Murtha Calling Pentagon's Bluff

US Representative John Murtha needs our support to sustain his call of the Pentagon's bluff. Bush has rejected Congress's military spending bill and is now "accus[ing] Democrats of failing to support soldiers and their families," according to the Los Angeles Times.

The White House is trotting out Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell, and even a retired Army general, Montgomery C. Meigs, who claims that bomb squads will suffer almost immediately if Congress does not relent.

Murtha says these guys are lying. We need to rally to his side so that he'll keep it up.

According to the LA Times, "Pentagon officials advanced plans to lay off 200,000 civilians because of budget shortfalls, prompting Democratic charges of fear-mongering." Murtha said,

They're scaring people. They're scaring the families of the troops.

Murtha, formerly known as a military hawk, asked reporters at a Capitol Hill news conference:

Because the Pentagon says it, you believe it? You believe what the Pentagon says? All the things that they have told us: 'Mission accomplished,' 'Al Qaeda connection,' 'weapons of mass destruction,' on and on and on. And you believe the Pentagon?

No. We don't believe the Pentagon. It's time to call their bluff. The only way to stop this war is the No Legislation Alternative; send no funding bill to Bush and there's no bill to veto.

Take Action:

Contact the LA Times authors and urge them to follow up with Representative John Murtha.

peter.spiegell@atimes.com

julian.barnes@latimes.com

Contact Murtha and offer support on calling the Pentagon's bluff.
(202) 225-2065 (fill his voice mail box over the holiday weekend)
(202) 225-5709 fax

Contact other Media Outlets to indicate your support of Murtha and urge them to reflect your sentiment in their coverage.

Meanwhile...

Spiegel and Barns report, "Congress passed a separate $471-billion Defense Department budget, but that measure did not include the war costs." Compare that with Clinton and Bush 41 defense budgets:

During the 1992 Presidential campaign, Bill Clinton denounced George Bush - quite properly - for failing to recognize that the Cold War was over. But Clinton's $263 billion Defense Department budget is a mere $10 billion lower than that projected by the Bush Administration, and retains just about all of the silly or sinister weapons boondoggles from the Reagan/Bush era. [2]

Not all of that increase can be blamed on inflation. And to think that Hilary and Barak want to increase the size of our military [3].

Source:

1. Los Angeles Times, Pentagon officials move ahead on layoff plans in anticipation of funds drying up. Democrats say they're exaggerating, Peter Spiegel and Julian E. Barnes, November 21, 2007

2. The Progressive, Cold War - the sequel - Clinton Defense budget - Editorial, May 1993.

3. The Hill, ’08 hopefuls would grow the military, Roxana Tiron, May 02, 2007.