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Heinz Kerry Blasts Critics of Rep. Murtha
Teresa Heinz Kerry has lashed out against the "scoundrels” and "sunshine patriots” who have criticized Rep. John Murtha for calling for an immediate redeployment of U.S. troops in Iraq. "The orchestrated assault on Murtha should alarm us all,” the Heinz family heiress – wife of Sen. John Kerry – writes in an opinion piece carried by the Johnstown (Pa.) Tribune-Democrat. "Just when you thought the debate could sink no lower, the politicians committed to staying the course in Iraq turned the fire hoses of smear and intimidation on this icon of national security. "They said he had given aid and comfort to the enemy. They accused him of abandoning the troops. And one rookie representative, the most junior member of the House, so lost any decency or sense of decorum that she called Murtha a coward.”
Story Continues Below Ohio Republican Jean Schmidt attacked Murtha, saying that "cowards cut and run, Marines never do.” She later said she should have rephrased her critique of the Pennsylvania Democrat. A U.S. field commander in Iraq countered Murtha’s calls for withdrawal of Americans fighting there, while Democrats declined to back his view. Even Hillary Clinton called Murtha’s exit plan a "mistake.” But Heinz’s attack on Murtha’s critics was relentless. Pointing out that Murtha – the first Vietnam veteran elected to Congress – has "impeccable” national security credentials and has demonstrated "unwavering” patriotism, she writes: "That is Jack Murtha’s history, and the summer soldiers and the sunshine patriots who attack him cannot rewrite it. That is why they resort instead to the most reprehensible type of personal attacks.
Heinz even compares attacks on Murtha to criticism of her husband John Kerry, who "suffered the slings and arrows of distortions, half-truths and falsehoods” during his run for the White House. Heinz writes: "Scoundrels who would stifle debate and smear dissenters weaken our democracy and diminish our nation’s ability to make decisions and change course when circumstances demand. "Murtha has earned our respect. His right to speak out is an intrinsic component of our democracy. It should be honored.” Among those who have rejected Murtha’s call for withdrawal and said the U.S. should remain in Iraq and not "abandon” the Iraqis is a leading member of his own party, Sen. Joe Lieberman.
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