Representative John Murtha (D-PA) took on the Swift-Boat crowd. He was an old-line, earmark oriented defense industry hawk who eventually opposed the Iraq War. He died today at 77.
From an official release from his office:
Congressman John P. Murtha (PA-12) passed away peacefully this afternoon at 1:18 p.m. at Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, VA. At his bedside was his family.
Murtha, 77, was Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense.
First elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in February of 1974, Murtha dedicated his life to serving his country both in the military and in the halls of Congress. A former Marine, he became the first Vietnam War combat Veteran elected to the U.S. Congress.
This past Saturday, February 6, 2010, Murtha became Pennsylvania’s longest serving Member of Congress.
John Murtha, rest in peace.
— Steve Clemons
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