Question Details	Asked By	Asked On
Timetable	jackreade	06/09/06
"Representative John P. Murtha, a Pennsylvania Democrat and former marine who has become a fierce critic of the Iraq war, said now that a "real thorn" in the side of the Americans has been removed, Iraqi forces were trained and a government was in place, the Bush administration should compose a timetable for the withdrawal of American troops. "We cannot win this," he said in an interview on CNN. "It is a civil war they are involved in. Al Qaeda is a small part of this." He added, "We have Sunnis fighting Shiites and the Americans are caught in between." The insurgency and violence in Iraq is fueled by a complicated fabric of foreign fighters, Saddam Hussein loyalists and other groups, while most recently, militias have been blamed for sectarian strife." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ American soldiers caught up in a civil war? Do you agree with Murtha that a timetable is needed?
Clarification/Follow-up by Itsdb on 06/09/06 8:46 pm: >>Words "puke all over Murtha" in the first sentence; not interested in reading the rest.<< And this differs in your usual refusal to consider the facts and evidence how?
Answered By		Answered On
Itsdb		06/09/06
I saw that installment of CNN's Murtha marathon last night and it made wanna puke all over Murtha. Transcript: ROBERTS: Congressman Murtha, thanks for being with us. Always a pleasure to talk to you, sir. REP. JOHN MURTHA (D), PENNSYLVANIA: Good to be on the show. ROBERTS: Do you see this as a turning point in Iraq or a potential turning point? What do you think the result of Zarqawi's death is going to be? MURTHA: I think it's significant. But also, I think that the way it was handled was significant. It was Iraqi intelligence coming to the Iraqis and then coming to the U.S. forces. And the U.S. forces in coordination with Iraqi forces went in and took him out. I think that's the important part of it. And the other significant thing that happened today that got lost in this, is the interior minister and defense minister. So, I think it's a significant day. Now is it a turning point? Certainly not. This is a very small part of the opposition. We're caught in a civil war, and there's no way to overlook that. Casualties have increased in the last six months. Incidents have increased. We just have to wait and see if this will have a significant impact on the number of casualties and the amount of money we're having to spend in Iraq. ROBERTS: When you say that it's a significant day, exactly how significant do you think Zarqawi's death is? MURTHA: I've been saying this over and over again, that al Qaeda is a very small portion of the opposition that we're facing in Iraq. There are about 1,000 people or less. They keep telling me -- the CIA keeps telling me, probably even less than that. So, al Qaeda is a very small part. It's a civil war with 100,000 Shias and 20,000 Sunnis. So that's what we really are facing and we're caught in between this civil war. That's why I say the only people who can solve this are the Iraqis, and our troops have become the target. So this is significant, but the most significant part is that the intelligence came from the Iraqis to our forces. Now, this could have happened from outside. People say, well, you see, we stayed there. No, this was from the air, two bombs were dropped. So there's no question -- from an F-16. So there's no question about this, it could have happened from outside. ROBERTS: You mentioned, Congressman Murtha, that another significant development today was the appointment of a defense and interior minister. Let me quote what you said this morning in a press release. You said, "With the appointment of Defense and Interior Ministers, we should be able to substantially reduce our presence in Iraq and re-deploy our military outside of the country." The question I have is that this appears to be a successful example of perseverance by the U.S. military in getting Zarqawi. It seems to represent a pretty good level of cooperation with the Iraqi intelligence, the Iraqi forces, in getting him. They're making headway. So with that in mind, is this the appropriate time to be talking about pulling troops out? MURTHA: Yes, I think it is. I think the Iraqis have to take over this operation. The reason I say that, 67 percent of the people that are killed in Iraq are coming from explosive devices. So we're the target of those explosive devices. They know the impact that it has. Al Qaeda wants us there because it helps them recruit people. ROBERTS: Congressman, I want to ask you about a new development in the Haditha investigation. CNN, yesterday reported that we had seen some photographs that were taken soon after the deaths of 24 Iraqi civilians. Some of the photographs showed that some Iraqi civilians had been shot inside their homes at close range. What do you make of that new evidence? MURTHA: Well, I think that they're still doing the investigation. I've said from everything I heard, it's a tragic event and these troops are so stressed and they sometimes crack. And I'm afraid that's what happened in this case. ROBERTS: Congressman, do you still stand by your assertion that it appears as though Marines killed Iraqi civilians quote, "in cold blood"? MURTHA: Oh, there's no question about it. From the earlier reports that I got -- that's why the commandant went over there, to talk to the troops and to make sure they understand you have to try to protect noncombatants. Our whole mission is to try to win Iraqis to our side, win the hearts and minds. When something like this happens, it sets us back terribly. I want to ask Murtha some questions. If yesterday was significant, especially with the cooperation between US troops and Iraqis, why is it not a turning point? If "al Qaeda is a very small portion of the opposition," who is the rest of the opposition and what impact are they having against the coalition? What has the impact been from that 'very small' al Qaeda contingency? If "we're the target," then why were there 69 coalition deaths but roughly 700 Iraqi civilian deaths in May due to roadside bombs, tortures, executions, etc.? You say, "this could have happened from outside" and I agree, so should it be US policy to retreat and watch Iraq self-destruct - while 'dropping in' from time to time as 'opportunity' presents? You say, "Al Qaeda wants us there because it helps them recruit people." What impact does your public assessment of our Marines as "cold blooded" murderers have on recruitment? You say, "there's no question about it" that Marines killed in Hadithat "in cold blood." Seeing as how there has been no conviction yet, would you care to disown your "Wings of Justice Award"? The saying goes "there are no ex-Marines," do you still stand by the Marine code of conduct, particularly Article VI, "I will never forget that I am an American, fighting for freedom, responsible for my actions, and dedicated to the principles which made my country free"? Since "our whole mission is to try to win Iraqis to our side" as you say, which is more effective, to demand we cut and run while convicting your brothers in arms as you do, or emulate Ambassador Khalilzad? What may have changed the Americans' luck was U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad's efforts to mend relations with Iraq's minority Sunni Arabs, alienated by the U.S. invasion and by the new Shiite-dominated government. "Khalilzad shaped the environment so they could open lines of infiltration," O'Connell said. You say, "when something like this (Haditha) happens, it sets us back terribly." What example does your conviction of Marines in the press set in regards to justice for a fledgling democracy? I'd like to hear your answers Mr. Murtha.

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