Gray Hawk Down

Today on Meet the Conflict of Interest Challenged Future Libby Witness, Rep. John Murtha reprised his role as the Dem's leading critic of the war in Iraq. But it was a bumbling and disjointed performance to say the least. He failed to even swing at the softball questions Russert lobbed his way (and Russert's failure to challenge Murtha's false assertions was just the latest in a disappointing string of performances from him) rambling and stumbling over his words. But when he spoke clearly, he performed even worse.

He actually cited Clinton's performance in Somalia as a model for fighting the war on terror! This is truly scary. Here is the exact quote: "like Clinton did in Somalia, you just have to say, “OK, it’s time to change direction.”

If you need a(nother) reason not to trust the Democrats when it comes to our national security, here it is. What Clinton did in cutting and running from Somalia after the Black Hawk Down incident had a direct formative influence (cited by bin Laden himself) on the tactics and operational philosophy of Al Qaeda. Yet that foolish and cowardly retreat is the operational philosophy of a significant portion of one of our two major national political parties.

This is madness. You do not have to like or agree with everything the President has done in regards to Iraq to realize that we must win the battle there. There is no other real-world alternative. Yet Murtha is hardly speaking only for himself. He represents the thinking that will lead to disaster--again. Murtha deserves credit and honor for his distinguished service to our nation as a Marine in Vietnam. But this "Gray Hawk" deserves nothing but contempt for his current defeatist folly.