Confirmed: Rep. John Murtha Dead At 77

I'll update when there's a link. His House site isn't coming up right now.

Breaking: Plus the breaking news round up. Don't hate.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Congressman John P. Murtha died Monday 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, Murtha became Pennsylvania’s longest serving Member of Congress.

Comments

[Jeff]

RIP Congressman Murtha ... no matter what your politics were you were once a Marine and for that we owe you debt of gratitude for your service ...

[MissTammy]

What Jeff said. And God be with his family and friends...it's always hard to lose someone you love.

[Ad rem]

Pork futures are down.....

[BadIdeaGuy]

I've been trying to reconcile why, in cases such as this, it's wrong to speak ill of the dead. He was a decorated US Marine who made some awful decisions later in life. In the same way that you can't ever take away the honor of his combat service, you can't ever correct a lot of the damage he did in Congress.

Should we just let the bad stuff die with him? If my kids say "I want to be like that guy" because they see favorable news coverage, should I just shut up?

The most corrupt member of the US Congress died*. (*He was a decorated combat veteran 40 years ago)

So bury him in Arlington with 21 guns, name his porky airport after him, and then shut it down.

[JustOneMan]

We should have an Irish wake...Drink heavily and raise our glasses in praise to honor him...after several hours we will all be drunk and say how we really feel... curse the fat bastard and piss on his grave...

[Ad rem]

Looks like Obama finally found his "corpseman".

[Jim B]

Given the broad shoulders by which his corrupt example provided cover to tons of lesser corruption throughout Congress, I cannot say that I am sorry he is no longer going to be around to spread that pernicious evil any longer. It's sad that it took his death to remove this particular cancer from our public discourse, but his unrepentant accusations of cold blooded murder against our servicemen is a blood-libel which is unforgivable.

I feel for his family at the loss of a loved one, but again that is tempered by the knowledge that they are already living undeservedly pampered lives because of the corrupt money which has funded their lifestyle for years.

That's as close as I can get to saying something nice about the dead in this instance, so I'm going to stop.

[SacTownMan]

Let's hope and pray that his replacement in Congress doesn't dedicate his life to being an example of the abuse of power, pay for play and government waste like Murtha did!!

RIP Porky!!

But, before everybody gets to mushy for the passing of the "King of Pork" I would just add.

"Remember the Hadifa Marines"

Semper Fi!!

[A Balrog of Morgoth]

Whatever debt of gratitude we may have once owed him was pretty much paid in full the day he sealed his first crooked deal.

[mark l.]

"Pork futures are down....."

sweet.

still hoping to capture the nyt or wapo printing reports of his death, while the wh simultaneously offers 50 billion of new budget cuts.

[smitty]

Here is a sincere, non-hate thought on the gentleman:
http://theothermccain.com/2010/02/08/representative-murtha-may-the-almighty-have-mercy

[richard mcenroe]

I could do with some hatin...

http://tinyurl.com/ylh4l45

http://threebeerslater.blogspot.com/2010/02/kickback-jack-murtha-kicks-bucket.html

[Lightwave]

Throughout his career, he got what he thought was coming to him.

And in the end, he got what was coming to him too.

Jack Murtha should not be honored. He thought that the only things that mattered were his district and his seat in the House, not his country that he served as a Marine. As a member of the armed forces, he served his country. As a member of the House, he served himself.

He forgot the difference, like so many lifelong members. Now he will be forgotten. Not wanting to speak ill of the dead does not change the fact there was lots of ill to speak of the man.

[astonerii]

There is a true crime in this, and that is that this man was able to die having not been forced to face the crimes he has committed against his country. Not only does it prevent him from ever having had to face his demons and have a chance to repent, but it also leaves all the dirty deeds for which he did as an open sore on a nation who is struggling to be able to trust the government that runs this nation. Uses the hard work of its citizens as a public feeding trough and the product of their labor as gifts for those who hate Americans as much as they do.

[Daniel in Brookline]

RIP.

I wonder if the man thought, toward the end, what his legacy would be, and what the history books would write about him.

History will not be kind to him, if it remembers him at all.

[FeFe]

They come in threes. Teddy, Murtha, ...