The Blog @ Spolitics

Bending Over Backwards to Help Murtha

by Heywood U. Reedmore -- June 21, 2006 at 3:47 pm | In No, Seriously | No Comments

A couple people are really bending over backwards to make us believe the troops support the Murtha Doctrine. Here’s the headline PuffHo slapped on an AP article: “Murtha Cheered At Welcome Home Ceremony For Troops”

The only problem was, it wasn’t Murtha.

At a welcome home ceremony this week for Myers and other troops from the Johnstown, Pa.-based 876th Engineer Battalion, the crowd cheered when a Murtha aide welcomed the troops on the congressman’s behalf.

Saying they cheered Murtha is kind of like saying, when the President calls to congratulate the Super Bowl champions in the locker room, and they all cheer, that they’re cheering for the President and not the champs themselves. In other words, it’s a pretty big stretch.

USA Today put this headline on the same article: “Some troops back from Iraq echo frustration of war critic Murtha”

Here’s what the AP article actually says:

[Staff Sgt. Randy] Myers said he backs Murtha, an opinion echoed by a number of other troops and their families. Several share his frustration with the conflict.

However, the article only offers one quote from a soldier that fits that bill:

“I’m not sure we’re doing a whole lot of good,” Myers, 46, said of the U.S. presence in Iraq. “Everybody thinks we are. We’re trying to, but we’re not going to change what they want to do, and if they don’t want to change, they’re not gonna.”

Definitely doubt, but not exactly a strong endorsement for the Murtha Doctrine. Another soldier is quoted supporting Murtha’s commitment to the military, but says nothing about his call for withdrawal.

Said Sgt. 1st Class George Wozniak, 36, of Murtha: “He’s definitely for a strong military and he definitely supports the troops.”  

Despite the pro-Murtha headline, the second half of the article paints a different picture:

Ruth Ann Biesinger-Sliko, 55, a physical education teacher who came to see a fellow teacher and six of her former students return from Iraq, said Murtha has lost her vote because of his negativity about the war.

“I think that makes the guys feel terrible when he starts, you know, bashing. I think you need to support the guys,” Biesinger-Sliko said. “I think it’s created a lot of bad feelings for the people whose families are over there.”

The article later says this:

Many of the soldiers declined to be interviewed. Or, when asked about Murtha, said they didn’t know enough to have an opinion.

Yup. Those troops really seem to love their Murtha. But this paragraph tells the real story:

Doubts about Iraq have surfaced in the region. A Quinnipiac University Poll released Wednesday found that 25% in southwest Pennsylvania said all troops should be withdrawn from Iraq, while 38% in Pittsburgh and its surrounding suburbs said they should all be withdrawn.

Pittsburgh is not in Murtha’s district. So basically this tells us that roughly 75% of Murtha’s constituents reject the Murtha Doctrine. That should have been the headline.