Let me state up front that I agree with many people that it was Rep. Murtha’s speaking out on Iraq that single-handedly changed the whole tenor of the debate and discussion on Iraq. If it were not for Murtha, I really don’t know if the Democrats would have done as well as they did in the last election.
That said, when I read this article on the Politico today – via a link from RedState – I was pissed.
In short, Murtha was angry that Mike Rogers, R-MI, was trying to buck him on what appears to be a questionable earmark – aka, taxpayer dollars -- and, in retaliation, threatened that he would kill any earmark Rogers ever tried to insert into intelligence appropriations.
In my view this is terribly inappropriate and unethical behavior, at a time when the Democrats have shown some serious chinks in their anti-corruption armor. More on the flip...
It’s bad enough that there are apparently senior Democrats in the House who are now resisting the tough lobbying reforms that the Democrats promised they would enact if given the power to do so.
Now we have Murtha acting – as he apparently has done for a long time, even when he was in the minority – like the appropriations budget is his and his alone, his own little piece of taxpayer booty that he can use anyway he sees fit.
According to the draft resolution, Murtha shouted at and chastised Rep. Mike Rogers on the House floor Thursday for offering a motion last week to challenge $23 million Murtha requested in an intelligence bill.
Murtha had requested the money to prevent the administration from shuttering the National Drug Intelligence Center in Johnstown, Pa., which is part of Murtha’s district.
"I hope you don’t have any earmarks in the defense appropriations bills because they are gone, and you will not get any earmarks now and forever," Murtha told Rogers, according to the draft transcript given to The Politico.
This threat, which occurred in front of witnesses on the House floor, is, according to The Hill, a violation of House rules and Rogers will formally request that Murtha be reprimanded.
The $23 million earmark is related to this:
The overall controversy stems from a disagreement between Murtha and the Bush administration about closing the National Drug Intelligence Center, an intelligence gathering facility supervised by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
President Bush’s budget cut $23 million from the budget to force the agency to close the office, which has received repeated low marks from several federal review boards. (emphasis mine)
It appears Murtha made similar threats to a different Republican last week over this same issue. Murtha's office put out this pathetic statement that is frustratingly reminiscent of the kind of crap the rethugs used to pull:
"The committee and staff give every Democrat and Republican the same consideration. We have extensive hearings and every request is carefully consideration. We will continue to do just that."
And, before anybody says it, I am not naive. I know that members of Congress play BS games like this all of the time. That is no excuse. Either the Democrats want to change how things are done in Washington or they don't. The middle ground between them is where corruption takes root and that must not and cannot happen.
I hope Murtha is, at the least, reprimanded for this behavior. Democrats have to prove time and again that they are different than the Republicans, that they will lead by example and always behave ethically.