Murtha Calls for a 'Change in Direction'

This is a transcript of John Murtha's Press Conference November 17, 2005. The New Yoirk Times calls Murtha's Call for "Immediate Redeployment" of our troops a change of direction. I've read the transcript and not once but several times reporters make reference to getting "them" (the soldiers) home.

Here's one...

Q Mr. Murtha, you say -- your first point about bringing them home consistent with the safety of U.S. forces. You know about these matters; what is your sense as to how long that would be?

REP. MURTHA: Well, I think they can get them out of there in six months. I think that we could do it -- you know, you have to do it in a very consistent way. But I think six months would be a reasonable time to get them out of there.

Here's another exchange in which John Murtha actually says, "It's time to bring them home."

Q Congressman, Republicans say that Democrats are calling for withdrawal, are advocating a cut-and-run strategy. What do you say to that criticism?

REP. MURTHA: It's time to bring them home. They've done everything they can do. The military's done everything they can do. This war has been so mishandled from the very start. Not only was the intelligence bad, the way they disbanded the troops, there's all kinds of mistakes that have been made. They don't deserve to continue to suffer. They're the targets. They have become the enemy! Eighty percent of the Iraqis want us out of there. The public wants us out of there.

So much for just turning left at Baghdad. He wants us to make a U-Turn.