Rep. Murtha Repeats History
Rep. John Murtha--the Democrat responsible for a "cut-and-run" strategy in Iraq was nailed to the wall today. The report comes from NewsMax (Hardly a reliable source, as Capt. Ed points out) and the Hat-Tip goes to Captain Ed.
http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/archives/005821.php
After terrorists attacked U.S. troops in Mogadishu, Somalia 12 years ago, anti-Iraq war Democrat, Rep. John Murtha urged then-President Clinton to begin a complete pullout of U.S. troops from the region.
Clinton took the advice and ordered the withdrawal - a decision that Osama bin Laden would later credit with emboldening his terrorist fighters and encouraging him to mount further attacks against the U.S.
"Our welcome has been worn out," Rep Murtha told NBC's "Today" show in Sept. 1993, a month after 4 U.S. Military Police had been killed in Somalia by a remote-detonated land mine.
The Pennsylvania Democrat announced that President Clinton had been "listening to our suggestions. And I think you'll see him move those troops out very quickly.
Two weeks later, after 18 U.S. Rangers were killed in the battle of Mogadishu, Murtha visited U.S. forces in Somalia.
Upon his return he proclaimed to the world that the Mogadishu defeat had a devastating impact on the Rangers' morale.
"They're subdued compared to normal morale of elite forces," Murtha said. "Obviously, it was a very difficult battle. A lot of Somalis were killed, but it was a brutal battle."
Murtha said the U.S. had to no choice but to pull out now, explaining, "There's no military solution. Some of them will tell you [that] to get [warlord Mohamed Farrah] Aidid is the solution. I don't agree with that."
The comments were eerily similar to Murtha's assessment of U.S involvement in Iraq last week, when he declared, "the U.S. cannot accomplish anything further militarily. It is time to bring [the troops] home."
Taking Murtha's advice back then, however, turned out to have deadly consequences for U.S. security.
In a 1998 interview with ABC's John Miller, Osama bin Laden said that America's withdrawal from Somalia had emboldened his burgeoning al Qaida force and encouraged him to plan new attacks.
"Our people realize[d] more than before that the American soldier is a paper tiger that run[s] in defeat after a few blows," the terror chief recalled. "America forgot all about the hoopla and media propaganda and left dragging their corpses and their shameful defeat."
So, the cut-and-runners have done this before. They requested the withdrawal of troops from a theater of combat. Capt. Ed surmises this appropriately. Had the Clinton administration had a better understanding of the US military (other than to "loathe" it and it's existence) and supplied the troops with what was necessary to root out Aidid in Somalia, then we might not have had the infamous "Black Hawk Down" incident. Instead, Washington in all of it's wisdom opted not to supply our troops with what they needed.
Because of that, Murtha's request for a withdrawal fell on perked ears, and those ears agreed with his assessment. A body count--no matter how minute--was worth abandoning the mission. No wonder why the Left is seen as spineless when it comes to the military, and it's modus operandi. If someone sneezes wrong in the military, it's time for them to retreat. This is not how the military operates. They are assigned a mission, and they expect Washington, "in it's infinite wisom," to grant them the necessary tools and equipment to start and finish a job.
The fat-cat's in Washington, complete with their martini lunches, five-star dinners, and comfortable homes couldn't see fir to give America's best and brightest fighters those tools to win the day. And because of that, 18 American servicemen--good men--lost their lives. And like court precedents usually set a specific pace, because of "Black Hawk Down," we pulled up stakes and came home. Just like the cowards that they are, the Left blamed the men rather than their own ineptitude and failure to address the situation properly.
But this shows that this isn't the first time Murtha's pulled this stunt. I keep hearing how this former Marine colonel from Vietnam is a man who fights for the troops; that he's hawkish underneath that liberal dove exterior. What I keep seeing is a man that is anything but a friend to our troops. What I see is a man who acts much like the Johnson administration did during Vietnam--wanting politicians to run a war rather than the commanders on the ground. What I see is a man that seems to have lost his way since being in the Marines.
Rep. Jean Schmidt had it right last Friday when she relayed a message from a Marine to Congressman Murtha:
"He asked me to send Congress a message: Stay the course," Schmidt said. "He also asked me to send Congressman Murtha a message: that cowards cut and run, Marines never do."
Here, here...
Publius II
Rep. John Murtha--the Democrat responsible for a "cut-and-run" strategy in Iraq was nailed to the wall today. The report comes from NewsMax (Hardly a reliable source, as Capt. Ed points out) and the Hat-Tip goes to Captain Ed.
http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/archives/005821.php
After terrorists attacked U.S. troops in Mogadishu, Somalia 12 years ago, anti-Iraq war Democrat, Rep. John Murtha urged then-President Clinton to begin a complete pullout of U.S. troops from the region.
Clinton took the advice and ordered the withdrawal - a decision that Osama bin Laden would later credit with emboldening his terrorist fighters and encouraging him to mount further attacks against the U.S.
"Our welcome has been worn out," Rep Murtha told NBC's "Today" show in Sept. 1993, a month after 4 U.S. Military Police had been killed in Somalia by a remote-detonated land mine.
The Pennsylvania Democrat announced that President Clinton had been "listening to our suggestions. And I think you'll see him move those troops out very quickly.
Two weeks later, after 18 U.S. Rangers were killed in the battle of Mogadishu, Murtha visited U.S. forces in Somalia.
Upon his return he proclaimed to the world that the Mogadishu defeat had a devastating impact on the Rangers' morale.
"They're subdued compared to normal morale of elite forces," Murtha said. "Obviously, it was a very difficult battle. A lot of Somalis were killed, but it was a brutal battle."
Murtha said the U.S. had to no choice but to pull out now, explaining, "There's no military solution. Some of them will tell you [that] to get [warlord Mohamed Farrah] Aidid is the solution. I don't agree with that."
The comments were eerily similar to Murtha's assessment of U.S involvement in Iraq last week, when he declared, "the U.S. cannot accomplish anything further militarily. It is time to bring [the troops] home."
Taking Murtha's advice back then, however, turned out to have deadly consequences for U.S. security.
In a 1998 interview with ABC's John Miller, Osama bin Laden said that America's withdrawal from Somalia had emboldened his burgeoning al Qaida force and encouraged him to plan new attacks.
"Our people realize[d] more than before that the American soldier is a paper tiger that run[s] in defeat after a few blows," the terror chief recalled. "America forgot all about the hoopla and media propaganda and left dragging their corpses and their shameful defeat."
So, the cut-and-runners have done this before. They requested the withdrawal of troops from a theater of combat. Capt. Ed surmises this appropriately. Had the Clinton administration had a better understanding of the US military (other than to "loathe" it and it's existence) and supplied the troops with what was necessary to root out Aidid in Somalia, then we might not have had the infamous "Black Hawk Down" incident. Instead, Washington in all of it's wisdom opted not to supply our troops with what they needed.
Because of that, Murtha's request for a withdrawal fell on perked ears, and those ears agreed with his assessment. A body count--no matter how minute--was worth abandoning the mission. No wonder why the Left is seen as spineless when it comes to the military, and it's modus operandi. If someone sneezes wrong in the military, it's time for them to retreat. This is not how the military operates. They are assigned a mission, and they expect Washington, "in it's infinite wisom," to grant them the necessary tools and equipment to start and finish a job.
The fat-cat's in Washington, complete with their martini lunches, five-star dinners, and comfortable homes couldn't see fir to give America's best and brightest fighters those tools to win the day. And because of that, 18 American servicemen--good men--lost their lives. And like court precedents usually set a specific pace, because of "Black Hawk Down," we pulled up stakes and came home. Just like the cowards that they are, the Left blamed the men rather than their own ineptitude and failure to address the situation properly.
But this shows that this isn't the first time Murtha's pulled this stunt. I keep hearing how this former Marine colonel from Vietnam is a man who fights for the troops; that he's hawkish underneath that liberal dove exterior. What I keep seeing is a man that is anything but a friend to our troops. What I see is a man who acts much like the Johnson administration did during Vietnam--wanting politicians to run a war rather than the commanders on the ground. What I see is a man that seems to have lost his way since being in the Marines.
Rep. Jean Schmidt had it right last Friday when she relayed a message from a Marine to Congressman Murtha:
"He asked me to send Congress a message: Stay the course," Schmidt said. "He also asked me to send Congressman Murtha a message: that cowards cut and run, Marines never do."
Here, here...
Publius II
posted by Syd And Vaughn | 7:17 PM
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