Murtha straight talk express

I saw Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.) call for the troops to come home from Iraq. At last someone is talking straight to us. His tough, arid words cut through the sandstorm of spin that seems to shroud all public conversations about Iraq. I am not sure if I agree with Murtha, but his honesty and directness are much needed in our country.

If there ever was, there is not now an honest broker for the case for staying in Iraq left in the Bush administration. It is undoubtedly because the case for going to Iraq was so irrevocably flawed. Combine a broken case for war with the unpallatable truth that our government's post-invasion actions have birthed a failed state and the meaning of the phrase "between a rock and a hard place" becomes immediately clear. Yet do we not need to salvage a respectable exit out of Bush's mess? I think we do. We need to find a way to claim victory and leave.

Right now the way is hidden. The definition of victory has eluded everyone - Republicans, Democrats, independents, think tanks. A vigorous debate about the problem will be required. In that debate, many will seek to advise us. Some, like Murtha, will debate the problem, not the character of those suggesting different solutions than his. Some, like Anne Coulter will do the opposite:

The Democrats are giving aid and comfort to the enemy for no purpose other than giving aid and comfort to the enemy. There is no plausible explanation for the Democrats' behavior other than that they long to see U.S. troops shot, humiliated, and driven from the field of battle.

They fill the airwaves with treason, but when called to vote on withdrawing troops, disavow their own public statements. These people are not only traitors, they are gutless traitors.

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Republican rhetoric hasn't been that far behind Coulter's vicious sludge. That, more than anything, should clue you in to the fact that the same folks that brought you this horrendous war fully intend to go down with the ship.