November 22, 2005

Looking for Courage in All the Wrong Places

From the Tube City Almanac National Affairs Desk: In case anyone didn't catch the sarcasm in Friday's entry, I was kidding about Jack Murtha. (I realize that my rapier-like wit sometimes has the same razor-sharp edge as a cinderblock, so I thought I might as well be clear.)

The attacks on Murtha's patriotism and credibility were as predictable as the sun rising in the East and setting in the West. The current Republican strategy is attack, obfuscate, confuse, smear and shout ... much the same play book we saw in 2004.

Take Murtha's erstwhile Central Pennsylvania colleague in Congress, U.S. Rep. Bill "Just Call Me Bud Jr." Shuster, R-Daddy's Boy. He issued a statement saying that the immediate withdrawal of forces would be "irresponsible, ineffective and premature. ... The Democrats’ policy of turn, run and give up would allow the proliferation of terrorism in the Middle East, which would put the fight off until they can strike again."

Whoa. Fightin' words from the Gentleman from Interstate 99. It's a shame that isn't what Jack Murtha called for, but thanks for answering a question that no one asked, Rep. Shuster.

No, Murtha called for the United States to "immediately redeploy U.S. troops consistent with the safety of U.S. forces ... create a quick reaction force in the region ... create an over-the-horizon presence of Marines ... diplomatically pursue security and stability in Iraq." Kudos to Slate magazine's Fred Kaplan for cutting through the B.S. (and a tip of the Tube City hard hat to Mark Evanier).

You also could have easily predicted that other Democrats would scurry and hide instead of rallying to Murtha's support, which come to think of it, is how the United States got mired into this mess in the first place. Instead of standing up in 2002 and demanding hard answers before we went to Iraq, they allowed themselves to be stampeded to war. (You remember the standard bearer of this principled approach to governance, 2004 presidential candidate Mr. "I Voted For It Before I Voted Against It.") Nice job, guys. Way to stake out a position. You've shown all of the moral authority of Marshal Petain.

(Where is Swissvale's Mike Doyle on this issue, for instance? Yes, he said very nice things about Murtha last week in the newspaper. But what's his position on Murtha's plan? You won't find it on his website. He is, however, against Medicare cuts and for lower gas prices.)

It's well worth noting that where people know Murtha best --- in Johnstown --- they're mostly sticking by him, according to the Tribune-Democrat:

Rocklyn W. Myers, a member of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 103rd Armor, returned home from Iraq after nearly 18 months of service.

Choking back tears, Mrs. Myers said she fully supports Murtha’s comments and wants all families to be able to feel the emotions she had as she watched her husband walk off of the train in fatigues.

Mrs. Myers, who kept in contact with her husband through twice-weekly phone calls, agreed the war should end and all soldiers should come home.

...

Tom Joyce, a Vietnam veteran from Somerset, believes the war should stop.

“Like Murtha, I believe we should stop it and bring them home and get them out of there,” he said. “If this turns into a civil war, the U.N. should take over and we should not be the main force in Iraq.”

...

Charles J. Vizzini of Ebensburg, a World War II Army veteran, agrees with Murtha’s call for troop withdrawal.

“It’s something we should have done a long time ago,” said Vizzini, long active in local veterans organizations.

“I feel sorry for the families who are losing their sons over there,” he said.

“It’s just not worth being there,” added Vizzini, who holds two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star among his World War II medals.

James Kirkstadt of Westmont, a retired Air Force colonel, described the situation in Iraq as “no win” for the United States.

He favors a scheduled pullout of U.S. troops. Kirkstadt added that he feels there are some good things taking place in Iraq relative to the U.S. presence that are not widely known.

At the same time, he believes the U.S. presence there is creating more terrorism.

Dick Cheney can growl his way around the country all he wants, spouting slander and calumny about men like John Murtha, while President Bush can accuse his critics of trying to rewrite history.

"Rewrite history." Ha! I heard Cheney on the radio this week saying that American troops were in Iraq under a "U.N. mandate." Boy, it's funny how we ignore or denigrate the United Nations when they do things we don't like, then run and hide behind their apron when we're looking for cover. And if it's a U.N. mandate, shouldn't a U.N. or at least NATO commander be in charge of the Iraq occupation? Does anyone buy this kind of malarkey any more?

It is becoming obvious to anyone with an IQ bigger than their shoe size that the Bush administration was looking for an excuse --- any excuse --- to invade Iraq. They released only the information which bolstered their claims while ignoring any evidence that they didn't like, and the idea that Murtha and other Democrats had "the same intelligence" as the White House did is simply a flat-out lie, as Knight-Ridder newspapers points out:

The Congress didn't have access to the President's Daily Brief, a top-secret compendium of intelligence on the most pressing national security issues that was sent to the president every morning by former CIA Director George Tenet.

As for prewar intelligence on Iraq, senior administration officials had access to other information and sources that weren't available to lawmakers.

Cheney and his aides visited the CIA and other intelligence agencies to view raw intelligence reports, received briefings and engaged in highly unusual give-and-take sessions with analysts.

Moreover, officials in the White House and the Pentagon received information directly from the Iraqi National Congress (INC), an exile group, circumventing U.S. intelligence agencies, which greatly distrusted the organization.

Jack Murtha only said what most Americans now think --- that the Bush administration took us to war using information that, to be charitable, they should have had reason to believe was flawed. Maybe we were all too busy sticking American flags on our cars to realize that then, but we understand it now. The administration also appears to have no plan for ending the U.S. occupation of Iraq.

The people in Johnstown can see that. So can most of us in McKeesport, Munhall and Monongahela.

One hopes the scales will eventually drop from the eyes of Republicans like Rep. Shuster, the shameful Jean Schmidt (who called Murtha a "coward," and later disavowed her own comments, speaking of cowardice), and the rest of the people who supposedly were elected to watch out for the best interests of the United States of America --- not to act as the cheerleading squad for a President who, frighteningly, seems to be increasingly out-of touch with reality.

One hopes that some Democrats will rise to the challenge of statesmanship and demonstrate some moral courage, rather than continuing to waffle, waver and spout mealy-mouther palaver. (They seem to think their election prospects in 2006 are excellent, though they present little reason to vote for them other than the fact that they're "not Republicans.")

Given the events of the past four years, however, one is not inclined to hold one's breath.

...

Mea culpa: Last week I forgot to mention that Our Fair City's "Salute to Santa" parade was to be held Saturday. You can read all about in the News. ... Resquiescat in pace to former city police Chief James Lundie, who will be laid to rest Wednesday. He died Friday of complications from heart disease at age 69.

Posted at 07:03 am by jt3y
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November 21, 2005

Breaking News: Fisher Body to Close

Ouch. The General Motors stamping plant in West Mifflin (relegated some time ago to producing replacement body parts) is set to close in 2007 as part of a massive restructuring plan by the automaker:

The long-awaited cuts were deeper than expected at a time when the automaker is burning through cash, fending off bankruptcy rumors and close to losing its position as No. 1 global automaker to Toyota. ...

"The decisions we are announcing today were very difficult to reach because of their impact on our employees and the communities where we live and work," said GM Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner said in a news conference at the automaker's Renaissance Center headquarters.

"But these actions are necessary for GM to get its costs in line with our major global competitors."

The cutbacks are expected to help GM reduce its annual costs by $7 billion a year. (The Detroit News)

Known to nearly everyone as "Fisher Body," the West Mifflin plant opened in the 1940s, in part to take advantage of the location of U.S. Steel's (technically, Carnegie-Illinois Steel's) then-new Irvin Works just across the road.

This is a lousy Christmas present to give thousands of Mon-Yough area families. No doubt lots of fingers will be pointed at the United Auto Workers union for allegedly soaking the company. But in my opinion, it's hard not to blame GM management for turning out cars that have by turns been either bland (any of what seems to be dozens of Chevrolet models) or crudely designed (Pontiac Aztek anyone?) for the last 20 years. (Full disclosure: I'm a UAW member.)

There's more to come, I'm sure. (Canadian perspective from the National Post.)

Posted at 12:37 pm by jt3y
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