This story shows the extreme downside of Congressional ear-marks, a process that I have on occasion defended. That this downside comes at the hands of our most accomplished practitioner of pork (well, I guess Senator Byrd of West Virginia is also way up there) should strike no one as a surprise.
John Murtha sort of reminds me of Colonel Kurtz in Apocalypse Now, except for all the parts that had me feeling sympathetic for Kurtz. Murtha has set himself up, seemingly beyond the reach of the rules that govern everyone else, and he is operating without restraint. This unnecessary airport is just one of many instances of Murtha's machine style influence over the appropriations process.
John Murtha is an incredibly dishonorable man with an impeccable pedigree. This is what makes him all the more disappointing. He is one of the few that has the power to do incredible things. Disappointing because he chooses to sap those he serves for his tiny inner circle. John Murtha is the quintessential anti hero.
ReplyDeleteWe Navy guys can thank him for the $500K a copy keyboard and display in our ships called the Q-70. A bigger piece of garbage has not been produced since the movie Ishtar.
ReplyDelete