House on Fire

House on Fire
By Mike Hersh, Nov 19, 2005

I'm still trying to get my mind around what happened on the House Floor today. The very short version is this: Members of Congress debated Iraq policy in the Peoples' House for the first time since Bush took us into war. That doesn't begin to describe the bizarre and frenzied circumstances under which this too-short and long overdue debate unfolded.

Consider the proximate cause of this impromptu debate: the poignant and courageous statements of Rep. John P. Murtha (D - 12 Pennsylvania). When Congressman Murtha spoke the same words as PDA and other anti-war leaders, the Republican spin machine kicked into overdrive. It's rare to see such a colossal political miscalculation. The GOP attacks on Murtha quickly spun out of control, because of who he is. From his website: "U.S. Rep. John P. Murtha has dedicated his life to serving his country both in the military and in the halls of Congress. He had a long and distinguished 37-year career in the U.S. Marine Corps, retiring from the Marine Corps Reserve as a colonel in 1990...."

Murtha explained that he's "disturbed" by the facts he's learned about Iraq, and it is his well-considered military expert opinion that US military presence in Iraq is doing more harm than good, and must end as quickly as practicable. Attacks against our troops have "grown dramatically" and since Abu Ghraib, "US casualties have doubled." According to Murtha, "Iraq cannot be won militarily."

Unlike "Bush I [who] listened," Murtha said this administration isn't interested in what the military has to say. "US troops are the common enemy" of every faction in Iraq. He quoted facts: "45% of all Iraqis believe attacks on US forces are justified." He concluded it's "time to turn Iraq over to the Iraqis," because that would let the Sunnis join the other Iraqis in the effort to rebuild their nation.

Murtha sponsored H.J.RES.73 calling for immediate redeployment of US troops into positions over the horizon and the establishment of rapid response forces, all consistent with their safety. Then all hell broke loose. Republican attacks on this war hawk escalated from snide remarks and distortions to a rush job on a fake resolution trumped up by Republican House Arms Services Committee Chairman Duncan Hunter (CA - 52).

According to Hunter's website the Arms Services Committee "is responsible for providing the common defense and related matters such as: military facilities, naval fuel reserves, Department of Defense, intelligence-related activities, pay, promotion, retirement, and other benefits and privileges of members of the armed forces. As Chairman, Congressman Hunter is responsible for overseeing all aspects of national security policy, including the annual $340 billion defense budget." Apparently he's also responsible for the single most humiliating event to hit the House in recent memory.

Stung by the collapse of public support for their party's failed Iraq policies, the Republican House leadership committed an astounding blunder today resulting in massive self-inflicted political wounds. Republicans cannot address reasoned bipartisan concerns articulated by war hawk Rep. John Murtha and others. Taking their cue from Bush's reckless, irresponsible attacks on anyone who dares question his fatal incompetence and rank dishonesty, the House leadership rushed a doctored, phony version of Murtha's Resolution into debate. Debaters call this cheap stunt a "straw man" tactic - grossly misstating the other person's point of view in order to attack it.

Newest Republican member of Congress Rep. Jean Schmidt (Ohio 2nd) wasn't the only Republican who crossed the line when she called Murtha a "coward." Several other Republicans in and outside the House made similarly personal and hypocritical attacks against the conservative Democrat - a military supporter and Vietnam combat veteran.

So what went wrong? My theory - based on a lifetime of debates with right wingers - is this: the House Republicans developed a game plan without considering Democratic opposition to their efforts. People like Limbaugh and his fans are used to hammering away at caricatures of Democrats, liberals and progressives. We heard from the White House and RNC talking points such as claiming Democrats "want the terrorists to win," and side with "Michael Moore and the extreme left against the troops." Today, the mainly Chicken Hawk Republicans even threw in gratuitous attacks against Cindy Sheehan.

Beating up on fake people and putting forward fake resolutions only works when acting and attacking in a vacuum - such as over the radio with your finger on the hang-up button or in front of troops duty bound to applaud or ardent supporters. When forced to alternate the mic with real live Democrats who could and did expose the Republican fallacies, absurdities and outrages, the GOP position imploded. In once case it actually exploded. Setting up a "patriotism contest" between John Murtha and Joan Schmidt (who beat an Iraq War Vet a few months ago) is the last thing the Republicans want.

Unfortunately for them - unlike Bush who hid behind a wall of uniformed troops as he politicized and debased Veteran's Day, or Cheney who donned a tuxedo to spout lies to an assembly of extreme right wing supporters - House Republicans ran into a buzz saw of dissent from their colleagues. House Democrats, frustrated by years of suppression, stone-walling and obstruction, ridiculed, lectured, and admonished this Republican effort to politicize the war, smear Rep. Murtha, and distract the American People from Bush Administration failures, lies, and corruption.

By using a resolution as counterfeit as Bush's claims about Yellow Cake Uranium in an effort to smear a key member of Congress, Republican House leaders simultaneously revealed distrust of their own membership and willingness to make a joke out of life and death policy. This astonishing Republican meltdown bodes very well for the majority of Americans who oppose the catastrophic Bush Republican Iraq Quagmire.

From the PDA website:

Murtha's original resolution H.J.Res. 73
Republican substitute for the Murtha Resolution H.Res.571

What You Can Still Do: Call your U.S. Representative to support the ORIGINAL Bill from Rep. Murtha (H. J. Res. 73). You can do so at these numbers:

CONGRESSIONAL SWITCHBOARD: 1-800-426-8073 or 1-202-224-3121 if the 800 number is busy.

[talking points][more information][text of Murtha's speech]

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