Interesting article about how Murtha's position is playing in his district, the folks who will ultimately send him back for his 18th term. Seems that his predilection for "bringing home the bacon" influences his constituents opinions. A lot. But Murtha's stature as a vet and respected congressman don't hurt. If the 1600 Crew are planning to try and Swiftboat Murtha, they're not going to get the John Kerry no-fight response.

For many who no longer support the war - and all those who never did - Murtha's call for a new direction fits their own conviction that the war is past winning. Others see such talk as a betrayal of patriotism comparable to the backlash against the Vietnam War.
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"I've been going through this Iraq thing," he told locals at Latrobe. "We missed a window of opportunity.... We have to change direction, and that's going to happen. However [Bush administration officials] try to phrase it, it's going to happen. But I hope they listen to me, because less people will be killed."

It's a message that sets off strong - and mixed - views among his constituents, many of whom have ties to men and women serving in Iraq.

"I feel great about what he said," says Don Carns, a construction worker dropping in for lunch at the Byers-Tosh Post of the American Legion in Ligonier, Pa. "Bring the kids back. It's a millionaire's war, and the poor people suffer."

But combat veteran Chris Williams, in Johns-town, worries that Murtha's call for a pullout will demoralize Americans in Iraq and undermine a war effort that the US can't afford to lose. "It's a shame people are dying. I'm a Vietnam veteran, and it was a shame people had to die there, too. But it's the right thing," he says. "These people are free."

In historical terms, Murtha's stand on the Iraq war could prove to be as important as the late Sen. J. William Fulbright's turn against the Vietnam War in 1966. That move jump-started congressional opposition to the war.

"Fulbright was the senator who literally pushed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution through the Senate for Lyndon Johnson, then turned against the war," says Julian Zelizer, a congressional historian at Boston University. "With Murtha, it's the drama of a hawk's hawk saying, 'It's not working.' It's very powerful. That's why it's so hard for the administration to stop it."

It's going to be interesting to see how Murtha plays out, and how much support he gets from the Democratic leadership. Right now it's looking pretty strong, and that might begin to drive some of the "cut the baby in half" Dems to finally shit or get off the pot and start talking up Murtha's suggestions. Especially those triangulators who are ginning up "committees", if you know what I mean.