House Democrat calls Pentagon 'despicable' (another "Murtha Moment")

PMSNBC ^ | Tues., Nov. 20, 2007

[rightinthemiddle]

Murtha denounces Defense Department for 'scaring peoplin funds fight

WASHINGTON - In their latest tussle with the White House on the Iraq war, two leading House Democrats said Tuesday the Pentagon was using scare tactics to try to goad Congress into passing another war spending bill.

And Reps. David Obey and John Murtha said they won't bite.

Obey, D-Wis., chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, and Murtha, D-Pa., head of the panel's Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, said they won't support more money for the war this year unless President Bush accepts a timetable for troop withdrawals. Story continues below ↓advertisement

Last week, the House passed a $50 billion bill that would keep operations afloat for several more months, but sets a goal of bringing most troops home by December 2008. After Bush threatened to veto the measure, Senate Republicans blocked it.

"If the president wants that $50 billion released, all he has to do is to call the Senate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell, and ask him to stop blocking it," Obey told reporters.

(snip)

Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Friday signed a memo ordering the Army to begin planning for a series of expected cutbacks, including the layoffs of as many as 100,000 civilian employees and another 100,000 civilian contractors, starting as early as January.

(snip)

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said the military has only limited transfer authority.

"Those who think we have some sort of flexibility here are simply misinformed," Whitman told reporters on Tuesday. "We've entered into a very serious period here."

Murtha said the Pentagon was issuing "irresponsible" propaganda.

Murtha sees no credibility at Defense Department "They're scaring people," he said. "They're scaring the families of the troops . . .That's the thing that's so despicable."

[Robert A Cook PE]

But ONLY if the MSM lets the news get out.

Instead they protect Murtha by citing his ages-old Vietnam (supposed) record.

[phillyfanatic]

It is now time to really call these Dem leaders unpatriotic and use ads to do it in the upcoming campaign by using their own shameless words against them. The RNC should but they won’t. They are becoming like the Quislings and Alger Hiss’ of old.

[Bush gal in LA]

Murtha is a disgrace. I hear the guy used to be somewhat moderate. What happened!?

[SkyPilot]

So the Defense Dept shouldn't let anyone know the firings are coming and just fire them? Would that be better, Mr. Murtha? What IS despicable is to defund the military just when they are winning.

Yes, apparently. Democrats are not just misguided, they are doing the work of Satan on earth.

[Raycpa]

When the republicans were in charge and they refused to fund the government the MSM went and interviewed every poor soul that experienced a loss of income and we had wall to wall coverage of the devastation caused by some hot dog stand operator’s plight.

< S>I expect to see the same coverage of the military families and the contractor’s families suffering from this cut back.</S>