Murtha May I?

Dear Mr. President,

I know I recently indicated that I wanted to open this forum up for more topics other than Iraq, but honestly, what’s more important right now than war? Wait, I know this one! It’s PEACE! Or at least the removal of troops from Iraq. Britain has already announced that by the end of 2006 they will be removing all their troops from Iraq. Don’t you want to at least copy your Brit buddy Blair? After all, he blindly followed you into the war. The least you could do is wisely follow him out of it.

I noticed that Rep. Murtha called for the removal of American troops from Iraq. Just as a refresher course in case you have forgotten why you should listen to him, here is an except from the House of Representatives Biography page on him:

Congressman Murtha is so well-respected for his first-hand knowledge of military and defense issues that he has been a trusted adviser to presidents of both parties on military and defense issues and is one of the most effective advocates for the national defense in the country. He is ranking member and former chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, a Vietnam combat veteran and a retired Marine Corps colonel with 37 years of service, a rare combination of experience that enables him to understand defense and military operations from every perspective. (http://www.house.gov/murtha/bio.shtml)

Quite impressive! Certainly more impressive than my credentials which include moderate to extreme idealism, life-long dedication to pacifism (except for road rage), and the ability to string together lucid sentences (most of the time). Perhaps the single most qualifying credential I have is that I have an opinion. Luckily for me, this is still a free country in which I can express my opinion however I choose (well, within the limits of the law which now includes the Patriot Act). Hopefully, I won’t have to pester you any longer about our troops getting killed in Iraq. Hopefully, I won’t have to pester you about our troops getting killed in anywhere in the Middle East, but I fear that our role as “World Police” will lead us again into harm’s way.

So for now, I hope you finally take my advice and listen to the people in government who actually know what they are talking about and get our troops out of Iraq!

Adamantly,
LTV