Murtha War Fighter: Fighting for the Soul of America

By Brad Clemenson and Jim Penna

The war in Iraq is not going as advertised. It is a flawed policy wrapped in illusion. With those words, the late Congressman John P. Murtha set America on a new course. War is about killing, he said, and even in war, killing leaves shadows on the soul. He said torture sears the soul of those who do it and those who witness it. In campaigning for Democrats to take control of Congress in 2006, he said, Were fighting for the soul of America. That fight was partly about getting American troops out of the crossfire of Iraqs civil war. It was also a fight to end the vicious name-calling of politics and allow America to have an open, civil discussion about our direction. The Pennsylvania Congressman forced President Reagan to fund stinger missiles so the Afghan rebels could beat the Soviets, which ultimately brought down the Berlin Wall. He convinced many Democrats to back Operation Desert Storm in 1991. On national security, he supported every president, Republican and Democrat, over thirty-six years in Congress; every president, that is, until George W. Bush rebuked and ignored him. His courage moved America beyond the false patriotism that had silenced voices as leaders feared being called cowards or soft on terrorism. He stirred more controversy when, after talking with the Marine Corps Commandant, he said that Marines had killed innocent civilians in cold blood. I think Murthas the kind of guy who makes Capitol Hill and Congress and the Constitution work, said Chris Matthews, host of Hardball on MSNBC. The statutes dont make government work. Theyre nice statutes but they dont do anything, they guide you but theyre just there. Its the living people that make democracy and our government work.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1432786997
• ISBN13: 9781432786991
• Release Date: May 2012
• Publisher: Outskirts Press
• Length: 275 Pages
• Weight: 0.97 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"