Murtha Backs Hillary

Super-delegate John Murtha has decided to throw his support to Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary. If you're keeping score at home, since February 5 Obama has racked up 48 Supers, Clinton has 1 (Murtha). A frequent target of conservatives, Murtha has become something of a polarizing figure on the national scene since becoming a vocal opponent of the Iraq war. In Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district, however, he commands strong respect. A nod from him certainly helps Clinton. From his statement:

"Sen. Clinton is the candidate that will forge a consensus on health care, education, the economy, and the war in Iraq."

A former Marine who served in uniform for 37 years, Murtha was the first Vietnam combat veteran to be elected to Congress. With his service on the House Defense Apporpriations committee, Murtha was long viewed as a hawkish Democrat, but that reputation seemed abruptly dashed by some rather strong remarks condemning the behavior of U.S. troops in places like Haditha.



There's no doubt that Murtha's rise in the party heirarchy coincided with his stance on the war. But there were several bruising battles along the way. And with increased power comes increased scrutiny. On that score, Murtha has been identified by CREW and other non-partisan watchdog groups as one of the most corrupt members in Congress. Indeed, though implicated in the FBI's ABSCAM corruption investigation in 1980, Murtha was never indicted. Through it all, he really stopped working the back channels for his district. Perhaps because of this, his name came to be synonymous with pork-barrel earmarks, and shady, old-style politics.