Why should we not be surprised by this naked threat against the Defense Department by corrupt DemocratICK Congressman John Murtha?

February 10, 2007 -- Perhaps the flap over Speaker Nancy Pelosi's plane wouldn't be so bad - had she and her trusty sidekick, Rep. Jack Murtha (D-Pa.), not reacted so obnoxiously.

When the Pentagon didn't immediately honor the request of the self-proclaimed "most powerful woman in America" for a top-of-the-line Air Force passenger jet, Pelosi deployed the "s"-word: sexism.

"As a woman, as a woman speaker of the House, I don't want any less of an opportunity than male speakers when they have served here," she said.

Pelosi then implied that the Pentagon was getting even with her:

"Why are they [the Pentagon] feeding the flames? Of course, I have been a constant critic - for nearly three years, I've called for the resignation of Donald Rumsfeld, who still has a desk at the Department of Defense . . ."

Then the thuggish, ethically challenged Murtha weighed in - saying it would be a "mistake" to deny her request, "since she decides on the allocations for the Department of Defense."

* * *

"I don't need to pressure them. I just tell them what they need to do," Murtha said of his efforts to secure from the Pentagon a plane for Pelosi.

As more information comes out, I'm progressively more willing to give Pelosi a pass -- it appears that it wasn't her or her staff who asked for the larger plane to be at her full-time disposal. But Murtha's words are more troubling.

Especially since this isn't the first time he has tried crap like this.

Murtha's history of manipulating defense appropriations for personal gain is long and distinguished. In a 1989 defense bill, then-Speaker Tom Foley was shamed into redlining a Murtha-authored provision requiring the speaker have a C-20 jet available at all times.

And, of course, there is his cozy relationship with Defense industry lobbyists who feather his nest, and with companies that are clients of his brother's company.

Thuggish and corrupt -- those are two of the words that best describe John Murtha. I'll refrain from using the other one that comes to mind.

Posted by: Greg at 12:44 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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