By Lois Romano
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Fresh-faced and young, Patrick Murphy normally would have fallen into the category of unknown freshman legislator elbowing to make a name for himself.
But attracting attention has been no problem for Murphy.
The Pennsylvania Democrat happens to be the only member of Congress who is a veteran of the war in Iraq, a distinction that has swiftly catapulted him to Washington's front lines of politics and policy with little effort.
Senior members turn to the 33-year-old for policy guidance. Generals are eager to brief him one-on-one. Murphy delivers moving speeches on the floor about the 19 paratroopers he served with who died in Iraq. And he stood shoulder to shoulder with Speaker Nancy Pelosi at a news conference, emotionally talking about flawed U.S. policy.
"Sometimes I feel like the weight of the United States military in Iraq is on my shoulders," Murphy said in an interview in his office this week. "I really have to push myself to focus on my district, this is so consuming."
On Monday, he returned from his first trip back to the Iraq since his 2003-2004 tour, and he said he found conditions there painfully similar or worse. "It feels like Groundhog Day all over again there," he said. "Before it was like, 'It'll take time, it'll take time.' Well, now we're four years later and everyone was unanimous: We need a political and economic solution, and all we have is a military solution."
Murphy was among a dozen veterans of the Iraq war who ran for Congress last year, but only he won a seat. Murphy, a captain, was a paratrooper with the Army's 82nd Airborne Division. He has co-sponsored legislation calling for a 12-month timeline for redeploying U.S. troops from Iraq and allowing for some troops to remain to provide basic force protection and training of Iraqis.
He said he repeatedly heard from officers and soldiers that the United States isn't doing enough to get the Iraqis to step up and assume more responsibility for their country's defense and for combating insurgents.
"I asked one of my former students what's going on, and he said, 'Sir, if the Iraqis don't get off the sidelines, we'll be here forever,' " Murphy said. "They are frustrated because they know what it takes to win there. We are not putting appropriate pressure on the Iraqis."
Asked whether any of the troops were skeptical of him because of his stance on the war, he said those he encountered were nothing but encouraging.
"I'm not necessarily antiwar. I'm anti-failure," he said. "There's a difference."
Lose a Member, Gain $5 Million?There's much chatter in the House halls these days about the possible departure of Rep. Marty Meehan, an eight-term Massachusetts Democrat who is on a list of three finalists to become chancellor of his alma mater, the University of Massachusetts at Lowell.
Although the well-liked Meehan would be missed by many of his colleagues, the vultures are circling -- and not just for his seat. The real buzz is over what he would do with his bulging campaign war chest, which, as the saying goes, he can't take with him. Well, certainly not for himself.
Federal reports show that Meehan had a handsome $5,119,677 cash on hand as of December -- a figure that caught the eye of those who would certainly like to put it to use for Democratic causes. At one point, Meehan was mentioned as a possible successor to Sen. John F. Kerry, which would account for the stout bankroll. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, money from lawyers, lobbyist and business interests made up the lion's share of his contributions last year.
One thing is fairly certain, though: If Meehan does retire, whatever he decides to do with the money will be very public, given that one of his signature issues has been campaign finance reform.
Meehan would have three options to move the money as a chunk: give the $5 million to the Democratic National Committee, give it to a charity, or create a personal political action committee. Any other political destinations for the money would be subject to campaign finance restrictions.
A spokesman for Meehan said the House member hasn't thought about the future of the money because his own future is undecided. He hasn't been offered the university post and he hasn't decided whether he would accept the job.
Meanwhile, more people are lining up for Meehan's seat than are advising Hillary Clinton. Among them: Niki Tsongas-- wife of the late U.S. senator Paul Tsongas, who once represented the district in the House.
But like we said, Marty hasn't even gotten the job yet.
Better Care Sought for 'Wounded Warriors'Sens. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) and Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) will today introduce a Dignity for Wounded Warriors Act to mandate that wounded soldiers receive proper treatment at decent facilities when they return from war. The legislation comes after a Washington Post series on deplorable conditions for veterans at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
Among other things, the bill calls for a Wounded Warrior Oversight Board appointed by Congress, 24-hour bilingual hotlines, federal protections for the jobs of family members who are caring for recovering service members, and establishment of a zero-tolerance policy for pest infestation at medical facilities.
Ted Stevens: In Shape but 'Out of Luck'Yes, that was Sen. Ted Stevens at National Airport on Sunday taking charge and flinging bags off a stalled conveyor belt to help other passengers and, of course, find his own bag. "He looked quite good and in shape for a man of 83 in the middle of the night lifting bags," said fellow traveler Joe Mendelson, who worked alongside Stevens.
When the music stopped, however, neither man had a bag. "Well, I guess we're [expletive] out of luck," the senator said.
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