Missing The Point On Murtha

Christoper Hitchens, Bill O'Reilly, and everyone else attacking Jack Murtha are missing the major point of him speaking out. He didn’t on a whim decide to call for a strategic withdrawal from Iraq. Murtha, a decorated Marine and Vietnam vet, has extremely close ties with military leaders. It is very safe to say that his proposals echo those of the military commanders in Iraq. It’s no great leap of imagination to think that Murtha went forward at their urging. Commanders in the field are not able to simply spout their opinions publicy, so they need a credible proxy like Jack Murtha. To wit:

Because he is known as a friend and champion of officers at the Pentagon and in the war zone, it is widely believed in Congress that Murtha often speaks for those in uniform and could be echoing what U.S. commanders in the field and in the Pentagon are saying privately about the conflict.

Whenever you read a criticism of Jack Murtha, just mentally substitute “military commanders” for Murtha’s name. You’ll see how ridiculous and arrogant the argument becomes.

So, if Hitchens and his ilk want to attack the commanders actually fighting, they should say so, and maybe give them some suggestions on how to fight and tell them what is going on on the ground. After all, they're much smarter than the commanders, right?