A Rhetorical Tribute to John Murtha

Rep. John Murtha (D-PN) died today at the age of 77. A powerful congressman and respected military hawk, Murtha's sudden and dramatic call for a troop withdrawal from Iraq in 2005 stunned the political establishment. Although Murtha's coziness with defense contractors often raised ethical questions, his Iraq address was a lightning bolt strike against the war's legitimacy. He memorably described Iraq as a "flawed policy wrapped in illusion." The full text of that speech can be found in this earlier post from November of 2005.