Limbaugh: Murtha "just the useful idiot of the moment"

On the November 21 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, host Rush Limbaugh asserted that Rep. John P. Murtha (D-PA) -- who on November 17 called for the immediate redeployment of U.S. forces from Iraq -- is "just the useful idiot of the moment."

Limbaugh added that people "portray [Murtha] as a former hawk," and asked: "What kind of serious hawk calls for withdrawals like this?" Limbaugh then added: "I don't think he ever has been a hawk ... in his career ... as a congressman."

Limbaugh further asserted that Murtha is "just getting his 15 minutes of fame like [anti-war protester] Cindy Sheehan got," and characterized Murtha as "just the latest member of the endless parade of personalities around whom the Democrats can circle and support."

From the November 21 broadcast of The Rush Limbaugh Show:

LIMBAUGH: Not really that interested in Murtha, ladies and gentlemen, to tell you the truth. I know he got everybody's dander up all last week, but I think he's just the useful idiot of the moment. He's just -- I mean I'm not taking away from his service in Vietnam. Uh, it's -- it's not his service that we are questioning. We're questioning his judgment here.

What kind of serious hawk calls for withdrawals like this? He talks about -- they portray this guy as a former hawk -- I don't think he ever has been a hawk in the -- in his career as a congress -- as a congressman. He advocated pulling out of Somalia, as I say.

But it isn't about Murtha. Murtha's irrelevant in all this. This is about our troops and our national security. Murtha's just getting his 15 minutes of fame like Cindy Sheehan got, and like [former Texas Air National Guard Lt. Col.] Bill Burkett got. Bill Burkett got almost a year. The Jersey Girls, [former National Security Council counterterrorism coordinator] Richard Clarke, [former U.S. ambassador] Joseph Wilson, you name it -- just the latest member of the endless parade of personalities around whom the Democrats can circle and support.

—J.B.