" the country into war, choosing instead to words "exagerated intelligence."
He said that he had never received such an outpouring of support for anything he has done in his 32 years in Congress. The public, he said, was "thirsting for a solution" to the war. Referring to Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-Ohio) calling him a coward on the floor of Congress, he pointed out that she is a new member of the House and maybe someone simply gave her something to read.
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