It's Called a Spine

John Murtha and the Democrats have provided a steady stream of rhetoric against the war, but it was all laid to rest with the House vote Friday. The House rejected a nonbinding resolution calling for an immediate troop withdrawal by a vote of 403-3. Note also, that Murtha was not one of the three.

To me, this seems to demonstrate the worthlessness of the rhetoric because none of the politicans have any plan to back it up. The Washington Post (representing the MSM), on the other hand, sees things differently:

GOP leaders hastily scheduled a vote on a measure to require the Bush administration to bring the troops home now, an idea proposed Thursday by Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.). The Republican-proposed measure was rejected 403 to 3, a result that surprised no one.
The idea was to force Democrats to go on the record on a proposal that the administration says would be equivalent to surrender. Recognizing a political trap, most Democrats -- including Murtha -- said from the start they would vote no.

First, did this result really "surprise no one"? The continual criticism from the Left, both the elected and self-appointed, dominates the daily news. I think that the average American should be surprised that only 3 anti-war Democrat Representatives voted for immediate pull-out. Of course, the WaPo justifies this vote for the Dems--they were just avoiding a political trap. So, after ratcheting up the anti-war talk, they can avoid preserving their extreme opinions in posterity by not following through on the official vote. The citizens of America must be informed of how their representatives are running the government. If they are saying one thing in public and voting another way (or attempting to avoid votes at all), are they really working for the people?

Friday's vote also revealed the level of civility of our nation's leaders. Rep. Jean Schmidt conveyed a meassage from a Marine Corps Reserve officer, which included a message to Murtha: "cowards cut and run, Marines never do." The Washington Post reported the reaction:

Dozens of Democrats erupted at once, pointing angrily at Schmidt and shouting repeatedly, "Take her words down" -- the House term for retracting a statement. For a moment Schmidt tried to keep speaking, but the uproar continued and several GOP colleagues surrounded her as she sat down, looking slightly dazed. Presiding officer Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) gaveled in vain for order as Democrats continued shouting for Schmidt to take back her words. Rep. Martin T. Meehan (D-Mass.) yelled "You guys are pathetic!" from the far end of the Democratic section to the GOP side.
Just as matters seemed to calm a bit, Rep. Harold E. Ford Jr. (D-Tenn.) suddenly charged across the aisle to the GOP seats, jabbing his finger furiously at a small group of GOP members and shouting, "Say Murtha's name!" Rep. David R. Obey (D-Wis.), who had led the chants for striking Schmidt's comments, gently guided Ford by the arm back to the minority party's side.

Now that is how you win a debate!

I don't know who first said "if you are going to talk the talk, you have to walk the walk," so instead I'll have to quote Rough Rider Teddy Roosevelt (but not "Speak softly and carry a big stick.") TR had it right when he stated: "A vote is like a rifle; its usefulness depends on the character of the user." Apparently, character is an optional quality in our representatives. I guess that leaves it up to us--the average voters--to brandish our rifles with honor, aiming for truth, and only elect those individuals that will do the same.