[infidel29]

If the court determines Murtha indeed was acting in his official capacity, the U.S. government could be substituted as the defendant — a move that would effectively neuter the case because the federal government cannot be sued for libel.

First, Murtha wasn't on the floor of Congress, which he claimed initially as his defense. He's been ducking his words since he uttered them. He needs to be sued and censured.

Second, the federal government cannot be sued for libel something wrong there. The government can trash a citizen's reputation causing undeterminable harm to that individual and simply answer "whoops, my bad"?

[Just A Nobody]

The government can trash a citizen's reputation causing undeterminable harm to that individual and simply answer "whoops, my bad"?

There is precedent:
Scooter Libby
Tom DeLay
Joe McCarthy
The Haditha Marines
Illario Pantano

...for starters

[Loud Mime]

He needs to be sued and censured.

He needs to be standing on a corner with a cardboard sign instead of in the Senate.

Honorable, my butt.

[bill1952]

>The government can trash a citizen’s reputation causing undeterminable harm to that individual and simply answer “whoops, my bad”?

Yep. - and it doesn’t even have to answer that.
Unqualified immunity is the legal phrase

[ChinaThreat]

“The government can trash a citizen’s reputation causing undeterminable harm to that individual and simply answer “whoops, my bad”?”

Happens every day. You could ask Richard Jewell if he were still alive.