Thursday, December 01, 2005

Murtha says army is 'broken, worn out'

The Sacremento Bee is reporting that Congressman John Murtha (D-PA) has made a statement that he believes the Army to be worn out.

Most U.S. troops will leave Iraq within a year, and the Army is "broken, worn out" and may not be able to meet future military threats to the country's security, Rep. John Murtha said.


I don't know if that is true across the board, but my brother, who is in the Army has been to Iraq twice already and unless he gets a different duty assignment, he will be back in Iraq withing a year. The pace of deployment is dizzying for some soldiers.

Here is more from Murtha:

He also said he was wrong to vote to support the war.

"I admit I made a mistake when I voted for war," Murtha said. "I'm looking at the future of the United States military."

Murtha, a decorated Vietnam war veteran, said the Pennsylvania National Guard is "stretched so thin" that it won't be able to send fully equipped units to Iraq next year. Murtha predicted it will cost $50 billion to upgrade military equipment nationwide, but says the federal government is already reducing future purchases to save money.

I don't like Murtha's comments of late in terms of the content, and as an elected leader he certainly has the right, even the duty, to speak his mind. However, I do admire the man. When so many in his party are saying they oppose the war and then voting against resolution demanding the return of troops or a time table, at least Murtha has remained consistent. He also stands up and says, I made a mistake. Right or wrong, it takes a real man--not a politician--to say something like that.

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