MoveOn Puts Its Head in the Sand

Slow Bleed Architect Jack Murtha Flip-Flops,
Acknowledges Surge Success
Nothing but Silence from the Liberal Basement Bloggers

Murtha: MoveOn Buries Its Head in the Sand

Baird: MoveOn Goes Ballistic

Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) Today: "I think the 'surge' is working..." (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 11/30/07) But back in June, Rep. Murtha said: "I'm absolutely convinced right now the surge isn't working..." (ABC’s "This Week," 6/3/07)

"MoveOn targets pro-surge Democrat "Rep. Brian Baird's (D-Wash.) recent conversion on the Iraq war is beginning to affect more than the national dialogue. On Wednesday, liberal group MoveOn.org announced an ad campaign against the congressman in his own district. "Baird recently returned from a trip to Iraq and reversed his position on a withdrawal timetable, citing military progress in the four-year-old war. "MoveOn is calling the move a 'flip-flop' and says it goes against the views of his constituents." (The Hill, 8/29/07)

John Murtha (D-PA): "Surge is Working"

From today's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Rep. John Murtha, one of the most outspoken congressional critics of the Iraq war, yesterday said he saw signs of significant military progress during a brief trip to the Middle East last week. ....

"I think the 'surge' is working," Mr. Murtha, a Democrat, said in a video conference from his Johnstown office, describing the president's decision to commit nearly 30,000 additional troops at the beginning of the year. ....

Mr. Murtha has been a strong critic of the White House war policy and has been calling for a troop withdrawal plan.

He said violence has dropped significantly in recent months, with a dramatic decline in civilian deaths. About 711 Iraqi civilians have been killed or found dead in November, according to statistics compiled by The Associated Press. That figure compares with 2,155 deaths in May. ....

He described the most promising signs of progress as the turnaround in the once-volatile Anbar province, where Sunnis frustrated by the violent excesses of insurgent groups have started working closely with the United States.