When the Swiftboaters attacked thrice wounded combat veteran John Kerry, accusing him of having been honored by his country under false pretenses despite the fact that not a single one of them were actually present during any of the contested events – the American public started to wonder if, maybe, there was a pattern.
A few days ago Rep. Jean Schmidt called Rep. John Murtha a coward. Just for clarification, I’ll briefly quote from Wikipedia concerning John P. Murtha’s military career.
By any account, Rep Murtha is a righteous badass. His patriotism is above reproach. His courage is beyond question.Wikipedia wrote: He left Washington and Jefferson College in 1952 to join the Marines during the Korean War. There he earned the American Spirit Honor Medal. He rose through the ranks to become a drill instructor at Parris Island and was selected for Officer Candidate School at Quantico, Virginia. He then was assigned to the Second Marine Division, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. In 1959, then Captain Murtha took command of the 34th Special Infantry Company, Marine Corps Reserves, in Johnstown. He remained in the Reserves after his discharge from active duty until he volunteered for service in Vietnam in 1966-67, receiving the Bronze Star with Combat "V", two Purple Hearts and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. He remained in the Reserves until his retirement as a colonel in 1990, receiving the Navy Distinguished Service Medal.
I’m not naive enough to buy what I’m being told from the sound bites coming off of Capitol Hill. A Representative in her first year doesn’t call out a 30 year veteran of the House of Representatives on the House floor because she thinks it will make a pleasant topic for conversation over the Thanksgiving break. Under the explicit instructions of her party’s president, however, things might be different. Murtha’s position change on the Iraq war headlined because of his military experience. If Schmidt didn’t know he was a Marine, she’s dumber than everyone thinks.
