Murtha-f***er

After returning from a trip to Iraq, Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) remarked on Thursday that the surge of troops in the region "is working," a decidedly far cry from his prior stance that the increase was a "failed policy wrapped in an illusion." Murtha's unexpected change of heart came as House Democrats battled with the Bush administration over attaching withdrawal deadlines to a $50 billion war funding bill, a struggle that continued through Friday. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Ca.) -- no doubt beside herself with white, hot rage -- declined to comment.

As much as I hate to say it, this is a perfect example of how Democrats go out of their way to be unelectable. The Republicans maintained control of Congress for 12 years -- when their biggest accomplishments were impeaching Bill Clinton for getting a beej and miring us in an ill-advised war -- in large part because they stayed together and they stayed on message. Honestly, if you can't control your own party members, how can you be trusted to run an entire country?

Still, the Democrats can't let the Republicans put them on the defensive now. Because even if the surge is working, it doesn't change the fact that this war was based on false intelligence, or that it has catapulted this nation $9 trillion into debt and cost the lives of 4,000 soldiers. The truth is that this change in strategy should have come four years ago, when the White House was busy ignoring its top advisers. The idea that, just because they may have finally done something right, we're now supposed to stand up and cheer for the Bush administration is kind of ridiculous -- it's like tipping your waitress extra for going back to the kitchen when she screwed up your order.

Murtha's comments, which he has since tried to back away from, aren't exactly helpful but they'll probably be forgotten pretty quickly. In fact, according to a New York Times article published last Sunday, the Democratic presidential candidates had already begun to "shift their tone" on Iraq due to reports of decreased violence a week ago. What should not be forgotten, however, is that if the Democrats want to win in November, they're going to have do so as a united -- and organized -- front, a notion that is easily lost in the chaos of primary season.

After all, you don't win races by tripping over your own feet.


Sources:
As Democrats See Security Gains in Iraq, Tone Shifts [NYT]
Murtha's comments on 'surge' are a problem for House Democrats [Politico]
Pelosi won't budge on troop pullback dates in war funding bill [CNN]