Rep Murtha blogs at HuffPo: "Time for a White House Meeting on Iraq"

I never thought there would be such a response, but it's obvious that the American people are thirsting for a solution in Iraq. The American people are ahead of Congress in recognizing that we must give the Iraqis incentive to step up and seize their own destiny -- sooner rather than later -- so that our young men and women in uniform will not continue paying such a heavy price for an indefinite period. I hope that the president will put aside partisan rancor and call both sides to the White House to seek a resolution.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rep-john-murtha/time-for-a-white-house-me_b_11135.html

... lies about matters of state.

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But perhaps the most outrageous lie Cheney and the White House kept -- and keep -- making is that invading Iraq was a sensible part of the response to 9/11.

"In February 2002, after a briefing on the status of the war in Afghanistan, the commanding officer, Gen. Tommy Franks, told me the war was being compromised as specialized personnel and equipment were being shifted from Afghanistan to prepare for the war in Iraq -- a war more than a year away," noted Graham on Sunday. "Even at this early date, the White House was signaling that the threat posed by Saddam Hussein was of such urgency that it had priority over the crushing of al Qaeda."

In making his continued one-man jihad against the facts, Cheney is apparently throwing Hail Mary passes to that part of the Republican base which will believe anything it is told -- having already lost the trust of the majority of Americans.

But as Rep. John Murtha said in response to the slander by a Republican congresswoman that he, a decorated Vietnam combat veteran, is a coward for arguing for the quick and complete withdrawal from Iraq, 'You can't spin this. You've got to have a real solution. This is not a war of words, this is a war." Yes, Cheney's war.

From Cheney's Trouble with the Truth by Robert Scheer on November 23, 2005

Link:

... voices of the internets.

A couple of months ago I posted on HuffPo that I see the people of the USA coming around to the idiocy of the Iraq war. This was in a large part do to the liberal blogosphere getting the facts out. Also in another large part due to the courage and common sense logic of Cindy Shehan. I said that in a matter of time the Congressmen and women will evetually come around to the facts of the folly of the Iraq war and now thanks to Rep Murtha, the Senate and Congress is coming around. 78 percent approval of Murthas stance, 22 percent dissaproval. Notice that the 22 per cent figure is 17 percent lower than the 39 per cent approval rating that Bush usually gets. Rep Murtha thanks. It takes truly a lot of courage to stand up for what is truly right. It takes no courage to follow the herd. I will bet that your percentages that you stated are acurate. I will believe them before I will beleive Rep Scmidts. She has already proved herself to be a liar. ANd you have shown nothing but courage to fight this present administration with the facts and truth. Now that the people of the USA and the leaders in the House and Senate are coming around. I am optimistic that we will find a solution to this Iraq problem and work for a solution to get our troops safely out of Iraq ASAP. God Bless our high speed communications. It has over ridden the antiquated print news and television news. The fascist administration of the USA has not been able to quiet the voices of the internets.

Posted by: Kansaskowboy on November 23, 2005 at 04:41pm

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rep-john-murtha/time-for-a-white-house-me_b_11135.html?p=7#comments

... There are two issues that must be resolved quickly to protect the nation and its citizens from further harm. First, how bad was the planning for and implementation of this conflict, and how can we now resolve the mess that it has become? On this issue, I believe your leadership, knowledge, and resolve have helped us tremendously to start looking in the direction where real answers can be found.

However, the second issue is, in my mind, even more grave and important. The ramifications for the welfare of this nation are staggering. How did we get dragged into this mess in the first place? Did the appropriate members of Congress see all of the information that was used to justify this act of war, as Vice President Cheney has asserted?

When the claims of Saddam/al-Qaeda ties were shown to the Congressional Committees, were the committee members in fact also informed that much of the information the claim was based on came from a source that had been discredited by interrogators? Were the committee members informed that the DIA explicitly stated that al-Libi was deliberately leading them on, to keep the interrogators interested?

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/06/politics/06intel.html?ei=5090&en=5a216116a0310ce1&ex=1288933200&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&pagewanted=print

If so, did it occur to any of those committee members that perhaps the real intelligence to be gained from al-Libi was that al-Qaeda wanted the US to invade Iraq? Given all of the information, could anyone have failed to make that inference?

When the claims of impending doom via Saddam’s WMD were made, were the committee members also informed that al-Haideri’s claims had also been falsified by the CIA?

When the claim was made that Saddam had been seeking yellowcake in Niger, were the committee members also informed that the document backing that claim had been proven to be a forgery? That the “aluminum tubes” innuendo had been debunked by the Department of Energy? That the claims of "mobile biological weapons labs" had been cast into doubt by the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research?

The American people must know the answers to these questions ASAP. Where Congress is equally culpable, from whatever party, with the Administration in the boondoggle that led to this war, the American people must be allowed to learn. How can democracy exist without an informed electorate?

If the committee members did not see both sides of the story and were kept in the dark about evidence that debunked the may claims listed above, these Senators and Representatives must come forth and publicly aver that Cheney’s allegations are false. Setting the record straight is now more urgent for our National Security than any pretense for hiding the truth by burying it with classified status.

I understand that no one in Congress wants to upset the applecart, but you all are paid well and sworn to protect the people of this nation from harm. We must know the truth; our children’s future is at stake. The risk of upset by telling the full story is less than the risk from allowing this mass deception to continue.

Posted by: Boletus on November 23, 2005 at 05:18pm

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rep-john-murtha/time-for-a-white-house-me_b_11135.html?p=7#comments

... attacked for by the administration is the same time nearly the same plan put forth by the Iraqis and at the suggestion of the White House? Funny how they'll trash you on the one hand and quietly plan for withdrawal on the other.

http://hughesforamerica.typepad.com/hughes_for_america/2005/11/is_the_recipe_f.html

Posted by: BobcatJH on November 23, 2005 at 11:09am

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rep-john-murtha/time-for-a-white-house-me_b_11135.html?p=1#comments