John Murtha Endorses Hillary Clinton

Washington Post:

Rep. John P. Murtha has announced his endorsement of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, bringing his clout as a 17-term member of the House and a prominent anti-war Democrat to bear with more than a month until the primary here in his home state.

"Sen. Clinton is the candidate that will forge a consensus on health care, education, the economy, and the war in Iraq," Murtha wrote in a statement about his decision.

Read the whole story: Washington Post

Comments

[zull2]

"Careful consideration"? What, like NOT reading the intelligence documents that the congresspeople who voted against the war read, then going off to vote for the war in order to not look "too liberal"?

Murtha is dead wrong on that one. Hillary Clinton has played a coward's game in order to avoid being "bullied" by the Republican majority for years in the Senate. She consistently failed to get her sponsored bills passed while in the Senate. All you have to do is to go back and watch her reaction to George W. Bush saying "the surge is working" even though everyone knows that was false (Al-Sadr had declared a temporary cease fire in Iraq that greatly reduced the overall violence for that time period). She jumped up and cheered, even though she knew it was wrong. THAT is what Murtha just endorsed.

[alaintex]

Murtha backs Hillary, then insists she pull out of the race.

Insists the dem primary is turning into a quagmire that can't be won.

Suggests Hillary redeploy over the horizon.

[PragmaticProgressive]

This endorsement brought to you by Pork - the other white meat.

[dbspcl]

You guys are hilarious. First Murtha was the darling of HuffPo and wrote damning editorials on the Bushscams. Now he endorses Hillary and he is the goat in the room. Textbook definition of brainwashing - anyone against Obama is a monster and doesn't know what they're talking about.

[SensibleAmerican]

So true DBSPCL although I am surprised your post got "approved"! Cluelessness and hypocrisy are the hallmarks of both, the right wing nuts and the far left loonies! Both hate each other but are eesentially two faces of the same coin ...

[the964kid]

Murtha clearly isn't the anti-Iraq War politician he claimed to be. But this endorsement has nothing to do with Iraq - I think it had a lot more to do with the pork futures of the US Congress under a Clinton administration vs that of an Obama administration. If how the candidates have run their own campaigns is any indication, then it's safe to assume that Murtha has concluded that Hillary would be better for "business." And by "business" I mean continued lack of transparency, record pork barrel spending (which Murtha has a healthy appetite for), and the continued running of the US congress by lobbyists and corporate america. Don't forget Murtha was caught on tape discussing bribes and pay-offs, this guy is an old school, smoke filled back room kinda politician who clearly is ready to take a pay off. Murtha knows where is money is - its with Clinton.

[DoninJoisey]

Correct. Murtha is definitely "old school" - the establishment. It has served him well. It hasn't served me well.

I don't like it, but I understand it.

[RaiderGreg]

Murtha is a politician. He's not looking for a savior. He likes to WIN elections. That's why he supports Hillary. It's just that simple. McCain wants another 100 years of war. It used to be the Democrats couldn't carry the south in a Presidential race. Murtha realizes that with Obama, they can't even carry the rust belt.

[TheJibreelaMonsters]

Operation Chao is working

[BigBen]

Politics is 1st. you get elected.2nd you institute change.

[flyguy14222]

Geez, how tranparent here on PuffPost. Had Murtha endorsed Obama it would have been a blaring headline for five days!

[nuglet304]

i just love the silliness of this site and some of its fanatics. you KNOW if murtha had endorsed obama:

a) the nasty-old-man-faced picture at the top of the article would have been drastically different, and much more appealing, and

b) there'd be considerable fawning all over the rep from pennsylvania by the same obama supporters who're demeaning him now.

guaranteed.

[MPeter]

Murtha is as tainted as they come. He is on tape negotiating kickbacks with some rich Arab Sheik for his Congressional District. He is the old school-type that has percted pork-barelling and fits quite nicely with the corruption in the Hillary Camp. Obama getting a Murtha endorsement would have been a negative. he brings nothing but old politics of backroom deals, flolicking with the Military Industrial Complex.

[ballewb]

I did not realize I was on a Republican web site . . . sorry.

[SensibleAmerican]

Jack Murtha is a "Sensible American" :-))

[LindaLee99]

I know what you mean, ballewb. It's sad, but now they are trashing Another great American. It is like the Republicans, isn't it?

And HuffPo had to find the craziest picture they could of Mr. Murtha. So sad. I'm glad sensible people can see through the one-sideness of this site; most don't read it.

[whatsmyname]

TO REFER TO MURTHA, AS A GREAT AMERICAN, IS TYPICAL OF YOUR MENTALITY AS EVERYONE KNOWS HE DIDN'T ACHIEVE MUCH RANK WHEN HE WAS IN THE -DOES THAT TELL YA ANYTHING? OF COURSE, YOU BEING A MAREEEN, WOULDN'T UNDERSTAND THE FOLLOWING: The mind is like a parachute, it only works when it's open. Get it? You probably call the bartender that gets your drink mixed right, a hero!

[ballewb]

let me open a can or worms by asking, why do you all support Obama so vehemently? I mean I realy enjoy his message about change and hope, but what policy, what issue, sets him apart from Clinton? I ask this without sarcasm or insult, so please answer that way.

[Trollstakeyourmeds]

'Cause he turns water into wine and parts seas for his followers.

[the964kid]

Hello ballewb you wrote: "let me open a can or worms by asking, why do you all support Obama so vehemently? I mean I realy enjoy his message about change and hope, but what policy, what issue, sets him apart from Clinton? I ask this without sarcasm or insult, so please answer that way."

LET ME TRY TO ANSWER THAT. OF COURSE I'M SPEAKING FOR MYSELF, AND IN GENERAL I HAVENT ATTACKED CLINTON SUPPORTERS IN A HEATED MANNER ALTHOUGH I HAVE DISAGREED WITH THEM OFTEN. THERE ARE SEVERAL REASONS WE OBAMA SUPPORTERS FEEL SO STRONGLY: 1) MOST OF US BELIEVE HE'S THE BEST POLITICIAN WE'VE SEEN IN OUR LIFETIMES SO OUR SUPPORT OF HIM IS MORE THEN YOU'D GENERALLY SEE FOR A TYPICAL POLITI CIAN'S VOTER-BASE; OBAMA IS MUCH MORE LIKE A SPIRITUAL LEADER IN THIS REGARD 2) I BELIEVE MANY OBAMA SUPPORTERS HAVE THE FEAR THAT THERE WILL BE AN ATTEMPT TO STEAL THIS RACE FROM OBAMA. IN 2000 A LOT OF DEMS STOOD BACK AND ASSUMED JUSTICE AND FAIRNESS WOULD WORK ITSELF OUT AND THEN WE WOKE UP AND SAW THE CONSERVATIVE SUPREME COURT STEAL THAT ELECTION AND GIVE IT TO BUSH. THAT LESSON WAS A TOUGH ONE, AND THE WORLD HAS SUFFERED AS A RESULT, OBAMA SUPPORTERS WILL NOT BE SITTING ON THE SIDELINES AND JUST ALLOW THE DEM ESTABLISHMENT GIVE IT TO THE PERSON THEY PICKED 2 YEARS AGO. OBAMA'S CANDIDACY IS OF AN OUTSIDER - HE'S THE UNDERDOG. AND 3) MANY OF US BECAME MORE HEATED WHEN WE SAW THE CLINTON CAMPAIGN ATTACKING HIM WITH THE KITCHEN SINK - AND THIS STARTED FAR BEFORE OHIO AND TEXAS, THATS BEEN THE CLINTON STRATEGY SINCE LOSING IOWA. MANY OF US BELIEVE THE CLINTONS ARE GUILTY OF: PLAYING LATINOS AGAINST BLACKS, CONSTANTLY TRYING TO MAKE RACE AN ISSUE WHEN IT WASNT PRIOR, ACCUSING OBAMA OF PLAGIARISM, ACCUSING HIM OF NOT ACTUALLY BEING AGAINST THE IRAQ WAR (SOMETHING WE FEEL STRONGLY AGAINST), AND SO MUCH MORE. WE SEE HILLARY AS TRULY REPRESENTING THE OLD STYLE OF CYNICAL POLITICS WHICH IS BASED ON OLD BATTLE LINES BETWEEN GENDERS, RACES, CLASS ETC; A STYLE THAT TRIES TO DESTROY THE OPPOSITION AND TALKS DOWN TO THE VOTERS AS IF WE ARE CHILDREN. IT'S ALSO CLEARLY GENERATIONAL DIFFERENCE ASWELL, AND MANY OF US OBAMA SUPPORTERS DESPERATELY WANT AMERICA TO MOVE PAST THAT STYLE OF POLITICS. OBVIOUSLY I COULD WRITE A BOOK HERE (MAYBE I DID) BUT I WANTED TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION FULLY - I HOPE THATS HELPFUL FOR YOU. I LOOK FORWARD TO THE DAYS WHERE ALL OF US CAN AGREE TO DISAGREE IN A NON CONFRONTATIONAL MANNER. BUT RIGHT NOW THERE ARE TOO MANY PERSONALLY AND EMOTIONALLY INVESTED IN THIS BATTLE. I'M SURE IT WILL STAY HOT UNTIL CLINTON BOWS OUT...

[Brooklynindy]

Hi Ballewb,

I'll start off by stating that I'm an Obama supporter, but I believe that we have two outstanding candidates to choose from, and if Hillary Clinton is nominated, I will vote for her in November. Second, please know that the vitriolic Hillary-hating pro-Obama posts here on HuffPost are not representative of the majority of Obama supporters, just as the anti-Obama Hillaryite posts here are not representative of the majority.

You ask why one would support Obama ardently. Here's my reason, from a previous post:

I support Obama because I strongly believe, from years of following Obama (I've been watching him since 1991) that his foreign policy is superior to Clinton's or McCains. He has both the vision and ability to reduce international tensions on many fronts. If he is able to do so, the repercussions will be wide-ranging for the United States: a reduced threat of terrorism, which leads to reduced military spending, which leads to increased domestic spending on items such as infrastructure, a national health plan, shoring up Medicare and Social Security, Education, etcetera, etcetera.

The world is inevitably becoming multi-polar, with the European Union, China, and the U.S. as equally balanced powers, while U.S. foreign policy is still conducted as if we had just exited the Cold War. Obama is the candidate most likely to bring us a smooth transition to this new reality, where the U.S. will need to share power. Clinton and McCain will both maintain status quo. If foreign policy status quo is maintained, the U.S. will experience a far quicker and greater loss of power and economic well-being than it would if the transition were effectively managed.

On Domestic Policy, there's a hairsbreadth difference between the two, and they'll both manage domestic issues well.

I respect Clinton, she'll do a great job if she becomes president, just not the best possible.

[peskyliberal]

What issue that sets him apart for Clinton? I can think of one: The little dust up in the Middle East. I am sure you have heard of it. It's been going strong for 5 years at a cost of 3 trillion dollars and more importantly the lost of 4,000 soliders and at least a Million Iraq lives.

That's a major difference.

[majseventh]

Obama said he doesn't know how he would have voted if he was in the Senate at the time. People are tired of this reason for Obama. It is not enough to say something in a speech and then do nothing. He could have been looking into Afganistan with hearings but he didn't. He doesn't even have a plan to get us out of Iraq or Afganistan.
George Bush, Cheney, Rice and Rumsfeld got us in the war and kept us there.

[whatsmyname]

Ballewb, it ain't no-can-of-worms, it's very simple, really: As Bob Mitchum, stated to the crooked official, in the movie Thunder Road when he squashed the ole farts hat, "I don't fix for anyone!" And, that is(one reason) why OBama, is so popular. He doesn't have any crumbs on his hands from the proverbial cookie jar of politics. Meantime, Clintons, dredges up memories of Janet Reno, Bosnia (remember he said we'd be only stayin a few months?) Vince Foster, Whitewater, Airline ticket scandal. Oh, does the name Abramson (of lobby fame) ring a bell, not to mention all the lies and more lies and the bogging the country down with his scandal, then what about the millions of pork she just recently "dropped" on her homies. Oh, and you might want to read up on the latest "trick" Bill's pulled involving the rich mining due from Canada and pne of those countries that broke away from Putinville a few years back. But back to Hillary; when she visited Seattle, pushing her health plan she turned people off and it wasn't her breath. Abrasive, coarse, mean-spirited best explain the real HRC. Further, you know full well, a Commander is only as good as the people he lets in the tent. Granted, they can't start the meeting without him but he doesn't brief them -THEY BRIEF HIM. So, when you look at the Senator from Illinois, get past the skin tone. And maybe once in your life you can prove to yourself, you ain't biased.

[Horst]

Murtha laways looks like he is going to blow a head gasket.

[Mollye]

John Murtha is one of the most respected men in Congress. His endorsement is a great honor.

[Bystander]

I bet Nancy Pelosi will take him to the woodshed!

[nochickenhawk]

Murtha was the great white hope after November '06. He was going to get us out of Iraq, but then the Republicans silenced him. I think they have too much on him. His endorsement means zilch.