Fat Jack Murtha on His Way Out?

I am sure you remember Rep. John Murtha (D, PA), the one who went over the top when Marines were accused of a massacre at Haditha. Murtha said back then that "overreacted because of the pressure on them, and they killed innocent civilians in cold blood." Since then, seven Marines have been either cleared or won dismissals in that case. You may also recall that Murtha was on tape considering accepting bribes during the Abscam sting. Looks like the chickens have come home to roost in the person of William Russell, a Gulf War veteran, who survived the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon, is challenging Murtha in November. Michelle Malkin has written a great article on this. Too bad the MSM his trying to keep it out of the public eye. I have already made a small donation to Mr. Russell's campaign. Oh, here is the really amazing thing, the Russell campaign raised 670,000.00 last quarter and Russell has not been able to campaign until he active duty commitment ends on 1 August! - Sailor

The 18-term congressman's challenger, staunch conservative Republican newcomer William Russell, raised nearly $670,000 in the second quarter. Earmark king Murtha scraped together a measly $119,000.

Russell's underdog campaign bested Murtha without the perks of incumbency, national name recognition, big PAC donations or mainstream media support.

Even more amazing: The challenger, a Desert Storm veteran and Army reservist who survived the 9/11 Pentagon attack, wasn't even publicly campaigning during the quarter. Russell, 45, is on active duty with the Army until after Aug. 1 and is barred from actively campaigning until then.

If all that didn't make this enough of an inspiring story: In February, a Pennsylvania judge ruled that Russell had failed to collect enough signatures to make the primary ballot. But he refused to give up on his goal of defeating Murtha. The GOP neophyte persevered on a shoestring budget and won more than 4,000 write-in votes in the spring to earn a spot on the general-election ballot. Russell's campaign manager, veteran GOP activist Peg Luksik, says most second-quarter donations were less than $50.

Russell's clear on where he stands. "I am a conservative," he says in his defining campaign statement. "I believe in the sovereignty and security of this one nation, under God. I believe the primary role of government is to provide for the common defense and a legal framework to protect families and individual liberty."