- It's difficult to remember now, given everything that has happened since then, but Murtha and the rest of his colleagues came to Washington as reformers in the wake of the Watergate scandal. Murtha was unusual in that he was a Vietnam veteran and had served with great distinction and there was much hope that he might be a leader of the group, a group that also included a Norbertine Order Catholic priest named Robert Cornell, who represented my home district, WI-8.
- Fr. Cornell left office in 1978, but John Murtha stayed on. And he soon became involved in the Abscam scandal. He managed to survive that and ended up serving 18 full terms in the Congress, becoming a porkmeister extraordinaire who survived by funneling ample federal largesse to his home district, while making occasional social conservative noises to deflect attention to the larger reality that he was part of the gang.
- Murtha came to prominence late in his career when he became an outspoken critic of the war in Iraq. Because he was a Marine, his words carried far more weight than the typical Congresscritter. Unfortunately, his words were thoughtless and, in the case of his fellow Marines at Haditha, outright slander. My friend Leo Pusateri and his colleagues have amply documented Murtha's career at the Murtha Must Go blog.
So what do we make of this American life? I do not know the condition of Murtha's soul and must presume that a merciful God will welcome the Congressman. The larger issue is that a man can spend nearly 40 years in the Congress. He's hardly alone -- there are plenty of old bulls roaming the halls there. John Dingell has been there for over 50 years. Congressional seats should not be sinecures and it's up to the voters to look for new leadership from time to time. Congressman Murtha came to Washington to reform it, but instead he became part of the thing. His nearly 40-year career deformed him, deformed his district and further impoverished our politics. That's a legacy I'd wish on no one. I pray for his family and thank Congressman Murtha for his long service to the nation, but I regret the results of it. RIP.
7 comments:
Murtha may have passed, but his pork will live on to haunt our country for decades...
he was a pig.
commending him for his service is like sayin judas was good freind of Christ and strong in his faith.
somethings we commit outweigh the good we have done earlier.
He spent millions to build a nice airport by his hometown. Now that he's dead, no one will use it. It's not our jobs to judge his soul, but I have to say, I'm with Gino on this one. Murtha's "legacy" represents everything that is wrong with our federal government today.
I don't disagree with y'all; what I guess I'm trying to say is that the problem lies with the larger culture in Washington. Murtha was no different than David Obey or John Dingell; to paraphrase Jack Nicholson's Joker, Washington needs an enema.
...Washington needs an enema
But now that Murtha's gone, where will they insert it?
Yes, I know, that's very cheap and tacky, and I also know that D.C. is a strange animal with no shortage of output orifices to keep pumping out the...whatever it is they pump out...until we're up to our ears in it. In this, however, Murtha was the Grand "Poo"-bah.
I won't assume, however, that all of his actions and decisions throughout his life were cynical and self-serving. Nor do I know the pressures and temptations he faced.
We may all like to think we would stay true to our principles in the face of evil, but persecution is easier to withstand than seduction. The Bible says we are all lead astray by our own desires. It also says that there is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is destruction. Perhaps it's best to view Rep. Murtha's life as an example and a warning for ourselves and heed the words of Micah 6:8 - "you know, oh man, what is good and what is required of you; to love mercy, act justly and walk humbly with your God." May John Murtha be judged with the same measure of mercy that I would hope to receive myself one day.
Perhaps it's best to view Rep. Murtha's life as an example and a warning for ourselves and heed the words of Micah 6:8 - "you know, oh man, what is good and what is required of you; to love mercy, act justly and walk humbly with your God." May John Murtha be judged with the same measure of mercy that I would hope to receive myself one day.
Amen, NW.
NW: so, in short...
you still think he was pig?
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