Pelosi is strong, but she's going to need some help. There is only one person for majority leader of the House and his name is John
Murtha. I don't normally weigh on these issues, but we've got to move on Iraq, and Murtha is the guy who can help Pelosi do just that.
Hoyer may be a nice guy, but his response to Pelosi on the war, which amounted
to no new position at all, just doesn't cut it for me.
Democrats cannot fall into the trap of changing the players but not the policy. If you watch the video you will see that Murtha gets it. He's strong on camera when it comes to the war, knows how to sell the positions we want implemented and comes with the weight of an experienced veteran.
The other part is that Murtha is known and trusted by most in the military
hierarchy, including the generals. After all, he didn't pull his plan for redeployment
out of thin air. It's also my belief that we're going to need someone tough
as nails to pull this one off and deal with Bush, because he is still the commander
in chief. Bush can continue his arrogance and obstinate stances, but only at
his presidency's peril.
Murtha is also very close to Speaker-elect Pelosi. That's critically important
because she's going to need all the help she can get, especially on military
issues, because she is not known to them in a leadership way. Trust is hard to come by when you're a woman and speaking about the
military. Murtha standing next to her and providing a united front forward gives our position serious weight and gravitas.
This isn't about any other issue for me. Murtha simply gets it right on the
war, starting with his admittance of being wrong. With around two years left
in Bush's presidency, Iraq will be the main issue on Murtha's plate until it's
accomplished. As majority leader he could make all the difference in the world,
especially in the world of perception. His support among the troops remains
strong, even after the swiftboaters mounted another challenge to him in Pennsylvania,
which ended up in a blow out.
The Iraq study group results will be a start in a new direction. Pelosi, with
Murtha working by her side, can help make what needs to happen a reality or
offer ideas to augment what Baker-Hamilton put forth. It can't come soon enough.
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