Limbaugh: Murtha "just the useful idiot of
the moment"
Media Matters
November 22, 2005
On the November 21 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, host
Rush Limbaugh asserted that Rep. John P. Murtha (D-PA) -- who on November 17
called for the immediate redeployment of U.S. forces from Iraq -- is "just the
useful idiot of the moment."
Limbaugh added that people "portray [Murtha] as a former hawk," and asked:
"What kind of serious hawk calls for withdrawals like this?" Limbaugh then
added: "I don't think he ever has been a hawk ... in his career ... as a
congressman."
Limbaugh further asserted that Murtha is "just getting his 15 minutes of
fame like [anti-war protester] Cindy Sheehan got," and characterized Murtha as
"just the latest member of the endless parade of personalities around whom the
Democrats can circle and support."
From the November 21 broadcast of The Rush Limbaugh Show:
LIMBAUGH: Not really that interested in Murtha, ladies and gentlemen, to
tell you the truth. I know he got everybody's dander up all last week, but I
think he's just the useful idiot of the moment. He's just -- I mean I'm not
taking away from his service in Vietnam. Uh, it's -- it's not his service that
we are questioning. We're questioning his judgment here.
What kind of serious hawk calls for withdrawals like this? He talks about --
they portray this guy as a former hawk -- I don't think he ever has been a hawk
in the -- in his career as a congress -- as a congressman. He advocated pulling
out of Somalia, as I say.
But it isn't about Murtha. Murtha's irrelevant in all this. This is about
our troops and our national security. Murtha's just getting his 15 minutes of
fame like Cindy Sheehan got, and like [former Texas Air National Guard Lt.
Col.] Bill Burkett got. Bill Burkett got almost a year. The Jersey Girls,
[former National Security Council counterterrorism coordinator] Richard Clarke,
[former U.S. ambassador] Joseph Wilson, you name it -- just the latest member
of the endless parade of personalities around whom the Democrats can circle and
support.
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