Murtha's Fuzzy Math

Congressman John Murtha continues to make a fool of himself by suggesting we can effectively fight the terrorist insurgency in Iraq by "redeploying" our troops to a military base in Japan. Here's what he told Tim Russert yesterday in the course of arguing that we don't need a presence in Iraq to conduct the sort of quick-strike missions like the one that killed Abu Musab al-Zarqawi:

REP. MURTHA: So--and we don't have to be right there. We can go to Okinawa. We, we don't have--we can redeploy there almost instantly. So that's not--that's, that's a fallacy. That, that's just a statement to rial [sic] up people to support a failed policy wrapped in illusion.
MR. RUSSERT: But it'd be tough to have a timely response from Okinawa.

REP. MURTHA: Well, it--you know, they--when I say Okinawa, I, I'm saying troops in Okinawa. When I say a timely response, you know, our fighters can fly from Okinawa very quickly.


They can? The two 500-lb bombs that killed Zarqawi were dropped by F-16 fighter aircraft. According to the U.S. military:

In an air-to-surface role, the F-16 can fly more than 500 miles (860 kilometers), deliver its weapons with superior accuracy, defend itself against enemy aircraft, and return to its starting point.

Okinawa is 4,899 miles from Baghdad. Do the math.

Murtha also continued to play fast and loose with certain poll data points. He once again said "80 percent of the Iraqis want us out of there" a claim which many people questioned and which was eventually sourced by the liberal Think Progress to a single poll question from March 2006 contained in this report put out by the Brookings Institution. The question is worded "do you approve the government endorsing a timeline for U.S. withdrawal." Not to be a stickler, but Iraqis endorsing a "timeline for withdrawal" is not quite the same as saying they "want us out of there."

Another example: Murtha stated flatly to Russert yesterday, "The public is two-to-one against what we're doing, and they want a change in direction." That was news to me, because I distinctly remember the latest NBC/WSJ poll results on the question of whether Iraq was worth it or not: 40% said 'yes,' 52% said 'no.' Same thing with the most recent CNN poll (54% said the Iraq war was a mistake, 42% said it was not) and the latest USA Today/Gallup poll (51% say mistake, 46% not). You do not need an advanced degree in mathematics to know these numbers aren't even close to two-to-one.


http://www.realclearpolitics.com/blog/2006/06/murthas_fuzzy_math.html

Is it just me or will these left-wing extremists say just about anything to the American people to get us to follow them and their destructive policies? Imagine this man lying like this on national TV. Makes me sick. :nonono:

Redeploying to Okinawa to fight terrorists in Iraq is only slightly more sane than redeploying to Iraq to fight terrorists in Afghanistan.

Redeploying to Okinawa to fight terrorists in Iraq is only slightly more sane than redeploying to Iraq to fight terrorists in Afghanistan.


Of course since the terrorists obliged us, and went to Iraq....as opposed to say, New York again, it seems to be working out for the best.

al-Zarqawi was bombed by a U.S. jet outside of Iraq

that kinda' kills the thread

Another example: Murtha stated flatly to Russert yesterday, "The public is two-to-one against what we're doing, and they want a change in direction."


NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll conducted
by the polling organizations of Peter Hart (D)
and Bill McInturff (R). June 9-12, 2006. N=1,002
adults nationwide. MoE ± 3.1 (for all adults).
RV = registered voters.

"In general, do you approve or disapprove of
the job that George W. Bush is doing in
handling the situation in Iraq?"

Approve Disapprove Unsure
% % %
6/9-12/06 35 61 4


USA Today/Gallup Poll. June 9-11, 2006. N=1,002
adults nationwide. MoE ± 3.

"Do you approve or disapprove of the way
George W. Bush is handling the situation in Iraq?"

Approve Disapprove Unsure
% % %
6/9-11/06 36 60 4


CBS News Poll. June 10-11, 2006. N=659 adults
nationwide. MoE ± 4 (for all adults). RV =
registered voters


"Do you approve or disapprove of the way
George W. Bush is handling the situation with Iraq?"

Approve Disapprove Unsure
% % %
ALL adults 33 61 6


"Do you think the result of the war with Iraq
was worth the loss of American life and other
costs of attacking Iraq, or not?"

Worth It Not Worth It Unsure
% % %
6/10-11/06 33 62 5


Looks like somewhere around 2 to 1 who want a change in direction.

I see the cons and chickenhawks have once again stooped to smearing veterans that speak out against their insane "defence" policies

Hmmm...so Murtha is lying to get us out of a war, and Bush lied to get us into one. I know which I prefer.

It seems to me that Murtha (who seems to speak for the U.S. military command in Congress) is one of a tiny minority of politicians in Congress who honestly talks about reality. For this reason (and because of his background), Murtha is perceived as a big threat to the GOP and the Bush administration, and the dittoheads must do their utmost to destroy his reputation.

I see the cons and chickenhawks have once again stooped to smearing veterans that speak out against their insane "defence" policies

Murtha is an ex-marine. So was Lee Harvey Oswald. Veteren status earns one respect, but not immunity from bad ideas or the criticism that follows them.

Congressman John Murtha continues to make a fool of himself by suggesting we can effectively fight the terrorist insurgency in Iraq by "redeploying" our troops to a military base in Japan.

This so-called military expert must be unaware that we are in negotiations to leave Okinawa. The Japanese are not happy with the continued presence of AMerican troops.



Here's what he told Tim Russert yesterday in the course of arguing that we don't need a presence in Iraq to conduct the sort of quick-strike missions like the one that killed Abu Musab al-Zarqawi:

Murtha doesn't care whether or not we kill Zarqawi. Murtha is a coward and a traitor.

Is it just me or will these left-wing extremists say just about anything to the American people to get us to follow them and their destructive policies?

Yes they are.

Murtha isn't a left-winger though. His problem is erectile dysfunction.

Redeploying to Okinawa to fight terrorists in Iraq is only slightly more sane than redeploying to Iraq to fight terrorists in Afghanistan.

So going thousands of miles away, to a country that ISN'T hostile to us, as opposed to being the vicinity of where the "swamp" is is MORE sane?

In what world?

al-Zarqawi was bombed by a U.S. jet outside of Iraq

that kinda' kills the thread

The jet flew in from where though?

The jets were in the air. One of them was refueling, and the other peeled away in what was a highly unorthodox move to go bomb Zarqawi.

If you don't know what you are talking about/.....

I see the cons and chickenhawks have once again stooped to smearing veterans that speak out against their insane "defence" policies

It is spelled defense in the USA.

Why do liberals hate the military?

Hmmm...so Murtha is lying to get us out of a war, and Bush lied to get us into one. I know which I prefer.

Bush didn't lie, and your "cut-and-run" assertions to the contrary don't make it so.

It seems to me that Murtha (who seems to speak for the U.S. military command in Congress)

I think that the military command speaks for the military command, in Congress and anywhere else.


is one of a tiny minority of politicians in Congress who honestly talks about reality.

Was he being honest, trustworthy and an all around great guy when he WAS totally for the war?

For this reason (and because of his background),

His "background" doesn't mean shit. Just because he was in the reserves for 3+ decades doesn't mean a damned thing.


Murtha is perceived as a big threat to the GOP and the Bush administration, and the dittoheads must do their utmost to destroy his reputation.

He is not threat. He is destroying whatever reputation he had. There is no need for the "dittoheads" to do that.

Murtha is an ex-marine. So was Lee Harvey Oswald. Veteren status earns one respect, but not immunity from bad ideas or the criticism that follows them.

Benedict Arnold was a TRUE war hero. Without him, it is unlikely that the USA would have come to pass as quickly as it did.

Benedict Arnold, his status as an American war hero notwithstanding, is still primarily remembered for being a traitor.

Just like Murtha, Kerry, and Feinstein will be.

It seems to me that Murtha (who seems to speak for the U.S. military command in Congress) is one of a tiny minority of politicians in Congress who honestly talks about reality. For this reason (and because of his background), Murtha is perceived as a big threat to the GOP and the Bush administration, and the dittoheads must do their utmost to destroy his reputation.I posted this earlier but since I just read this bit about honesty and speaking for COngress I feel I should post it here too

The any-wing media SHOULD go after Murtha Focker for his "semper backstabbis" attitude. Here is what the POS said a while back:

"There has to have been a coverup of this thing," Rep. John P. Murtha (Pa.), ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations defense subcommittee, charged in an interview on ABC's "This Week." "No question about it."

"I will not excuse murder, and this is what has happened," (convicted his fellow Marines before they were indicted) adding that there is "no question in my mind about it." He reiterated a previous statement that shootings of women and children occurred "in cold blood" and that there was no firefight in which civilians were killed in a crossfire, as some Marines asserted after the event.

"The problem is, who covered up? And why did they cover it up?"

"The Marines knew about it all this time. Somebody in the chain of command decided not to allow this to happen. How far up it went, I don't know."

Now here is from the latest news:


The general charged with investigating whether Marines tried to cover up the killing of 24 civilians in Haditha has completed his report

Nothing in the report points to a "knowing cover-up" of the facts by the officers supervising the Marines involved in the November incident, the official said.


I notice that many here and in the MSM have their panties in a bind over recent comments by Ann Coulter but fail to hold elected representatives accountable for their own egregious comments

post 96 (http://www.discussanything.com/forums/showthread.php?t=92055&page=5)
I see the cons and chickenhawks have once again stooped to smearing veterans that speak out against their insane "defence" policies
He smears himself when he opens his mouth. The people you speak about are defending those he lies about.

He smears himself when he opens his mouth.

^ another smear

thanks again for proving my point

Bush didn't lie, and your "cut-and-run" assertions to the contrary don't make it so.

Oh yeah? Where are those Iraqi WMDs? Your constant claims that Bush didn't lie is really laughable. Are you sure you're not a GWB administration official here to spread the gospel?

^ another smear

thanks again for proving my pointStrange. Me proving that Murtha is wrong is a smear. But I guess Murtha's own comments, which I provided, where not a smear against our military. If that was your point then yup, you proved it

Me proving that Murtha is wrong is a smear.


You didn't prove anything. You showed where someone accused of a crime is insiting he's innocent. The investigations are still ongoing.

Just because it makes you feel good to believe something doesn't mean that something is true.

selective reading

I see the cons and chickenhawks have once again stooped to smearing veterans that speak out against their insane "defence" policies

Of course the smearing of tens of thousands of current combat vets who support the effort as either "naive kids who are being taken advantage of in Boosh's war for oil," or "murderous jackbooted thugs who are trained to slaughter innocent civilians" doesn't seem particulary remarkable.

I don't think Murtha is a coward or a liar - I just think he's wrong. In my nine years of active service, I often heard "This ain't your Daddy's Army." Well, this ain't Murtha's Marine Corps, and this ain't Murtha's war.

Do you really want to go there in regard to which side of the political spectrum smears veterans?:|

Oh yeah?

Yeah!!!


Where are those Iraqi WMDs?

I think that they are in Syria. I think that they were moved there with Russian help.

But did the Russians lie? Or were they merely wrong?

Did the French lie too? Or was their intelligence merely wrong also?

Did the Chinese lie? Or were they merely wrong?

Did the British lie? Or were they merely wrong.

I guess to make your stupid claims true, you have to ignore the Senate Select Intelligence Committee report on the WMD intelligence, as well as the Butler commission report from the Brits.


Your constant claims that Bush didn't lie is really laughable.


Your idiotic assertions the other way are moronic.


Are you sure you're not a GWB administration official here to spread the gospel?

No. I am not sure. I WAS a paid volunteer in 2004 in the interest of full disclosure.

^ another smear

thanks again for proving my point

Why do leftists, liberals, and democrats hate the military?

why do they rejoice when two soldiers are captured, brutally tortured and murdered like Howierd Dean did?

Just because it makes you feel good to believe something doesn't mean that something is true.

That is the standard you and others consistently use here to "prove" that Bush lied.

Yawn. This is so easy.

Yawn. This is so easy.

Yes, sticking your fingers in your ears and screaming I CANT HEAR YOU I CANT HEAR YOU NA NA NA NA NA is very easy. It's also very childish.

Why do leftists, liberals, and democrats hate the military?

why do they rejoice when two soldiers are captured, brutally tortured and murdered like Howierd Dean did?

why do you post insane bullshit ?

That is the standard you and others consistently use here to "prove" that Bush lied.

Yawn. This is so easy.

Does your head smell really bad?
I had to ask, because it seems like you have it shoved up Bush's ass most of the time.
Every politician lies. This is common knowledge to everyone but you apparently.
Some of us think Bush's lies are worst than the average politician's lies. But to claim he doesn't lie at all, ever, is ridiculous to the extreme.

But did the Russians lie? Or were they merely wrong?

Did the French lie too? Or was their intelligence merely wrong also?

Did the Chinese lie? Or were they merely wrong?

Did the British lie? Or were they merely wrong.


Which of those countries said they knew for a fact, beyond any doubt, with bulletproof evidence, that Iraq had stockpiles of WMDs, that they knew where they were, that Iraq was working with al Qaida on the 9-11 attacks, and that Iraq was on the verge of attacking the United States with WMDs?