The Swift Boating of Murtha

An Unlikely Lonesome Dove

Typical ...

In his 37 years in the military, John Murtha won two Purple Hearts, a Bronze Star with a Combat "V," and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. As a Democratic congressman from Pennsylvania for the past 31 years, he has been a fierce hawk, championing conflicts in Central America and the Persian Gulf.

Yesterday, he was called a coward.

I don't necessarily agree with Murtha on the immediacy of a pullout. Instead, I've been more supportive of a benchmarking that begins with the administration spelling out the progress we need to be making in order to turn Iraq over to Iraq. The move by the Senate to demand regular updates on the status is a healthy move toward that end.

But still, one would be about as wise to call John Murtha a cowardly p**** than they would to call John McCain the same. Yet there's just not much of a bottom that the right wingers are willing to settle for, is there?