Chapomatic has been responding to Murtha's recent tiring, same-old assertions dressed up a little differently every so often these past three years. He's also been taking on the not unsurprising efforts of many in the MSM to portray Murtha's most recent comments as something new and unexpected as though he has had some nirvannic experience.

In his latest, Chap also responds to En Revanche who counsels that a more deliberate and calm rebuttal is better. A small part of what Chap excerpts:

"Instead of being dismissive and insulting, perhaps we should explain why he’s wrong. In detail. Without namecalling and handwaving. In re: support for the war, we’ve always had most conservatives on our side, and we’ve never had most liberals, but we’re starting to lose the center, folks, and that’s all she wrote, if that happens.

Chap’s notes on the withdrawal of support from South Vietnam are a good but inexact analogy, but hold the beginnings of a persuasive argument. A recent Atlantic article by Jim Fallows, “Why Iraq Has No Army,” written by a guy who has pretty consistently *opposed* the war, actually contains more coherent arguments for *staying* than I’ve seen in most of the right-wing blogosphere.

More light, less heat."

I sympathize with ER, and many, many are following his suggestion and Chap has done some himself as ER notes. Those explanations are for third parties. The 'hotness' expressed by some may not be wise or appropriate in circumstances in which the other side is debating in good faith.

In this case, however, a vey healthy group of Democrats, Murtha among them, have been caterwailing from the mud pit for many months and a not too small number for years. So it is neither surprising nor lamentable that quite of few from this side have decided to take them on at their preferred field for battle.

As for the heat Chap puts on Murtha, well, if Murtha needs Chap to explain Vietnam's ending and its significance in relation to this war, because Murtha can't or won't, then Murtha deserves all the heat he gets and more so. A man who knows but ignores that significance to this war and rambles on and on, as he did on LNH, about a military needing shiny, clean and unworn equipment and new boats, yada, yada, yada, because we have to be prepared for, uh, China, well, he's just channeling General George McClellan.

As Chap says, " ... there are wise and fools anywhere you look." We'd be fools to heed Murtha. Chap won't and says so defiantly and that is not bad.