Murtha's Marine Mistakes

Rep. John Murtha, D-Pennsylvania, is once again embroiled in a sad case where he spoke before making sure all his bases were covered. Along with Time magazine, Murtha made accusations that 8 U.S. Marines committed murder in Haditha, Iraq. Supposedly this occurred as some sort of revenge spree.

After legal proceedings costing you, the Average Joe Taxpayer, over $40 million dollars, it seems it was all bunk. It's bad enough that Murtha earns his daily dime by "serving" the citizens of Pennsylvania, but do we really need to fund his grandstanding efforts to get his name in the daily news cycle?

But what is it with Murtha and the U.S. Marine Corp, really? It seems that this isn't the first time Murtha has waved his Marine banner for political gain.

Indeed, according to CNSNews.com, Murtha served in Vietnam and walked away with two purple hearts. Unfortunately, they were made at the same factory as John Kerry's medals. In other words, not only were the "combat injuries" mere scratches, but he even had to shop around in an attempt to get the medals awarded (U.S. Rep. John Saylor, R-Pa.).

This sort of political behavior is pathetic, really. Real heros don't have to shop for medals, they're awarded. Real heros don't ruin real Marine's careers for the sake of fleeting political gain, either. Shame on you John Murtha. And shame on you, Time magazine.