Congressman John Murtha has died at age 77 due to complications after gall bladder surgery. He was an example of an American patriot, in that he served his country in the U.S. Marine Corps, rising to the rank of Colonel, and seeing combat in Vietnam where he won a Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts. But he was also an example of a pork barrel politician, bringing home the bacon to his district. He was the kind of man we need to defend the country, and the kind of man who is destroying the country, all in one.

Murtha's death will mean another special election, and the GOP might just take the seat.

Another condescending Liberal analyzes the Tea Party movement, insinuates that it is generated by corporations and made up only of middle-age, middle-class white folks, but calls on the Democrats to pay attention to it. Unfortunately for the Democrats, so long as they misread what it is and who is involved, even if they pay attention to the movement they won't be able to counter it.

Rich Lowry understands the Tea Party movement, and says the Democrats, who do not understand it, are counting on it to divide the GOP. That won't happen, since the majority of Tea Party folks are fiscally conservative, even if they are all over the map on other issues. If the GOP candidate is a fiscal conservative, and the Democrat is not, and the Tea Party folks do not have a viable candidate of their own on the ballot, then the GOP candidate will get most of their votes. The only way the Tea Party movement can coalesce into a really viable third party is if Republicans abandon their party in droves (as Whigs, including Abraham Lincoln, did in the 1850s) and become part of the new party. I do not see this happening this year, although I believe it is still possible, especially if the Republicans are not responsive once they get back in the saddle.

Ralph Peters, a former Army intelligence officer, says the Christmas Day bomber could have given us actionable intelligence only in the first few days after his arrest, but since he was allowed to clam up by being read his Miranda rights, that didn't happen, and anything he says now is of little use.

Amir Taheri wonders if the Iranian government will choose the Tiananmen solution when anti-government protestors take to the streets on February 11th.