Congressman Jack Murtha stumped for Vic Wulsin today in Cincinnati at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Hall.  Hordes of international, national, and local media, as well as virtually every southwest Ohio Democratic activist, volunteer, friend, and operative I've come across in my two plus years involved in local politics, came to show their support for Vic and Congressman Murtha.    

Murtha, as many know, was the recipient of Jean Schmidt's disgraceful comments on the House floor.  Throughout the whole episode, Murtha never reciprocated the incivility Schmidt showed towards him, gracefully accepting Schmidt's apology.  Even today, in a room filled to the brim with anti-Schmidt sentiment, Murtha opted for elevated discourse, exclusively discussing the substance of our current Iraqi policy and the need for a new strategy and accountability.  

The reverence in the room towards Murtha was palpable.  I saw tears in several spectators' eyes when the Congressman walked in the room, arm around Vic. Bob Woodward recently described Murtha in an interview with 60 minutes as "the soul and the conscience of the military."  Woodward furthered "...he came out and said, 'We need to get out of Iraq as soon as it's practical.' And that sent a ten-thousand volt jolt through the White House.".  He spoke with a powerful authority and conviction- from the perspective of a hawk, a Vietnam Veteran, and a soldier with military lineage dating back to the Revolutionary War.  

Murtha opened his speech with the obvious: no domestic problem can be fixed until the Iraqi problem is brought to a resolution.   He brought up the cost of the war as well as the reality that the War effort has compromised our ability to defend ourselves against legitimate national security threats like terrorism and nuclear proliferation in Iran and North Korea.  In an era where the Democratic Party still seems to operate by the Bob Shrum- "it's the economy stupid" playbook, what a breath of fresh air to hear the significance of this debacle firmly expressed by a credible voice!

For many on the campaign, this event felt like a reward for all the hard work the campaign has put into this race.  A few months ago, no one took us seriously.  Then Howard Dean noticed the potential of the race, followed by national bloggers like Howie Klein and finally by the DCCC.  The momentum for this race has been reaffirmed and enhanced by a new independent poll showing Vic leading Schmidt.  To have a voice as credible and powerful as Murtha's in our presence was a culmination of all the doors that have been pried opened, all the gates that have been crashed by a little grassroots campaign.

Murtha will always be remembered as the man who helped change the discourse on this War- the man who gave anti-war criticism the media credibility it finally deserved.  And for that he embodies courage- not cowardice.