Congressman John Murtha of Pennsylvania, a conservative Democrat who rose to the fourth ranking House position as the person in charge of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on defense, and who was very close to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, passed away this afternoon at age 77.
Originally elected to the House at the time of the Watergate scandal under Richard Nixon, Murtha became a powerful force in the House, and made many enemies of people who respected and also feared him.
A gruff Marine who always supported defense spending, he surprised everyone by coming out against the Bush Administration Iraq War policy in November, 2005, and after that, he suffered from constant, bitter attacks by conservatives and Republicans, but that criticism of the administration took a lot of guts and courage on his part.
Often criticized for excessive “earmarks”, and thought to be involved in crooked dealings at times, he was under attack and was facing a tough 2010 re-election challenge this fall.
While many had mixed feelings about John Murtha, he certainly made a difference in our history, if for nothing else, than his willingness to stick his neck out–this Marine and defense advocate–against the Commander in Chief and the war he waged!