Okay we’re not supposed to speak ill of the dead, but by the same token people shouldn’t rewrite their background to make them look like saints. Samples from this AP article.

Rep. John Murtha, who said the Bush administration’s handling of the war in Iraq was based on “flawed policy wrapped in illusion” and called for a withdrawal of U.S. troops there, is being remembered as an advocate on Capitol Hill for those serving in military uniform.

What? I’ll remember him as the person John Kerry tried best to emulate, except that Murtha used the taxpayers like Kerry used rich widows.

Murtha, a former Marine who became the de facto voice of veterans on Capitol Hill, was the first Vietnam veteran to serve in Congress and was “incredibly effective in his service in the House,” said Rep. David Obey, a Democrat and chairman of the House Appropriations Committee.

“He understood the misery of war,” Obey said. “Every person who serves in the military has lost an advocate and a good friend today.”

I can think of a few hundred thousand troops who don’t see him as an advocate nor a friend.

Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., said that in part because of Murtha, “America is now on track to removing all combat troops from that country by this summer.”

Yep, if not for him, they’d be there forever.

President Barack Obama called Murtha, who was known in his home state for helping bring money and projects to areas depressed by the decline of the coal and steel industries, “a steadfast advocate for the people of Pennsylvania for nearly 40 years” with a “tough-as-nails” reputation.

Apparently being a “steadfast advocate” means being able to get endless millions of other taxpayer’s dollars pumped into his district so he could reap major payola out of it.

Heads up – you may want to grab a barf bag before continuing….

Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, remembered Murtha as a tireless advocate for veterans and the military.

“From health care to weapons procurement, from shipbuilding to pay and benefits, no one understood the needs of our modern military better than he did,” Mullen said in a statement. “That we remain the greatest military in the history of the world is testament in no small part to his vigilance and stewardship.”

You have got to be kidding me. That was the worst quote in the entire article.

Known for his seriousness, Murtha also had a lighter side. Gov. Ed Rendell recalled Monday that “he was a funny guy, he always enjoyed a good laugh and he was somebody who was a great and loyal friend.”

Yeah I bet they were rolling in the aisles with laughter when he cracked those jokes about our troops being cold-blooded murderers.

His criticism of the Iraq war intensified in 2006, when he accused Marines of murdering Iraqi civilians “in cold blood” at Haditha, after one Marine died and two were wounded by a roadside bomb.

Critics said Murtha unfairly held the Marines responsible before an investigation was concluded and fueled enemy retaliation. He said that the war couldn’t be won militarily and that such incidents dimmed the prospect for a political solution.

I guess there wasn’t room in the article to note that the Marines he convicted in advance were exonerated. Eh, just trivial footnotes I suppose to the more important task of preserving St. Murtha’s memory.

Interesting footnote: When I read this article last night, it did include some of his ‘controversial’ background, such as ABSCAM, but all that has been scrubbed now. Did the Wikipedia police write and then edit this article for the AP?