Representative John Murtha, the tall, gruff-mannered former Marine who became the de facto voice of veterans on Capitol Hill and later an outspoken and influential critic of the Iraq War, died following complications from gallbladder surgery. He was 77.
Representative Bob Brady, a longtime friend, said Murtha’s large intestine was damaged during surgery and an infection led him to be hospitalized with a fever.
“There will never be another Jack Murtha,” Brady said. “He went out on top of his game.”
PHOTO: AFP
The Pennsylvania Democrat died on Monday at Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, Virginia, where he was admitted on Jan. 31. The gallbladder surgery was performed days earlier at the National Naval Medical Center, in Bethesda, Maryland, which didn’t immediately return messages seeking comment.
In 1974, Murtha, then an officer in the Marine Reserves, became the first Vietnam War combat veteran elected to Congress. Ethical questions often shadowed his congressional service, but he was best known for being among Congress’ most hawkish Democrats. He wielded considerable clout for two decades as the ranking Democrat on the House subcommittee that oversees Pentagon spending.
Murtha voted in 2002 to authorize former US president George W. Bush to use military force in Iraq, but his growing frustration over the administration’s handling of the war prompted him in November 2005 to call for an immediate withdrawal of US troops.
“The war in Iraq is not going as advertised. It is a flawed policy wrapped in illusion,” he said.
Murtha’s opposition to the Iraq War rattled Washington, where the congressman enjoyed bipartisan respect for his work on military issues. On Capitol Hill, Murtha was seen as speaking for those in uniform when it came to military matters.
US President Barack Obama called Murtha, who was known in his home state for helping bring money and projects to areas depressed by the decline of the coal and steel industries, “a steadfast advocate for the people of Pennsylvania for nearly 40 years” with a “tough-as-nails” reputation.
William Russell, Murtha’s Republican opponent in the 2008 election, who was planning to challenge him again in November, asked in a statement on Monday that people pray for the Murtha family and said his campaign would suspend activity for a few days.
“Regardless of your political position, you always knew Jack had an immense love and loyalty to his family and the residents of the 12th Congressional District,” Russell said.
Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell said on Monday that he has not decided when to schedule a special election to replace Murtha. He has 10 days by law; the political parties must come up with their own candidates.
The governor said that it would save taxpayer money to hold the election on May 18, the state’s planned primary date, but that he might set it sooner in the event of urgent congressional issues.
Unlike the Senate, where the Democrats’ recent loss of a single seat greatly complicated efforts to pass key legislation, the Democrats hold a healthy majority 256-178 in the house.
Born on June 17, 1932, John Patrick Murtha delivered newspapers and worked at a gas station before graduating from high school.
Military service was in Murtha’s blood. He said his great-grandfather served in the Civil War, his father and three uncles in World War II, and his brothers in the Marine Corps.
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