The Democrats’ Credibility Problem

The Washington Post has yet another story this morning on the travails of Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) and his seeming cavalier attitude regarding how he spends other people’s money.

The story today reports his nephew, 49-year old Robert Murtha, collected over $4 million in Pentagon contracts. And what does he offer for this princely sum? A new emerging defense platform? Some high-tech radar guidance system? Nope — warehouses. Yes, storage space designated as “engineering services.”

Rep. Murtha remains defiant as ever. His they-won’t-take-me-alive attitude mocks every working American and betrays a central piece of the Democrats’ platform when they vowed to end eight years of tyrannical Republican reign — end the corruption.

I’ve used many a pen lamenting the foolish dealings of Republicans and their spending ways, but what Democrats like Murtha are doing goes beyond the pale. Why? They have no shame in their dealings. In fact, they almost seem proud of tossing millions in contracts to their friends and cohorts. Just yesterday, The Washington Times ran a front-page story on how Democrats are secretly drafting climate protection bills with the environmental lobby.

I’ve heard of political payback, but does it have to be so public and defiant? What should concern every American is the ease with which the majority party controls the levers of power … and spending.

Have an idea? Democrats will fund it. No sense if it will work or advance the country? No problem, we’ll just blame Republicans and say our four years of this spending mess can’t possibly be worse than the eight they dragged us through.

What’s most troubling is the personal credibility of Democrats like John Murtha and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.). When you can ignore the public record that states you were told a torture technique would be used on terrorists to glean information, only later to state repeatedly you had no knowledge of the instance, “period,” then you have a credibility problem that doesn’t end there. It permeates all facets of public policy, and poisons those around you.

Now, I know I’ll get the usual token ribbing about my own wrong choices and bad judgment made in the past. I’ve atoned for those decisions. And unless folks like John Murtha start owning up to the mistakes they have made, their credibility problem will fester and infest until the public no longer has the stomach for such abuses.

Visit www.armstrongwilliams.com .