Though more than a year ago Democratic Congressman John Murtha denounced the Iraq war, asserting that "we cannot prevail in this war at the policy that's going today," on Thursday night ABC, CBS, and NBC all led by championing Murtha's call for the immediate withdrawal of troops….Bozell seemed genuinely stumped as to why the networks would cover the story at all since Murtha's war conversion was old news.
Here's a clue, Brent, as to the sudden increase in Murtha's air time: it wasn't just a call for troop withdrawals; Murtha was introducing a House resolution (later hijacked and cruelly parodied by Republicans, but that's another story).
Bozell also was deeply offended because the networks "showcased [Murtha's] ridicule of Vice President Cheney's lack of military service."
I like guys who got five deferments and had never been there, then send people to war and don't like to hear suggestions about what needs to be done."Yeah, politics is hell. Feelings get hurt.
Cheney did have five deferments during the Vietnam war. He famously said that he had "other priorities" than serving in the military during the Vietnam war. If you don't want a statement like that coming back to haunt you, don't make it.
And if a Congressman as tight with the military as Murtha says that Bush and Cheney "don't like to hear suggestions about what needs to be done" in Iraq, people should hear it. Even on the nightly news.
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For the record, here's the exchange re: military service.
QUESTION: The president and the vice president are both saying that it is now irresponsible for Democrats to criticize the war and to criticize the intelligence going into the war, because everybody was looking at the same intelligence.
MURTHA: I like guys who've never been there that criticize us who've been there. I like that.
I like guys who got five deferments and never been there and send people to war, and then don't like to hear suggestions about what needs to be done.
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