Earmarks From the Crypt

So you thought when John Murtha died that the endless stream of pork heading to his district would cease? Not so fast, my friends, not so fast.

Behold Zombie Murtha.

In these times when it is fashionable to be ostensibly austere, the Senate omnibus spending bill has drawn considerable criticism for being larded up with pork projects -- some of which is emanating from lawmakers who put the earmarks there themselves. And in this reporter's view, it's only fitting that Rep. John P. Murtha, D-Johnstown, was able to get an earmark into the bill from beyond the grave.

The John P. Murtha Foundation, initiated after the 18-term appropriator's Feb. 8 death, is in line to get a $10 million earmark for the Murtha Center for Public Service at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. You may recall that the state also chipped in $10 million for the Murtha Center, which was proposed as a 25,000-square-foot place to keep Murtha's old papers with museum, classroom, office and meeting space. The Murtha museum, foundation member and former Murtha aide Matt Mazonkey tells us, is less than 10 percent of the total space.

With any luck we may be spared this travesty.

John Murtha Was Unavailable for Comment

It's a shame he had to go and die before seeing the last of the Haditha Marines he slandered exonerated. It really is. Maybe before his parting he'd have had a valediction and offered an apology for his perfidy.

The defense for the last Marine facing criminal charges in the fatal shooting of 24 Iraqi civilians in Haditha in 2005 won a key ruling Tuesday that could lead to the case being dropped.

Lt. Col. David Jones, the military judge, ruled that attorneys for Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich had successfully shown that there was the possibility of what the military calls undue command influence in the decision by a general to send Wuterich to a court martial.

Jones' ruling requires that prosecutors prove beyond a reasonable doubt that no such influence existed or that, while it may have existed, it did not influence the general's decision.

Faced with a similar ruling in the case of another Marine charged in the Haditha killings, prosecutors could not meet the burden of proof to the judge's satisfaction. After losing an appeal, the Marine Corps dismissed charges against Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani.

Jones set a hearing for Wednesday to hear any evidence prosecutors want to present. Maj. Nicholas Gannon, one of the prosecutors, said he was "99.9% sure" that he has no further evidence.
...
Wuterich, 30, showed no emotion when Jones issued his ruling.

Neal Puckett, one of Wuterich's attorneys, said his client "is in good spirits. He hasn't complained at all. He loves the Marine Corps and wants to make it a career."

Another of his attorneys, Haytham Faraj, said it was to the Marine Corps' credit that Mattis was ordered to undergo cross-examination about the case.

Of eight Marines charged in late 2006 in connection with the killings, six had their cases dismissed and one was found not guilty. Wuterich was the squad leader when Marines began searching nearby buildings after a roadside bomb killed one Marine and injured two.

Yet nobody, including Murtha while he was still alive, has ever offered them an apology.

Murtha 'Survived' Bush, But Not Surgery

I think it's fair to say most folks treated John Murtha's passing Monday with respect and tried not to make a political issue out of it.

Leave it to the New York Daily News to use the occasion to take a childish cheapshot at George W. Bush.

Stay classy.

H/T Brendan.

John Murtha Dead

We noted John Murtha was in intensive care last week and it received little attention in the news. Well, now word is he's passed away, according to Fox News.

It's on the wires now.

More here.

Pennsylvania Democratic Rep. John Murtha, the first veteran of the Vietnam war and one of the most powerful lawmakers in Congress, died Wednesday morning at Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, VA, after complications from gallbladder surgery. Murtha was 77.

Wednesday morning? Huh?

From Politico:

Rep. John Murtha, one of the most powerful members of the House, who served four decades representing western Pennsylvania, has died at 77.


Murtha was the longest serving member of the Pennsylvania delegation – a milestone he passed just this past Saturday. He had been hospitalized in recent weeks with a gall bladder infection, and died Monday afternoon at Virginia Hospital Center at 1:18 p.m., his office said in a statement.

Murtha in Intensive Care, Political Future Murky

This could surely be the perfect excuse for Democrats to ease the corrupt John Murtha out of the way.

Rep. John Murtha is now in a Virginia hospital's intensive care unit after unexpected complications from gallbladder surgery last week, his spokesman confirmed this morning.

Murtha, 77, had been suffering from gallbladder pain and problems in December and arranged to have the organ removed last week at Bethesda Naval Hospital. A spokesman for the Pennsylvania Democrat declined to discuss the seriousness of the situation that sent Murtha back to another hospital's intensive care unit.

"Congressman Murtha underwent a scheduled laparoscopic surgery to remove his gallbladder last week," his spokesman Matt Mazonkey said. "Complications did arise from the surgery and he is currently at the Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington."

While politically safe in his Pennsylvania seat, Murtha nationally is seen as a symbol of the old guard Democrat pork monsters, hugely unpopular these days and, along with Charles Rangel and Nancy Pelosi, lightning rods of greed and unethical behavior so rampant in Congress during the past several years. Still while seemingly unbeatable in is own seat, a number of Pennsylvania seats are up for grabs this fall.

Without Murtha seeking re-election, however, the district would be extremely competitive. In 2008, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) carried it by less than 1,000 votes (out of more than 260,000 cast) while Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) won the 12th by a narrow 51 percent to 49 percent margin four years earlier. The trend line in the district is not moving in the right direction for Democrats, however, as the Vice President Al Gore carried Murtha's seat with 55 percent in 2000.

Republicans believe Pennsylvania is shaping up as very friendly territory for them. The party has united behind state Attorney General Tom Corbett in the governor's race and former Rep. Pat Toomey in the Senate contest. On the House side, Republicans see Pennsylvania's 4th, 7th, 8th, 10th and 11th districts as potential pickup opportunities. Democrats see the 6th and 15th districts are chances for them to gain Republican-held seats in the fall.

Murtha Shows How You "Git R Done"

Representative John "Earmark King" Murtha shows us how the Democrats will be running things from now on. I don't know the date this occurred, but it shows you how the Dems have the power to run rough shod over us, the Constitution, and shove any piece of legislation they want into law.

The Noose Tightens: Murtha Pal Cops a Plea

How long until the corrupt Democrat John Murtha starts whining about vast right-wing conspiracies?

Can't be long. He's going to need a good excuse when his own indictment is handed down.

A former executive of a Pennsylvania defense firm with close ties to Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.) has agreed to plead guilty to taking bribes from a partner defense company and is cooperating in a federal investigation of Pentagon contracting, records show.

Richard Ianieri, the former president of Coherent Systems International, agreed in court filings to admit that he took $200,000 in bribes from officials at a firm the company hired as a subcontractor. The charges were filed in court Monday and in more detail yesterday afternoon by federal prosecutors in Pittsburgh. They also indicate that Ianieri has consented to pleading guilty to the Pennsylvania charges in federal court in northern Florida, where he had faced unspecified but potentially related charges.

The company that allegedly paid Ianieri the bribes, identified in court filings only as "K," closely resembles Kuchera Defense Systems, which is based in Murtha's congressional district and was a subcontractor to Coherent. Kuchera Defense Systems and its sister company, Kuchera Industries, are under federal investigation for allegations of fraud and overbilling on Defense Department contracts.

Kuchera's attorney said he knows nothing about the charges. Coherent officials did not comment.

These are the first criminal charges in the probe of companies that benefited from contracts orchestrated or approved by Murtha, the powerful chairman of the House Appropriations subcommittee on military spending.

Naturally the bloated bag of wind pretends to know nothing.

Murtha said recently that the fraud allegations surrounding Kuchera do not involve him.

"What's that got to do with me?" he said. "What do you think, I'm supposed to oversee these companies? That's not my job. That's the Defense Department's job."

Complain as much as he'd like, but Murtha's ties to the guilty defendant go a ways back.

In April 2006, Murtha publicly touted the relationship between the two companies. A Murtha press release announced that Coherent and Kuchera were “working virtually as one company.” Murtha stated, “Coherent is a small business with high growth potential, and pairing its engineering expertise with Kuchera’s widely recognized manufacturing skills is a natural fit.”

AP Identifies Corrupt Democrat as a Republican

C'mon, people, basic facts here.

A federal grand jury has subpoenaed a Democratic congressman in a corruption probe, the first concrete indication that a long-simmering Justice Department investigation of a top lobbying firm also has the potential to seriously damage congressional careers.

On Friday, Rep. Pete Visclosky, R-Ind., acknowledged the grand jury has demanded documents from his office, certain employees and his campaign committees.

Just one minor problem. Visclosky is a Democrat.

On the upside, they're also closing in on the corrupt John Murtha, who's properly identified.

The probe focuses on the PMA Group, a now-defunct lobbying firm that specialized in securing federal contracts for defense firms from Visclosky, Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., and others on the House Appropriations defense subcommittee that Murtha chairs.

In his hometown of Johnstown, Pa., Murtha brushed aside questions Friday about one Pennsylvania defense contractor for whom he obtained $14.7 million in the last two years in congressionally directed funds called "earmarks." The Navy suspended the contractor a month ago for alleged fraud.

Murtha grew defensive when asked about the suspension at a news conference he held at a defense trade show.

"What's that got to do with me?" he asked. "What do you think, I'm supposed to oversee these companies? That's not my job. That's the Defense Department's job."

Testy, isn't he?

Here's a screen shot, just in case some of those layers upon layers of editors and fact-checkers return from happy hour and notice the mistake. Click to enlarge.

More Evidence Of Murtha Acting Like A Thug

One of the most interesting races last year was the challenge posed to John Murtha in PA by now retired Col Bill Russel. It is still unbelievable that Murtha got reelected especially over Mr Russell. The folks in Pennsylvania must love abuse because that is certainly all they get from Murtha.

To his credit Russell says he is going to run again and maybe this time the voters of PA will get it right. How many more examples of Murtha's cronyism and nepotism and corruption do you need? How long do you want the rest of America, especially those in the veteran community holding you in disgust because of the actions of Murtha?

While Hugya did not explicitly threaten to bring Russell up on charges during the March conversation, he apparently did in a conversation in January with Ret. Col. Gregory Ritch, who served as Russell's commanding officer.

Ritch said he was talking on the phone with Hugya about an unrelated topic when Murtha's chief of staff suddenly switched topics to Russell, whom he referred to as the "carpetbagger."

According to Ritch, Hugya said: "He's gonna get a big surprise here shortly when the new secretary of Army calls his ass back for active duty."

Ritch said he asked why, and Hugya told him Russell would be court-martialed.

Apparently acting like thugs is just second nature to Democrats. They can't win arguments so they try to ruin lives and careers like they tried to do with recent episode with Miss California and like their ongoing frivolous ethics complaints lawsuits filed against Gov Sarah Palin, which are only designed to drain the Palin's bank accounts.

How Convenient: Murtha Nephew Gets $4 Million in No-Bid Pentagon Contracts

All just a coincidence, of course. The fact this company is called Murtech should not raise and suspicion (cough, cough).

The headquarters of Murtech, in a low-slung, bland building in a Glen Burnie business park, has its blinds drawn tight and few signs of life. On several days of visits, a handful of cars sit in the parking lot, and no trucks arrive at the 10 loading bays at the back of the building.

Yet last year, Murtech received $4 million in Pentagon work, all of it without competition, for a variety of warehousing and engineering services. With its long corridor of sparsely occupied offices and an unmanned reception area, Murtech's most striking feature is its owner -- Robert C. Murtha Jr., 49. He is the nephew of Rep. John P. Murtha, the Pennsylvania Democrat who has significant sway over the Defense Department's spending as chairman of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee.

Robert Murtha said he is not at liberty to discuss in detail what his company does, but for four years it has subsisted on defense contracts, according to records and interviews. He said Murtech's 17 employees "provide necessary logistical support" to Pentagon testing programs that focus on detecting chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats, "and that's about as far as I feel comfortable going." Giving more details could provide important clues to terrorist plotters, he said.

Murtha said he does not advertise being the nephew of John Murtha and considers it "unfortunate" that some will unfairly assume Murtech received its federal contracts because of his uncle's influence at the Pentagon.

Yes, it's very unfortunate for John Murtha that he's busted funneling money to his nephew's company.

A spokesman at Murtha's office did not return calls seeking comment. The lawmaker, a former Marine, has said in the past that he is proud of his family's service to the military and the government.

I guess he's proud he called our Marines cold-blooded killers, in that case.

Congressional Democrats Finally Tackle Important Issues

Rather symbolic, irrational people celebrating an irrational number.

“I’m kind of geeked up about it,” Rep. Brian Baird (D-Wash.) told POLITICO. “It’s crazy, but I’m a whole lot more excited about that than congratulating the winner of last year’s Rose Bowl.

“I’m not making this up. I have been fascinated by pi since I was a kid. It blows my mind. It’s lovely. The fact that it’s sort of this infinite number. I just think it’s this magical thing. ... There’s a real beauty to mathematics.”
...
“It makes you realize how consequential you really are,” Rep. Bill Delahunt (D-Mass.) said with a smile.

But there’s always one: “We were never good at math in my family,” said Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.). “I thought I was voting for p-i-e.”

Murtha: Hey, Send the Club Gitmo Monsters to My District

The idiots keep voting for the guy, so I'm all for it.

Rep. Jack Murtha, D-Pa., says he'd be willing to house prisoners from Guantanamo Bay in his congressional district if President Obama makes good on a plan to close the U.S. prison there.

As one of his first acts in office, the president circulated a draft Wednesday that would shut down Guantanamo Bay within a year.

Murtha only has a minimum security prison in his district. But he says he'd have no reservations about holding detainees there in a maximum security prison.

"Sure, I'd take 'em," said Murtha, an outspoken critic of the Iraq war. "They're no more dangerous in my district than in Guantanamo."

Except, of course, for the fact that now makes his district a target for terrorists. Outside of that, what could go wrong?

Murtha added that there was "no reason not to put 'em in prisons in the United States and handle them the way they would handle any other prisoners."

But that idea disturbs House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio.

"Most communities around America don't want dangerous terrorists imported into their neighborhoods," Boehner said in a statement.

"The key question is where do you put these terrorists?" Boehner asked.

How about keeping them where they are?

Hot Air links. Thanks!

Marine Vet: Murtha a 'Fat Little Bastard'

Well, I've never seen John Murtha in person, so I can't say for sure if he's little.

A fat bastard? Definitely.

Republican congressional candidate Bill Russell's rally on Sunday featured several Iraq war veterans vehemently criticizing U.S. Rep. John Murtha (D-Johnstown), who they say betrayed them when he said troops in Iraq killed innocent civilians in Haditha "in cold blood."

Those remarks sparked Russell to run against Murtha and have been a theme of his campaign ever since.

During the rally, Shawn Bryan, a former sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps., said Murtha visited his unit in Iraq in 2005. At the time, Murtha told the troops "what a great job we did," Bryan said, only to see him tell his district back home he no longer supported the effort.

Bryan said he didn't put his life on the line for his country "just so some fat little bastard can come back and run his mouth."

It was the second time during his speech that Bryan, who flew in from Albuquerque, New Mexico, had called Murtha a "fat little bastard" during his speech. His remarks were not publicly repudiated at the rally.

In an interview after the rally, Russell told PolitickerPA.com Bryan's comments didn't reflect his own feelings, but he did the defend the fellow veteran.

The remarks are reflective of the anger many marines, who have lost dozens of fellow soldiers during combat, feel toward Murtha, he said.

"Am I going to throw him under the bus for it?" Russell asked. "No. I understand -- he's going to say what he believes."

There's no need for Russell to defend Bryan. He's got a right to speak his mind.

G-D Carpetbagger

Remember all the talk of how mean and angry John McCain is supposed to be? You know all those stories about how he was like a live hand grenade and could go off at any moment. Has anybody seen evidence of this through the whole campaign process? I din't think so. Well here is somebody who is angry and I hope he didn't talk to his mother with that mouth.
Go William Russell, beat this scumbag.



I am surprised a video exists of this exchange. I saw it last night when it aired.

H/T Hot Air ( Who else. They always find the good stuff)

New Ad Targets Murtha

The GOP is pouring some cash into the effort to unseat the increasingly erratic and unstable John Murtha from his House seat and this ad will begin running in the Pittsburgh are beginning Thursday. Spread it around so it gets maximum exposure.

The National Republican Congressional Committee, a national political organization which supports GOP candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives, confirms it will spend $84,000 on TV ads against Rep. John Murtha. The commercials will begin running on Pittsburgh TV affiliates Thursday.

The ads support Republican candidate William Russell, by highlighting some of the recent controversial statements by the veteran Johnstown Democrat. The commercial includes clips of the Congressman using the phrases "redneck" and "racist" to describe some Pennsylvanians.

I saw a clip of Murtha on Fox News this evening and he was bugging out, saying words to the effect that "no goddamn way" a "carpetbagger" is going to come into his district and win.

Well, at least he didn't directly call William Russell a racist redneck.

Also, as noted at the Russell Brigade, Fred Thompson has cut a 60-second radio ad promoting Russell.

Update: Here's the Fox News video from tonight.



Via Ace.

Murtha Getting Crushed in Poll of Racist Rednecks

I guess people are finally tired of being insulted by this bum.

I suspect Obama is also going to get buried in Western Pennsylvania.

Cowardly Murtha Cancels Debate

I guess he's not up for debating in front of a bunch of racists.

SURPRISE!! SURPRISE!!

tonight’s debate has been cancelled. Apparently, Mr. Murtha does not want to face his constituents, but is okay with calling them racists.

Feel free to call EVERY news outlet/talk show/ blog you can think of and scream about this latest example of his unwillingness to even pay attention to his constituents.

This piece of shit pretended to apologize today, but the damage is done, Jack.

Too. Damn. Late.

It would be nice if his constituents gave this creep a permanent vacation by voting for an honorable man in his place.

More from Hot Air and Ace.

Murtha: Western Pennsylvania is Racist

This idiot is talking about his own constituents.

"There's no question Western Pennsylvania is a racist area," said Mr. Murtha, whose district stretches from Johnstown to Washington County. "The older population is more hesitant."

Mr. Murtha said groups he deals with regularly, such as military veterans and senior citizens, have come around to supporting Mr. Obama in the past three months. He credited Mr. Obama with being the most organized candidate he has ever seen.

More here.

U.S. Rep. John Murtha says his home base of western Pennsylvania is racist and that could reduce Barack Obama's victory margin in the state by 4 percentage points.

The 17-term Democratic congressman tells the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in a story posted Wednesday on its Web site that, as he put it: "There is no question that western Pennsylvania is a racist area."

How long until he issues a clarification?

Update: Michelle Malkin reminds us to support Bill Russell.

Visit his site.

Oh, and don't forget Murtha called our troops murderers before he had the facts. Still, Allahpundit says he's bulletproof. Sadly, he's probably right.

Clueless Obama Supporter Suggests John Murtha as VP

You have to wonder if she's deliberately trying to undermine him.

Seriously, John Murtha?

Kilpatrick said she made several suggestions during the 45-minute meeting, including former Vice President Al Gore, Pennsylvania Rep. John Murtha and Ohio Governor Ted Strickland.

The Kilpatrick in question is Carolyn Kilpatrick, a Michigan Democrat and mother of Detroit's thug mayor, Kwame Kilpatrick.

Another Haditha Dismissal; John Murtha Unavailable for Comment

No surprise here. The surprise is the media even notices.

Of course, Democrat John Murtha has rhetorical blood on his hands, but he's a Democrat, so it's OK.

CAMP PENDLETON ---- A military judge has dismissed charges against a Marine officer accused of failing to investigate the killings of 24 Iraqis.

Col. Steven Folsom dismissed charges Tuesday against Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani after defense attorneys raised concerns that a four-star general overseeing the prosecution was improperly influenced by an investigator probing the November 2005 shootings by a Marine squad in Haditha.

Can I question Murtha's patriotism yet? Will anyone in the DC press corps even bother asking him about it?

Earlier coverage from the North County Times.

Of course, none of this news pales in comparison with what has now been the top story for the past 30 hours.

Update: Michelle Malkin suggests it's time to Fight the Smears.