282 online
 
Most Popular Choices
Share on Facebook 62 Printer Friendly Page More Sharing Summarizing
OpEdNews Op Eds   

Forum with Congressmen Moran and Murtha Packs Hall, 500 Turned Away

By       (Page 1 of 1 pages)   No comments

David Swanson
Follow Me on Twitter     Message David Swanson
Become a Fan
  (138 fans)
A town hall forum hosted by Congressman Jim Moran and featuring Congressman Jack Murtha packed a large room in Arlington, Va., Thursday evening, and filled an overflow room, and had to turn away another 500 people. The media was well represented.

Audio: MP3. 75.7 MB, over an hour.

Photo album.

Both Moran and Murtha spoke strongly in support of ending the war as quickly as possible and pulling all U.S. troops out of Iraq. Murtha complained repeatedly that the Bush Administration contributes only "rhetoric" and no "substance" to this debate.

"Sixty to eighty percent of Iraqis want us out," Murtha said. "And 45 pecent say it's justified to kill Americans. The State Department's own polls say the same thing. It's time to let Iraqis take over this effort. Let them solve their own problems, as we did in the revolutionary war."

"A number of senators running for president called me," Murtha added. "I told them there were two policies. One is redeployment. The other is the President's 'stay the course.' And they're in between. I told them they're missing an opportunity to show leadership. They're so hesitant to take a position."

Two long lines formed behind two microphones through which members of the audience could pose questions. One man asked what the real reason had been for the war. Murtha replied that he himself had believed there were WMDs, that he had been misled by the CIA, that Bush ought to have fired George Tenet, and that at this point it doesn't matter what the reason was for the war.

Moran said that he did not support the war because he didn't trust the intelligence about the WMDs: "It was not verifiable. It wasn't even current." Also, Saddam Hussein had nothing to do with the attack on the U.S., Moran said, and "There were no terroirist operations going on in Iraq.... And you don't go to war without a plan to win the peace."

Someone asked: "Are we building permanent military bases in Iraq?" Murtha said no. Moran said no, but we have spent $700 million on an embassy.

In response to another question, Moran addressed the idea that withdrawal would result in chaos. "The insurgents are primarily Iraqis," he said. "And foreign terrorists will be booted out once it's not in the Sunnis' interest to have them there."

A veteran of the war asked "How come there hasn't been an investigation of the fraudulent lead-up to the war by this administration? Murtha gave a nonanswer.

Another vet asked "Why not impeach Bush-Cheney?" That question resulted in by far the loudest and longest applause of the evening -- an extended period of foot-stomping, hooting, and hollering. Murtha gave a nonanswer. Moran replied that "impeachment is inconsistent with the democratic process." When this led to boos and hisses and shouts of "It's in the Constitution!" Moran added that impeachment "is not going to happen" in the current Congress, as if he were watching from the stands and not himself a Member of Congress.

Another member of the audience asked whether either congressman supported Congressman Dennis Kucinich's bill to create a cabinet-level Department of Peace. Both gave non-answers.

At one point, Murtha said, "I support what we did in Fallujah, because we're saving American lives."

Another questioner asked about the Downing Street Memo and whether Democrats might consider making a lot of noise about the fact that "the intelligence wasn't wrong, it was a lie." According to this person, "people might then back the Democrats."

Murtha agreed, and said "The Democrats need to get off their hind legs and not be afraid to speak!"

136 Events Like This One All Over Country on Saturday:
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/event
Rate It | View Ratings

David Swanson Social Media Pages: Facebook page url on login Profile not filled in       Twitter page url on login Profile not filled in       Linkedin page url on login Profile not filled in       Instagram page url on login Profile not filled in

David Swanson is the author of "When the World Outlawed War," "War Is A Lie" and "Daybreak: Undoing the Imperial Presidency and Forming a More Perfect Union." He blogs at http://davidswanson.org and http://warisacrime.org and works for the online (more...)
 
Go To Commenting
The views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
Follow Me on Twitter     Writers Guidelines

 
Contact AuthorContact Author Contact EditorContact Editor Author PageView Authors' Articles
Support OpEdNews

OpEdNews depends upon can't survive without your help.

If you value this article and the work of OpEdNews, please either Donate or Purchase a premium membership.

STAY IN THE KNOW
If you've enjoyed this, sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter to get lots of great progressive content.
Daily Weekly     OpEd News Newsletter
Name
Email
   (Opens new browser window)
 

Most Popular Articles by this Author:     (View All Most Popular Articles by this Author)

Obama's Open Forum Opens Possibilities

Public Forum Planned on Vermont Proposal to Arrest Bush and Cheney

The Question of a Ukraine Agreement Is Not a Question

Feith Dares Obama to Enforce the Law

Did Bush Sr. Kill Kennedy and Frame Nixon?

Can You Hold These 12 Guns? Don't Shoot Any Palestinians. Wink. Wink.

To View Comments or Join the Conversation:

Tell A Friend